A series of shots: Ideas for Adoption
by Kamen Rider Chrome
Summary: These are ideas which I may or may not have time to do myself. Therefore, I've submitted them so that others may use these ideas and develop them. Newest Idea: Persona Rider.
1. ZKD: 12 Zodiacs Special

AU scene of ZKD…but Draco is still a Knight. Just an idea when I rewrite the whole fic…

You've seen Kamen Rider Ryuki: 13 Riders Special. Maybe I should write a new fic…

ZKD: 12 Zodiacs Special, featuring altered versions of my OC's, new situations and a shorter storyline

He carried the wounded girl into his apartment, barely avoiding bumping into anyone along the way. People were nosy and could get suspicious if they saw you carrying some random girl into your apartment. Those people should just mind their own business.

He gently lay the girl on his bed. He examined her more thoroughly. She had some scrapes and also bruising around her neck. At least she didn't end up as monster food.

After dispatching the creature, he had attempted to take her home but he couldn't find anything on her. She had no money and no identification. He assumed that it must've been lost during the skirmish. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk.

He couldn't take his eyes away from her, however. She had a lithe figure but not exceptionally curvy. Her skin tone was also strange. It was a pale grey color. The most outstanding feature on her was the cotton candy pink hair on her head done up in a pair of horn-like pigtails. Strange, but they looked good on her.

He shook his head as he headed towards the bathroom where the first aid kit was. He needed to treat her wounds. He got back to the bed and opened up the kit, carefully gathering the materials he would need. She didn't seem to need any bandages but to make sure he would have to undress her.

He gulped. He may have saved her but that didn't mean he would be allowed to undress her. He wished he had female help for this but right now he was the only person in the apartment. Heaving a sigh, he began to carefully clean her wounds with a cotton swab he'd lightly soaked with iodine. He also put some ointment on the bruising around her neck. It contrasted horribly against her beautiful skin.

Wait, did he just think her skin was beautiful? He shook his head and discarded the thought. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

His hands went to the buttons on her dress. He slowly undid them but then he stopped when his hands hovered over her breasts. No…he couldn't do it. It just didn't feel right even if his intentions were noble. He then looked at her arms. He rolled up the sleeves and to his relief there were just some minor cuts and scrapes. Nothing life threatening. He dabbed the cotton swab onto he cuts before putting band-aids on them.

The night was cold and it was late already. He would need to sleep. Tomorrow he'd be going to school. However, his bed was currently occupied by his unconscious houseguest. He let out a sigh and then a yawn. He couldn't really do anything about it. She was injured so he had to give her the bed.

He pulled the blanket over her prone form to keep her warm and went to his closet to pull out an old red sleeping bag. There was an extra pillow, thankfully, but it was small compared to the one on his bed.

He gave the girl on his bed one last glance before unrolling the sleeping bag and slipping inside. He put the pillow under his head and then snapped his fingers, turning off the lights without the need to touch the switch. His eyes then closed. He looked forward to seeing the girl wake up. He hoped she would be alright by then.


	2. Kamen Rider DanO

The Bat Imagin unleashed a blade of energy by swinging one of its wings at Danny. The half ghost was unable to dodge and was smashed into the side of a building. This caused him to return to human mode as he landed, hard, on the ground.

"Danny!" Sam cried out as Tucker held her back. "Tuck, let me go! Let me go now!"

The Bat Imagin touched down and sneered at Danny Fenton. "Heh, is that all you got? Might as well take care of you so you won't get in the way anymore." It prepared to unleash its most devastating attack.

"Think again, asshole!!!" someone cried out suddenly before a red boot covered foot met with the Imagin's face, sending it tumbling. The owner of the boot was a humanoid resembling a red ogre. "You won't be touching this kid while I'm around!"

"Who's that?" Tucker asked. Sam could only watch in silence.

"You!" the Bat Imagin recognized, "One of the traitors!"

The red ogre snorted, "Call me whatever you want, bastard, but right now you're going to be facing me. But first, a change of wardrobe!" The red ogre then turned into a ball of red energy before diving in Danny's body. Danny's eyes then shot open, turning red as a red streak appeared in his hair. 'Danny' then got up to his feet and smirked.

"Wow, this feels good," Red Danny said as he flexed his arms. "Kinda scrawny looking, but I guess he'll do."

"Damn you!" the Bat Imagin roared before lunging at the possessed teens. He just stood calmly.

"Danny!!!" Tucker and Sam screamed.

"Henshin!" Red Danny said as a strange hi-tech belt appeared around his waist in a flash of light. He then pressed a red button on the belt, causing the symbol on the buckle to turn red and the belt to release a tune before he waved a wallet sized black case in front of the emblem on the buckle.

"**Sword Form!**" the belt cried out as sparks of light were released by the belt and then collected onto Danny's body, covering him in some sort of black, white and grey armor. Red pieces of additional armor then appeared on his shoulders and chest as well as black armor trimmed in yellow snapped to his back. A red metal peach slid over the helmet and snapped onto the front before splitting in two, the points extending to become antennae and the two halves of the peach now resembling eyes.

"Ore, Sanjou!" the armored teen shouted out before he smashed his fist into the Imagin.

"Is that Danny?" Sam blinked. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know, but he looks cool!" Tucker said with wide eyes.

"Why are you back here, Den-O!?" shouted the Bat Imagin.

Den-O Sword Form then shrugged, "Well, coz it's fun to kick the ass of stupid Imagin like you." As he said this, he reached down to his belt and removed two rectangular objects resembling bullet train cars before snapping them together and throwing them into the air. He then reached down to his belt again and then rushed at the Imagin, kicking it hard in the face before jumping up and attaching the two final pieces to the two combined falling pieces. They snapped together and then a red blade extended from them. He was now armed with a sword.

The Imagin tried to fight back, but it proved useless against Den-O SF as he dodged the swipes and slashed with his sword, causing sparks to fly off his opponent. He then grabbed the Bat Imagin by the head and smashed his helmet covered head hard into its, causing it to stagger back. He then followed up with several quick slashes with his sword before finishing off with a powerful kick that sent the Bat Imagin sailing and tumbling on the street.

"Time for the climax!" Den-O SF said as he held the black object in his hand again, revealing it to be a train pass, before holding it in front of his belt buckle.

"**Full Charge!**" the belt spoke again as a surge of energy crackled and transferred to the sword, causing it to glow. He then threw the pass over his shoulder.

"Here's my hissatsu attack, Part 1: Revised Version!" Den-O SF's blade then detached from the sword handle before he started swinging. The blade flew through the air, following the direction he was swinging at. The blade slashed the Bat Imagin across the chest before Den-O SF directed it to swing overhead and slash it down the middle. The blade then reattached to the handle before Den-O charged, "Ikuze, Ikuze, Ikuze!!!" He then performed a powerful horizontal slash across the Imagin's midsection, sending it to the next life in a powerful explosion. Den-O SF chuckled before throwing his fists into the air, "YEAH! I'M BACK, BABY!!!"


	3. Transformers meet Teen Titans

The Titans had originally come to Detroit when Cyborg received an invitation to Sumdac Tower from Professor Isaac Sumdac, an old friend of Cyborg's father. It was supposed to be just that, a simple visit. They hadn't expected to meet _them_.

"Autobots, TRANSFORM!" ordered a red fire truck which didn't have a driver. All of a sudden, it transformed into a tall humanoid robot with a blue helmet and kind face, bearing an emblem resembling a blocky face on his left shoulder. 4 other vehicles; a yellow car, a black and gold bike, a green military truck, and a red and white ambulance also transformed, all of them bearing the same symbol on a part of their body.

The Titans stood speechless at the sight.

"Prowl, Bulkhead, throw it off its feet!" the big red fire truck-robot ordered. The motorbike-robot, known as Prowl, and the military truck robot, known as Bulkhead, nodded and obeyed their leader's command before rushing forward. While the large green one was big and strong, the black and gold one was sleek and swift, able to leap high into the air to launch a pair of shuriken-like weapons at the rampaging robot. The larger robot, the largest of them, threw a wrecking ball that knocked the rampaging robot backwards.

The rampaging robot had malfunctioned and escaped from Sumdac Tower. The Titans had been ready to fight until these transforming robots appeared.

"OK, Prime, let me go in!" a small yellow robot with racing stripes spoke eagerly.

"Negative, Bumblebee," the fire truck robot, Prime, shook his head. "You and Ratchet are going to keep the civilians safe."

"And you?"

A faceplate slid over Prime's face. He then reached behind his back and pulled out an axe.

"I'm going in personally!" said Prime before rushing towards the robot. Bumblebee crossed his arms.

"Aw, you're no fun!" Bumblebee said before getting conked on the head. "Hey!"

"Just do as Prime says," the ambulance robot, known as Ratchet, said.

"No way!" Bumblebee exclaimed defiantly. "I'm going in!" The wheels on his heels spun as he charged towards the robot.

"Stubborn young bot," Ratchet grumbled as Bumblebee unleashed his 'stingers' from his hands and fired electrical blasts at the robot.

"I thought I told you to stay back!" Optimus yelled, barely avoiding a swipe from the berserking robot.

"Sorry, Optimus, but I'm looking for action!" Bumblebee shouted but then he looked up. "Oh, slag." The foot of the giant rampaging robot dropped down on the yellow bot and he barely missed getting stomped since Optimus Prime, the fire truck-robot's full name, was able to push him out of the way. Optimus could now see the problem as he saw the robot's head.

"Autobots, attack the head!" Optimus ordered. Bulk-Head sent his wrecking ball at the head, denting it. Prowl threw his shurikens, causing them to get imbedded. Prime then leapt onto Bulkhead's shoulders and jumped up before swinging his axe hard at its head. Bumblebee shot a powerful electrical blast at the robot's head and then finally Ratchet finished it off by creating a magnetic field around the head, ripping it clean of its shoulders.

"It's coming down!!!" Bumblebee shouted as the robot was ready to fall. It fell with a crash, the wires at its neck sparking.

The Titans were in awe as the citizens applauded. "Who…what are they?" Robin asked.

A little girl, Sari Sumdac, turned towards Robin and said, "Those are the Autobots."


	4. MRF

Devlin opened up his locker only to be once again harassed by his newest "houseguest".

"Young man, listen! Your father sent me-!" Fangula was unable to finish as Devlin slammed the locker door in his face. "_Ouch_…"

Devlin sighed and felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned to see that it was his girlfriend, Danielle. "Hey, Dev," she greeted.

"Hello, Danielle," he said to her, sighing a bit. Danielle appeared puzzled.

"OK, what's wrong?" Danielle asked. Devlin opened up his locker and pointed inside. Danielle peered inside to see, flapping its wings on the inside, a robotic looking black and gold bat with red eyes and sharp fangs. "What is that?"

"My dear," the bat said, clearly offended. "I am now a what, I am a who. I am the great Count Fangula the 3rd!"

Devlin added, "He claims to be a great vampire bound into this vessel against his will. My father sent him to me with that new violin you saw."

"He's kinda cute," Danielle admitted. Fangula facefaulted. Devlin chuckled. "Anyway, don't be late for class."

"I won't," Devlin smiled before closing the locker again but was stopped when Fangula got his head out.

"You are not locking me in here, boy!" Fangula cried out angrily.

"Watch me," Devlin hissed but Fangula was quicker as he flapped his wings and flew off. Devlin closed the locker and leaned against it. Why in the world would his father send him an annoying little vampire bat-thing?

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Devlin was roughly slammed into a wall before he was forced to change out of his Orphenoch form. He was dazed but the demon in front of him was what he was worried about more.

It was a Fangire.

Fangires were vampires who had renounced nearly all of their humanity, able to assume monstrous half-animal forms. They feed off the life force of humans and this one had been doing it for quite some time now. It had several features resembling a large spider as it tried to scurry away from its last victim's abode. However, Devlin had seen it and went to engage it, changing into the Bat Orphenoch.

Even his Orphenoch Form was proving ineffective against this new foe. He'd always thought the Fangires were a myth amongst his kind. That was the last time he'd question those stories.

"Boy!" someone yelled and Devlin hissed. Now what?

Fangula flapped down and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Devlin shot back in a cynical tone. "Now, go away. I'm fighting here!" He was ready to change again but then he hissed. Changing again hurt.

"Lister, boy!" Fangula cried out, face to face. "Your father sent me to you for a reason!"

"Why would my father send a scrawny looking bat to me for?" Fangula didn't answer and immediately bit down on Devlin's arm. "Ow! Hey, get off!" However, the dhampir froze as he felt a sort of rush enter him. It felt like chains running into his body through where Fnngula was biting. The chains then wrapped themselves around his waist before they melded together into a strange blood red belt. Fangula removed himself from Devlin. "What is this?" Devlin asked, looking down on the belt.

"Just watch!" Fangula said as Devlin stood up. The small vampire flew at the belt before attaching himself to it, hanging upside down. "_Wake Up!_"

Devlin once again felt the rush as his body began to change again. It was unlike his change into an Orphenoch or when he turned into his vampire form.

The Fangire turned to regard the changing Fangire and watched as the transformation unfolded.

In Devlin's place was a tall and muscular armored man. Clad in a full black bodysuit, his torso armor was blood-red and appeared to mimic muscles. It had a high collar and skull shaped shoulder guards. The gauntlets were black, trimmed with red and had spiked bracelets. The fingers were covered in blood red armor, ending with claws. The left boot was black with red trim but the right boot was silver and surrounded by chains, as if binding something. The head was covered by a black helmet with a visor resembling the shape of a bat. The visor housed a pair of sharp red eyes.

Presenting…champion of darkness…Masked Rider Fang!

Awaken to Break the Chains of Destiny!


	5. ZKD Vol 0

A man dressed in black and white armor could be seen rolling on the ground before he stopped when he hit the side of a car. He rubbed his head and the realized that his head was covered in a metal helmet. He then looked at himself.

"Hey, what's this?" he questioned as he looked himself over. He was wearing a strange suit of armor with a belt that had the case attached to his right hip. He felt his face and it was too covered by the helmet that was concealing his head. "What is this armor?" He scanned the place he was in. "Huh? What's wrong with the signs?" He saw the signboards. They were the same as before except that the writing on them were in reversed. He heard a hissing noise and turned his head over to the source to see the biggest, meanest, and weirdest looking spider he'd ever seen. He'd seen this thing, going after a girl, before he was pulled into this strange backwards place. The spider-thing finally took notice of him, staring at him hungrily. The young man gulped. Even he was smart enough to see that this thing wasn't friendly. He then scrambled back to his feet before running, with the thing giving chase and fast with its 8 legs.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" he screamed as he ran.

--

First person POV of armored man:

OK, you're probably wondering what's going on. Well, that guy who's running for his life is me, Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, but my friends call me Leo. How did I end up here? Well, it all started when I was looking through my otousan's old stuff in the attic. He had this huge trunk with all his stuff inside. I never really knew my father. He died when I was three. So, I decided to try to get to know him through his belongings.

That was when I found_ this_.

It was a red rectangular case with a slot for cards. I never thought my dad was into trading cards so I drew out a couple. They were strange. One was marked as 'SEAL' while another was marked as 'CONTRACT'. I then heard my okaasan calling so I pocketed the thing and went downstairs for breakfast. If I had stayed longer, I would've seen a red dragon in the mirror staring right at me.

Now, don't be surprised, but I'm not really your average boy. My okaasan is the world famous fashion designer, Emiko Narukawa Hasuma. She still keeps her maiden name, turning it into her middle name. Despite her busy schedule, she makes time for me and my twin sister. We live in this really huge mansion.

I had only turned 15 a few weeks ago and today was the start of my new term in Junior High. I go to the Red Horse Private Institute, Junior High division. For some strange reason, I'm put in a class where I'm the only boy. Well, I never really questioned fate.

After breakfast, my sister and I went our separate ways. I prefer walking while she prefers to run up ahead and see if she gets there fast. I just humored her.

As I was walking past a building, I heard a strange ringing sound in my ear. I then turned towards the source to see a red dragon. It wasn't flying in front of the building, it was inside, in the reflection! Suddenly, it flew right at me! Instinctively, I raised up my arms to defend myself. I was holding the card case in my hand at the time and all of a sudden the dragon just backed off. That was really weird.

I told my classmates what I had seen and they all told me I was crazy. Others suggestes I write a book about it since I had a really active imagination. I wasn't imagining it, was I?

Later, on my way home, I heard the ringing again, in a parking lot. I then saw a large spider, in the reflection on the cars, stalking after a woman. I didn't know why, but I decided to follow it. I was stopped for a moment by a girl who asked me the strangest question.

"Are you…a Zodiac Knight?" she asked me. I didn't know what she meant so I walked past her and towards the woman to warn her but then was pulled into the reflection!

Which now led to me running for my life from a huge spider.

--

Normal POV:

The spider-monster was knocking cars aside to get to Ryuki as he tried to make his escape. The spider thing then got close enough to swing its leg, sending him flying into a building before he came crashing down to the ground. He groaned in pain as he saw the thing coming for him. Was this how he was going to die?

Suddenly, a dark blue pod-like vehicle on two wheels knocked the spider-thing over. It then swerved and screeched to a halt before the top of the vehicle lifted up. Ryuki could see another man wearing armor that was different from his. He then approached the spider, standing in front of Ryuki.

"Who are you?" Ryuki asked. The man glanced at him.

The other armored man said, "You're new, aren't you?" He snorted, "I'm surprised that you haven't made a contract with a monster yet."

"Huh?"

The spider-monster started spewing sharp spikes at them and the guy threw Ryuki aside before using his sword to deflect the spikes. He then charged straight ahead and began fighting it. He then backed away before sheathing his sword. He reached to his right hip where a case was attached to the belt he was wearing which resembled the one Ryuki was wearing. He then drew a card before calling its name, "Sword Vent: K-9 Lance!" He then slid the card into a slot located in the back of his sword. In a flash of light, a lance appeared in his hands before he charged.

"So, that's what the cards do," Ryuki realized before reaching down to the case on his belt. He drew a card before sliding it inside the device on his left arm. "Ano…Sword Vent?" In a flash of light, a sword dropped down from the sky and imbedded itself in the ground in front of him. He looked confused for a moment before walking over and pulling the sword out. "Alright…I may not know what's going on, but there's no way I'll just stand around doing nothing!"

Meanwhile, the other armored person was fighting but then got knocked backwards. Luckily, he landed on his feet. Suddenly, he heard a loud yell as Ryuki ran past him, holding the sword before swinging it downwards on the one of the spider's legs.

The sword snapped in half, much to his surprise and embarrassment, before the spider knocked him into a building.

"Stand aside," the other armored man advised, "You're not ready for combat." He then drew another card from his belt before sliding it into his sword. "Add Vent: Summoning Cerberus!"

A loud howling noise could be heard before the biggest dog Ryuki had ever seen rammed into the spider. The strangest thing about this dog was not its size, but the three heads it sported. The armored man then drew another card before sliding it into his sword, "Final Vent!"

The dog howled, barked and roared with all three heads before he mounted it. He pointed his lance forwards as the two of them charged. Blue energy engulfed them before they rushed straight at the spider.

"FROZEN HUNTER!" he called out as he sent a blast of frost at the spider, freezing it in place, before smashing right through and shattering it into many pieces. Ryuki watched, astounded.

"Sugoi…"

--


	6. My Reason for Fighting

Ichijyo, in annoyance, grabbed Ryuki by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. The red haired boy groaned in pain before the dark-clad young man holding him looked him in the eye.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Ichijyo said threateningly. "We are at war! All Knights are enemies. There is no way we can be allies. We're all in this for ourselves. If you still don't understand that, then just quit." He let go of Ryuki.

"I won't quit," Ryuki protested. "And I won't let the Knights fight each other. This power we've been given can be used to protect people."

Ichijyo scoffed and repeated, mockingly, "Protect people? What for?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Ryuki said firmly. Ichijyo glared at him in disgust.

"So, you think you're some kind of superhero?" Ichijyo questioned. He scoffed. "Pathetic. You really are naïve and idealistic."

"Even so, but it's the way I am," Ryuki said. He then noticed something at his feet. It looked like a photograph, facing down. It had a date on it and a name. It said Misha. He kneeled down to pick it up. Before he could turn it over to see what was on the other side, Ichijyo grabbed it out of his hand.

"That's mine!" Ichijyo hissed. He started to walk away. However, Ryuki grabbed his shoulder. "Unhand me."

"What is on that picture?" Ryuki asked. "And who's Misha?"

"None of your business!" Ichijyo snapped.

Ryuki decided to chance it, "Is that your reason for fighting? For being a Knight?" He received a punch in the face for that.

"Stop asking questions and mind your own business," Ichijyo warned. "You're better off not knowing."

"I still won't stop," Ryuki said, rubbing his bruising cheek. "I will still fight as a Knight to protect the innocent."

"Do what you wish, but don't try to get me involved," Ichijyo reminded before walking away.


	7. The Slayers

Three figures stood in the dark streets of a nearby town. The shadows hid them in the darkness, but their silhouettes were visible. One was a very well developed female teenager. The second one was a giant of a man, very muscular. The third and final figure was that of a male teenager, holding a katana in each hand. They were surrounded by vampires.

"How many?" asked the first figure, her voice held a British accent.

"Five, ten at the most," said the second figure. He cracked his knuckles. "Not even enough to break a sweat. What do you think?" he asked the third figure.

"…" he remained silent.

"I hate it when he gets like this," said the female.

"It is of no matter," the third figure finally said, his voice like an empty void. "They're just targets. We kill them, and then we move on. That's how it's always been." He swung around and sliced off the vampire's head with a quick slash of his blade. The first and second figure took this as their cue. The first figure drew a pair of Glock 18Cs and began firing. The second figure chose two vampires and began beating them down. The third figure was slicing vampires in half. Soon all the vampires were dead.

"You two can come out now. The work is finished now," said the third figure. Two more figures stepped forward from the safety of the building. One was male, the other female, both hidden in the shadows.

"We already got a new mission," said the new male figure. He tossed the third figure a cell phone.

"Yes?" the figure asked into the cell phone. "Where?" He waited for a response. "Yes sir, right away." He closed the phone and looked at his teammates. "Slayers, we're moving out."

"Where to?" asked the new female figure.

"Amity Park…"

* * *

Thank you Shadow Element 13 for this nice preview. 


	8. MRS

Tamashii called out, "Henshin."

--

A white armored warrior with a golden face laid several brutal punches into Fang. The vampiric Rider was unable to launch a proper counter attack against this new opponent. The white armored one then performed a powerful frontal snap kick which sent Fang slamming into a lamppost, causing it to dent upon impact.

--

The white armored warrior drew an elaborate gun which was the same color as his armor before firing at the green armored Fang. Fang tried to shoot at him but his opponent was agile and dodged the shots. He then saw a bright ray coming at him.

--

The white armored warrior drew his gun and he pulled at the barrel so it was align with the handle. Once that was done, a sword blade flipped out of its hidden compartment. He charged forward and both he and Fang, in Savage Form, swung and slashed at one another, causing sparks to fly when their weapons hit.

--

The warrior positioned his blade into a specific form. He slashed the blade down. "_Iron Dragon Strike!_" a blast of energy shot straight at Fang in the form of a dragon.

--

"_DARK MOON BREAK!!_"

Fang launched himself at the white armored warrior who'd hooked a knuckle duster onto his right fist. As he watched Fang coming at him, he threw his fist forward.

"_BROKEN FANG!!_"

The knuckle duster and boot smashed into one another, causing a massive chain reaction, resulting in an explosion of bright light.

--

**M.R.S: MASKED RIDER SLAYER.**


	9. Crow

The scene is a dark graveyard, October 30, 200X. The tombstones cast unholy shadows amongst the ground. Wilted flowers mark the past presence of mourners. The only living thing in the field of death is a bird. A crow. A simple bird, seen everyday. The bird lands on a single grave, resting upon the tombstone. It simply read:

Brandon Corvis

The midnight colored bird began pecking at the stone, as if to call something to it.

One day you are going to lose everything you have. Nothing will prepare you for that day. Not faith… Not religion… Nothing. When someone you love dies, you will know emptiness… You will know what it is to be completely and utterly alone. You will never forget and never forgive. And if you are someone who has nothing left to lose, then you are already here… And your lesson is a much more difficult one…

A hand explodes out of the ground. A man claws his way out. When he reaches the world he once left behind, he begins to cry, for the pain of death is still with him. He cries for the person who died with him, for the woman he loved. He staggered to his feet. His mind drifted. How long had he been dead for? Days? Weeks? Years? He didn't know. He didn't care. He knew what must be done. The bird flew from Brandon's grave and landed on the man's shoulder.

Yes, he knew exactly what to do. But he needed time to prepare.

It didn't matter to him. He had all the time he needed.

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One year later…

Jump City, California.

Shadowcobra sat in his office in Titans Tower, finishing up another days work. Suddenly, his video-com went off. "Mister Amakusa?" asked the man on the screen. He was a slightly pale man, with dark brown eyes and long black hair. "I am Eric Curtis; I'm in charge of Smart Brain's Detroit branch, Smart Brain Motors."

"Yes, Mister Curtis. What is it you require?"

"Protection," answered Curtis. Shadow quirked an eyebrow at this.

"What do you mean?" An image appeared on the screen.

It showed a man. His intestines had been literally ripped from his body. His face was contorted in a permanent scream. His arms were spread wide, like a bird's wings. He had been chained to a building, a Smart Brain building. Written above the man were these words;

"DEATH IS COMING FOR YOU."

They had been written in the man's own blood. "As you can see, someone is targeting my people. And as such, I also fear for my own life. Please sir, we are in need of help."

"I'll get back at you as soon as I can," said Shadowcobra as he hung up. He pressed a button on his keyboard. "Pluto, gather the others. There's something we need to discuss."

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The Z-Titans were all in the living room with Shadowcobra standing before them. He picked up the remote and turned on the screen.

"So, what's going on, Shadow?" Renia asked.

"Earlier, I received a call from Smart Brain's Detroit Branch, also known as Smart Brain Motors. It appears that they are experiencing… difficulties."

"What kind of difficulties?" asked Jinx.

"This kind…" He pressed a button on the remote and the image he had seen earlier appeared on the screen. Needless to say, the Titans were shocked by the sheer brutality of the image. Blackfire had seen a lot of bad things, in the HIVE, Jinx and her classmates had been taught to be able to stomach such things, while Terra had to go through the same thing with Slade. Pluto got used to it and Renia has seen a lot of violence on the streets. But still…

"What could have done something like that?" asked Blackfire.

Shadow then said, "That is what we're going to find out. I've already put out a call to Team Mystic. As soon as they arrive, we leave."

"To Detroit, America's Motor Capital," Pluto said. "My kind of town."

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Detroit…

A man ran through a dark alley, holding a laptop computer in his arms. "Got the VAIO man! Eddie pays a hundred for VAIO… Makes me puke, these folks… Can't feed they kids but they got a damn VAIO… Now Jones got VAIO." He was nearing the end of the alley when he a tricycle rolled in front of him. "What the hell?" Before he knew it, a man was in front of him. He wore all black, covered by a long black coat and looked like a mime from hell; his face was a white as death with black lips with a line going of from them giving him an almost insane smile and rings around his eyes with vertical lines down his face. His stringy black hair went down to his shoulders. "Jesus Christ!" the man yelled as he dropped the computer.

"Do I have your attention, Mr. Jones?"

"Attention?! Man, you scared the crap outta me! Damn! You just cost me a hundred bucks, pal… I think you better cough up some cash…"

"Shelby told me you know T-Bird…"

Jones pulled out a switchblade and positioned it at the man's face. "C'mon, money, man, money… Now."

"Tom-Tom… Top Dollar… Funboy… Tin Tin…"

"That's it!" shouted Jones as he slammed the blade into the man's shoulder. "You all done!" The man simply stepped back and laughed at Jones' attempt to kill him. "Man, you gotta be dusted not to feel that…"

"Pain?" questioned the man. He grasped the handle and slowly removed the blade. "I know pain at the molecular level… It pulls at my atoms… Sings to me in an alphabet of fear…" The blade was now completely removed, blood dripping over the hilt. "I am the boiling man…" He licked the blood off the blade. "…Come to break the bones of your sins, meat puppet." He handed the blade back to Jones. "Try again?"

"I… I thinks I'll pass…"

"T-Bird and the others… where are they? Shelby didn't know, said you would."

"Shelby wouldn't roll on me, man."

"Oh, he told…" The man pulled out a pair of blood stained shears. "It took three digits but he told…"

"You lyin'…" said the terrified Jones.

"I would have brought the fingers as documentation but he had to eat them also."

"Oh man, T-Bird kill me sure!!! He kill me sure if I told!!!"

"Fingers or toes?" asked the man as he clicked the shears menacingly.

"Okay! Okay! Okay! I ain't seen T-Bird or Tin Tin in weeks but Tom-Tom's down on Gratiot and Ten. Top has a place at the Hotel Reno on Schaefer… Funboy in the county till the 27th… You gonna kill me now?"

The man looked Jones right in the eye. "Why Mr. Jones, I already count you amongst the dead." He looked up. "Look! It's a full moon…"

"That's a street light, Ghost Man…"

"It was a full moon that night, too…"

"You a loon, man…" said Jones, still terrified.

The man grabbed Jones by the sides of his head. "Tell them I'm coming, Mr. Jones." He then turned and left, leaving Jones sitting on the side of the street, mumbling. "Tell them to remember Brandon Corvis."


	10. ZKD Vol 00

ZKD Volume 00

Arc 1: Destiny of the Zodiacs

This first arc introduces many of the major characters, primarily Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa-Akuma and Yoshiyuki Takada. The arc begins as Ryuki is searching through his late dad's things and finds a card case. He pockets it and has breakfast with his mother, sister and grandparents before he goes to school, which is the Junior High Division of the Red Horse Private Institute. He starts seeing monsters and when he tells his classmates, they tell him his imagination has been running away with him. He accepts this answer, at least for now. However, he starts to freak out whenever he sees a dragon in the window and his classmates thinks he needs to see the school doctor. After school, he sees one of his classmates being tailed by a spider monster. Despite being told that it was all in his imagination, he tries to warn her, but instead gets sucked into a car window and ends up someplace similar but with all the writing in reverse. Most of all, he's in a suit of armor! The spider monster tries to eat him but then he is saved by another guy in armor. This other guy defeats the spider but then the dragon Ryuki keeps seeing comes after them. They manage to escape with their lives but Ryuki, overwhelmed with shock, passes out. At the same time, someone is watching them. Later, Ryuki wakes up in a room above a café. When he walks downstairs he meets Eri and Yoshiyuki Takada. He recognized Takada as the guy who saved him. Takada demands he gives over the deck but Ryuki protests and tells him its all he has of his father. Eri then explains what the Zodiac Knights are and that the deck is the only thing protecting Ryuki from getting eaten. He decides to keep it, not knowing what else to do. Later, he sees a girl crying in a clothing store and finds out her mother had just vanished. He makes his decision and when he hears the ringing, he goes into action. Eri tells him how to make a contract with the dragon and thus Ryuki becomes Zodiac Knight Draco. Meanwhile, Pluto (Takada's alter-ego) is fighting the spider monster that had just regenerated but before he is killed, Draco saves him and defeats the monster. However, Pluto then tries to kill Draco. Draco demands to know why but before he receives an answer, a Knight in purple cobra armor appears to fight Pluto. Draco watches as the two fight brutally and tries to stop it. They stop because their time in the Mirror Dimension/Mirror World is already up. Ryuki, Takada and Ichijyo (the purple cobra Knight) exit the Mirror World. Ichijyo taunts Ryuki for being a newbie and leaves while Eri scolds her brother. Ryuki tries to understand what he's gotten himself into. He returns home but doesn't tell his mother. After dinner, he goes straight to bed and has a strange dream that tells him to fight. The next day, Ryuki goes over to the café again and demands more answers and Eri tells him that the Knights are not only meant to fight the monsters, but also each other for a the 'Ultimate Prize'. Ryuki feels that this isn't right so he tries to convince Takada and Ichijyo to work together. Takada and Ichijyo both mock him for being so naïve, but Ryuki responds that this is the way he is. After a massive monster attack on the school, Draco, Pluto and Shadowcobra fight it off. Draco uses this to point out how well they work together so a truce and alliance is formed. Later, new Knights show up. Some are good, others evil, and Draco must fight with his new friends for survival.

Arc 2: The Black Knights

This introduces the Black Zodiac Knights, phantoms and ghosts bestowed with the power of the Black Zodiac and wish to become alive again. They are sent after Shadowcobra, Pluto and Draco. Also, this arc introduces Fuji the God of Wind, Yoshido the God of Warriors and Libra the Judge. The Black Knights attack the Knights but are soundly defeated one by one and their Zodiac Beasts are taken by the three Knights. In the end, Ryuki reveals his secret to his mother while also facing King, the leader of the Black Knights. Also, in this arc, Ryuki, Takada and Ichijyo become official Smart Brain operatives known as the Masked Riders.

Arc 3: Survival

After Ten-Faced Paladin's PAZ, new characters are introduces like Zodiac Knight Copycat, Tazuka Mizuki/Jawz and Asakura/Scorpios. This is when the battles become serious as Draco meets two individuals that would change the way he views the world. Asakura is the target of his hatred while Copycat seeks to defeat all the other Knights. She has no alliance except to herself. Three Survivor Cards are distributed into the real world by Libra and three lucky Knights receive them. In the end, one of them is killed and another leaves.


	11. South Park: A Better Friend

South Park. A quiet mountain town in Colorado. It is a peaceful town…for the most part. A place where the adults are stupid and the children save the day. Sometimes. A place where a kid in an orange coat dies almost daily and no one seems to notice. A place where celebrites have turned into giant monsters and waged war. A place where aliens land and accidentally kill cows by accident. Well, maybe it isn't so quiet after all.

The focus on this story is on four boys who often find themselves in the middle of this craziness. It is also often them who solve the situations, sometimes without even knowing it. Their names were Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick. Today, at their school, their lives would be thrown for another loop.

"Hey, dude," Kyle greeted his best friend Stan in the hallway.

"Oh, hey, Kyle," Stan greeted back. Out of the 4 friends, Stan and Kyle had the closest bond, almost like brothers. "So, did you finish last night's math homework?"

"I could barely stay awake. I don't care if she's a teacher, but Mrs. Garrison is a fucking slave driver."

"50 pages? Oh yeah," Stan agreed.

Kenny arrived and gave a muffled greeting.

"Hey, Kenny," Kyle said. Unfortunately, Cartman approached them.

"Hello, pussy, Jew, poor-kid," Cartman 'greeted' them. Cartman was sorta a friend to them, even though they hated him.

"Shut the hell up, Cartman!" Kyle snapped.

"Oh, the Jew has a temper," Cartman said mockingly. "So, guys, I need help with the homework…"

"We are not letting you copy off us, fat ass!" Kyle snapped.

"Screw you, you stupid Jew!"

"Guys, let's not fight so early in the morning," Stan groaned. Kenny gave a muffled agreement.

"Well, whatever, I'm going," Cartman said as he walked to class.

"God damn it I hate him," Kyle said.

"Unfortunately, he is our friend, Kyle," Stan said depressingly.

"Why do we even hang out with him?" Kyle asked. "He just ribs on me for being Jewish and Kenny for being poor."

Kenny mumbled a 'yeah' sound.

"So, what do we do? Replace him? He's gonna weasel his way back in again anyway," Stan said.

"There has to be someone better," Kyle said.

* * *

In class, all the kids sat down. Stan waved at Wendy who winked at him. Ever since the 'List' incident, they had since reconciled. Bebe was still at juvenile hall. When Kyle sat down, he yelped. Checking his butt, he found that he'd sat on a tack. Cartman began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Damn it, Cartman!" Kyle snapped.

"God damn, Kyle, you are so stupid!" Cartman said in his laughter. Kyle wanted so much to stranger his fat 'friend'. The temptation was too great.

As Mrs. Garrison entered the classroom, she began her announcement, "Alright, class, today we have a new student joining us. Please, make him feel welcomed and try not to drive him away like the others." When she finished, a new boy came in.

"Hello," he said, waving. He was Asian, with short spiky black hair and a blue and thick Chinese shirt with matching baggy pants. He wore sandals on his feet. "I'm Kyo. Nice to meet you."

"Well, let's see here," Mrs. Garrison looked around. "How about a seat next to Eric."

"Thank you," the boy said before heading over to the seat.

Kyo walked over to the empty seat and sat down. Mrs. Garrison then walked to the board and began her lesson. As she was talking, Cartman kept glancing at the new kid for some reason.

"Hey, kid," Cartman whispered. Kyo looked to his neighbor. "You know math, right?"

"A little," Kyo shrugged. "Why?"

"I need help," Cartman replied as he showed his math homework which wasn't finished. "You can do these, right?"

"Not here!" Kyo frowned. "I'd need hours to finish that!"

"Oh come on, you can do it!" Cartman frowned.

"No I can't!" Kyo insisted.

"You're a Jap and Japs are really good at math!" Cartman insisted.

WHAP!

"Ow!" Cartman cried. Kyo had whacked him in the back of the head. "What the hell was that for!?"

"You called me a racist name," Kyo frowned. "That lets me hit you."

"Everyone calls you guys Japs!" Cartman frowned.

WHAP!

"Ow!" Cartman cried. "Would you stop doing that?!"

"Stop calling me racist names and I will!" Kyo retorted.

Kyle was snickering from his own seat. It seemed that someone was finally doing something about Cartman's stupid mouth. It was pretty funny to see someone hit him for it.

"I am an American citizen!" Cartman growled. "I can say whatever I want!"

"So am I fat-ass," Kyo retorted. "And I'm expressing my opinion for you through violence."

"Kyo, Eric, is there a problem?" Mrs. Garrison questioned.

"Yeah there's a problem!" Cartman snapped. "Thus damn Jap won't help me with my god damn homework!"

"You should've finished it on your own at home!" Mrs. Garrison frowned. "And Kyo, if you don't stop hitting Cartman, I will have to send you to the principal's office."

"I promise, Mrs. Garrison," Kyo nodded.

"Hey, Jap got whipped," Cartman snickered. Kyo glared at Cartman and then smiled. Suddenly, Cartman's seat broke and he fell on his ass.

"God damn it!" Cartman shouted on the floor, rubbing his ass. Kyo chuckled at the fat boy's misfortune. Everyone else laughed as well.

"Hey, Cartman," Kyle spoke, "Maybe you should go on a diet!"

This statement caused more laughter to erupt in the classroom before it was quelled by Mrs. Garrison.

* * *

Later, during recess…

"Oh, I am so gonna kick his ass," Cartman muttered as he watched Kyo playing with Butters. Butters was the most friendly so he invited the new boy to play with him. "No stupid Jap laughs at me."

"Cartman, get over yourself," Kyle sighed. "Leave the new kid alone."

Kenny mumbled an agreement.

Stan, meanwhile, was talking with Wendy on the swings. So far, they were taking things slow after restarting their relationship. Right now, they were just having fun.

Kyo, of course, spied something in the distance and panicked, "TRUCK!"

A pickup truck suddenly drove through the fence and into the playground. Kids scrambled to safety. Of course, Kenny was not lucky as he was run over by the truck.

"Oh my God, he killed Kenny!" Stan exclaimed.

"You bastard!" Kyle yelled.

The truck started to move uncontrollably and was headed towards Stan and Wendy. They were rooted to the spot in absolute terror.

Of course, they would not share the same fate as Kenny when someone grabbed them and pulled them out of the way. The truck then hit the wall of the school and broke down. School staff raced out of the building to check up on the kids.

Kyo had jumped in and rescued Stan and Wendy and asked the two stunned children, "Are you two okay? Say something."

"You…saved us," Wendy managed to say.

"Dude, thanks," Stan said gratefully.

"It was no problem," Kyo rubbed the back of his head. He looked at the orange and red smear on the ground where his classmate used to be. "Too bad for Kenny, though."

"Well, anyway, you wanna hang out with us after school?" Stan offered.

"Sure," Kyo nodded.

* * *

Classes after recess were actually cancelled for a change and Stan brought Kyle and Kyo over to his house for something to do. As they walked in, Mrs. Marsh was cleaning the living room.

"Hi, Stan," she greeted. "What are you doing home from school so soon?"

"Some guy in a truck broke into the playground and killed Kenny," Stan answered as he and his friends walked past. It was almost as if he didn't care. "We think he was drunk."

"WHAT?!" Mrs. Marsh gasped. "A drunk driver?!" She always knew drunk driving was dangerous, but to threaten the kids? This was starting to get serious. She would definitely bring this up in the next council meeting with her husband.

"So, mom, this is Kyo," Stan introduced. "He saved mine and Wendy's lives. Can he stay and play?"

"Anything, Stan," Mrs. Marsh said. "And Kyo, thank you."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Marsh," Kyo smiled.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door. Mrs. Marsh went over and opened it to reveal an angry Cartman. "Why the hell did you guys ditch me? And what is that Jap doing here?"

Kyo was really starting to hate Cartman.

"Cartman, Kyo saved my life. He's cool," Stan defended.

"He's a freakin Jap! Why do you want him around!?"

"Because, you stupid fat ass, he's a lot nicer than you!" Kyle snapped.

"Shut up, Jew!" Cartman shot back.

WHAP!

"OW!" Cartman cried as he rubbed the spot Kyo had hit. "What was that for!?"

"For being a racist," Kyo frowned.

"You better leave, Cartman," Stan said, frowning as well.

"Fine! You can hang out with your little Jap friend! I'm leaving!" Cartman angrily left in a huff.

"What an asshole," Kyle snorted.

"So, wanna play some video games?" Stan offered his new friend.

"Sure," Kyo smiled


	12. Darkboy X

OK, this is an idea for a fic based on the anime Powerpuff Girls Z. If u do not know what it is, it's the anime adaptation of the Powerpuff Girls. It's really cool and the girls are cute. Just tell me any new ideas. Like my other fics, it introduces an OC.

* * *

"Aibou, it's time!" spoke Yami, the darker half of a mysterious young boy.

The boy, Shiro, watched as the Powerpuff Girls Z fought against the giant Mojo-Robo and narrowed his eyes. The girls, despite having beaten several previous versions, were having trouble against this new and more powerful robot. They looked like they weren't going to make it.

"Yami, let's go!" shouted Shiro.

"OK!" shouted the spiritual entity before flying into the air.

"Spiritual Wave Change! Shiro Hikari! Henshin!" Shiro shouted as he threw his hand into the air. Yami then flew downwards and turned into black flames which engulfed the boy. The boy's entire body changed as the flames engulfed him, forming a black bodysuit with matching gauntlets and boots. Black torso armor covered his chest, back and shoulders. In the centre of his chestplate was a circular Yin-Yang emblem. His head became covered in a black helmet with a red visor, also holding the emblem on it. It left the lower half of his face uncovered. His hair became long and silver, flowing out from the back of the helmet. Pointed earpieces were also set on the sides of the helmet.

"Darkboy-X!" Shiro, now Darkboy-X, announced before he flew towards the battle, trailing black flames behind him. A mouthguard slid over the lower half of his face, hiding his entire identity.

Blossom, Momoko's transformed state, was slammed hard and lost consciousness. Her friends Bubbles/Miyako and Buttercup/Kaoru, could only watch in horror as she fell to her doom. The robot was stopping them from coming to their leader's rescue and that drop would surely kill her.

Blossom was about to hit the pavement when all of a sudden a black shape grabbed her in midair and then landed on top of the roof of a building. She then opened her eyes to see someone clad in dark armor and looking at her with a red visor covering his eyes. His mouthguard slid open, showing her his lower face, nose and mouth. "Are you alright?" he asked. Blossom blushed at the close contact. She was silent and her cheeks turned red. "You seem alright," he said before letting her go, much to her disappointment. "Your friends seem to be in trouble." He narrowed his eyes, allowed his visor to glow and began to scan the robot. Crosshairs pinpointed the robot's weak spot. "Alright, right there!" He pointed his right hand towards the robot and then black flames swirled around it, morphing his appendage into a powerful cannon. He said to Blossom, "You might wanna step back a bit. I don't want to wound that pretty face of yours." Blossom blushed as he turned his attention towards the robot. "Alright! Here we go!" He shouted out, "DARK BLIGHT CANNON!" A dark energy ball began to form at the front of the cannon and then he released it, watching it flying towards the robot before smashing through its chest. The robot became stiff and crackled. Bubbles and Buttercup, knowing that the robot was about to explode, flew as far as they could before it did just that.

BOOOOOOOM!!

Mojo Jojo screamed as he was sent flying to who knows where.

Darkboy-X sighed and turned towards Blossom who just stared at him. "Well, I need to go." He was about to fly off when she shouted.

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

"What's your name?" she asked.

"It's Darkboy-X," he said before he flew off. Blossom could only watch as her hero flew off and developed hearts in her eyes, sighing dreamily.

Bubbles and Buttercup found Blossom and she told them who'd saved her. However, when Darkboy had been charging up his attack, a dark aura was surrounding him. Whoever this Darkboy was, they knew for a matter of fact that he, like all the monsters and their enemies, was a person affected by the Black Lights.

Darkboy landed in an alley and then the black flames engulfed him before flying off him, changing him back to normal. The black flames reformed into his darker doppelganger, Yami.

"That girl sure was cute," said Yami, grinning.

"Yes, she was," Shiro smiled. "But a girl like her is out of my league."

"Oh, stop selling yourself short, aibou. I bet Darkboy-X can sweep her off her feet."

Shiro had to smile at that.

* * *

Shiro Hikari is about 13-14 yrs old with black hair and blue eyes. He has tanned skin and likes to wear a white hoodie with blue sleeves and blue jeans. He wears white sneakers. Earlier that year, when the Black Lights and White Lights were created due to Ken Kitamizawa who used the Chemical-Z Ray to blow up an iceberg headed towards the city, Shiro was struck by one of the many Black Lights. Instead of turning into a monster, his darker half was given form and sentience, dubbed Yami. Yami dresses in a black leather suit and has fairer skin, white hair and red eyes. He is actually Shiro's doppelganger. He gives advice to his host and generally helps because if Shiro dies, so does he. Yami also has the ability to change into black flames and merge with his host, turning Shiro into an armored form known as Darkboy-X. He possesses enhanced strength, speed, endurance, the ability to fly and to turn his limbs into weapons. Shiro has a crush on Blossom of the Powerpuff Girls-Z but since she's a heroine, he can't really get close to her unless he becomes Darkboy-X. He also likes a girl in his class named Momoko, unaware that she and Blossom are the same. Despite being given power by the Black Lights, he is not evil and tries to use his power for good, despite Yami tempting him to do bad things at times.


	13. The Kiss

Blossom and Darkboy-X touched down upon one of the buildings in the city after a harsh battle with one of the Spiritual Wave Beings. Neither of them had gone through the battle unscathed. Blossom had some cuts on her face and Darkboy's armor was dented in a few places and his visor was cracked.

"You're hurt," Darkboy-X spoke as he placed a finger to the Powerpuff Girls' leader's cheek and frowned sadly. "I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

"Hey, as a heroine, it's my job," Blossom said, enjoying the contact. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, but I'm going t be sore for a few days," said Darkboy-X, "Other than that, I'm going to be alright."

"X?" Blossom asked.

"Yes?" responded Darkboy, his touch still lingering on her cheek. She placed her hands to his shoulders and stood on the tips of her toes. Darkboy's eyes widened when he felt her lips on his. His cheeks started to heat up as did Blossom, but he closed his eyes and kissed back, holding her hips. Her lips tasted like strawberries. No, wait, they tasted like strawberry cake.

They pulled away, blushing as they gazed into one another's eyes.

"Blossom, I…" said Darkboy, unable to find the words.

"That's something I've been wanting to do for awhile now," answered Blossom, smiling. "And it was more than I ever dreamed of."

"So, does this mean we're dating?" Darkboy asked.

"I guess," Blossom replied, trying to hold in her giddiness. "So, you need to go."

"I have to, but I hope we see each other again," said Darkboy with a smile before he leaned in and stole a quick kiss. He licked his lips, "Tasty," before he flew off into the night.

Blossom placed her fingers to her trembling lips and then broke into a smile. She was a girl in love and she'd met the ideal man.

"YAHOO!!" she heard someone yell out and laughed as she saw a familiar Spiritual Wave Warrior dancing in the air.


	14. What If?

An alternate version of ZKD: What if Draco and his sister, Copycat, had joined the HIVE Academy together?

Jinx lay on her bed, looking at the doll Draco had given to her. She was unsure what to think, though she had to admit that if the guy had made it himself that he could sew really well. Her attention had been solely on the doll that she hadn't noticed someone coming in, someone who could transform into a warrior clad in an armored suit reminiscent of a cat.

"So, how are you doing?" Copycat asked, smiling a little.

Jinx turned over to look at the raven-haired girl. "I'm fine, now go away."

Copycat leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, "I don't think so, Jinxy." She smirked. "I just came to check on you. You did seem a little out of it lately."

Jinx really didn't need to hear this. Concern was bad enough but coming from Copycat, she wasn't sure if it was genuine. Copycat was cold, manipulative and a pretty damn good liar that it was scary, as scary as the Headmaster.

Copycat eyed the doll in Jinx's hand. "So, he gave you a doll. Looks like he really likes you."

Jinx hid the small toy and demanded, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My little brother doesn't give those dolls to anyone, you see," Copycat pointed out. "Only to those he actually has feelings for."

"F-Feelings?" Jinx blushed.


	15. Stairway to Heaven

FOR MY EPIC AU FIC: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, INSPIRED FROM PARADISE LOST AND GOD SPEED LOVE.

"OK! We're out of here!" shouted Robin. "To the escape pods!"

The entire team went towards the escape pods. Only one remained but it could fit two. Draco and Jinx stood outside of it and this time the Red Rider found his nerve to confess his feelings. He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her passionately, which she found herself returning as well. She pulled away, gazing at his emerald eyes.

"Draco?" she asked. "Why…?"

"I love you," he said, "And I'm sorry." He then shoved her into the escape pod and the door closed. Jinx's eyes widened in horror as she watched him enter the launch sequence for the pods.

"Draco! What are you doing!?" she shouted at him, banging on the small circular window.

"This station is gonna crash into a populated area. Someone has to maneuver it where people won't get hurt!" he told her.

"But you'll die!" she shouted and he raised up his hand. He removed the glove to show that his hand was starting to disintegrate by the ash falling.

"I'm already dying," he said, smiling sadly, "At least this way I can go out with a bang."

"Draco…no…" Jinx trembled, eyes watering with tears.

"Goodbye," he said before he slammed his hand onto the release button, releasing all the escape pods.

"DRACO!!"

Draco bowed his head before running towards the control room. He sat down on one of the seats and took the controls of the station. It was falling towards Earth, fast, being pulled by the planet's gravity, but he wasn't about to let it crash into the city and cause another disaster like the one that'd taken place 9 years ago.

"Henshin!" he called out before his armor engulfed him once more, changing him into Draco and then the Hyper Inzecter attached itself to his belt, changing him to Hyper Mode.

"CHANGE HYPER MODE!"

He gripped the controls tightly and pressed commands to at least try and get the station to divert from its course. He could feel his body deteriorating, but he was not going to let it stop him from doing what was right.

Back on Earth, people could see as the station came into the atmosphere upon reentry as pieces of it started to fall off. The Station flew over the city and headed towards a large body of water.

On the ground where the escape pods had fallen, Jinx stepped out of one and could only watch as the station fell towards the ocean.

And then…

The station crashed before it sank deep into the water. The pink haired girl collapsed onto her knees, watching helplessly as the boy she loved went down with the ship.

--

9 years ago the meteors fell from the sky and destroyed a large portion of the city. Many died and lost so many precious people. Beneath the remains of a building were two children. One was a boy with red hair and green eyes and another was a girl with pink eyes and hair. The boy was trapped under a large slab while the girl was about to be buried under the rubble.

"Help me! Help me please!!" the girl shouted.

The boy tried to push the slab off his body to help the girl but he was too weak. He was too weak!!

But then, the girl stopped crying when she saw a light shine above them. The boy looked too and his green eyes widened at what they saw.

It was an angel…with red and silver armor…flying on shining wings.

Then, the armor vanished, leaving behind a guy with red hair and green eyes, much like the boy's. He then squatted down and lifted the slab up, releasing the boy from the trap. The kind man said, "Save her, she needs you." He then handed the boy something before he vanished.

Their little chamber was about to collapse so the boy ran towards the girl and helped her out of the hole she was trapped in. He was just in time too as the ceiling collapsed. He covered her body with his.

"Hey, we got a couple of survivors here!" shouted one of the rescue workers. The boy and girl looked up and were relieved. "We'll get you, kids. Don't move!"

The boy looked at the thing in his hand and pocketed it. He would cherish it always. He also realized that he was still holding the girl in his arms.

"Thank you," the girl said, smiling, "What's your name?"

"Ryuki," he said.

"I'm Jenny," she said beaming, and his face turned red when she kissed his cheek. "My hero."

--

9 years later…

"Titans! Go!"


	16. Kamen Rider KurtO

A/N: An idea Brave Kid gave me to do. Anybody else interested? Pls, let me know.

* * *

Kurt sighed as he walked past a diner. Peering through the window, he saw Kitty with Lance. Ever since Magneto had left them, the Brotherhood had not been much of a threat. More like an annoyance, really. Lance was the only smart one who decided to stop fighting with the X-Men since he wanted to have a relationship with Kitty. This was the thing that made Nightcrawler depressed.

Ever since he laid eyes on her, he had the hugest crush imaginable on her. Okay, so she often freaked out at his true appearance, but she got to know him and they became friends. _Friends_. Kurt actually wanted more than that.

Under his arm, Kurt was carrying a book. It was the tale of Momotaro. Kurt had always loved myths and legends, especially those of other countries. He enjoyed reading about the exploits of foreign folk-tale heroes as they triumphed over everything in their way.

He wished he could be like that. A big hero. Then maybe Kitty would notice him. He then stopped in his tracks when he noticed a black object ahead of him, lying on the ground. He thought it could be a wallet and walked towards it. He bent down and picked it up. It wasn't a wallet, just a strange looking train pass with an emblem on it that resembled a clock face. Shrugging, he placed it in his pocket and continued his walk

As Kurt was walking, he did not notice a baseball sized glowing sphere floating behind him. It heard him sigh before darting straight into his body. Kurt did not take notice and of course did not notice the sand falling out of his sleeve and piling up behind him. It then reformed into a strange creature. It was only from the waist up from the ground while its lower body and legs floated up above it. It had long sharp horns and a demonic appearance.

"Name your wish, I will grant any wish," the creature said but Nightcrawler ignored it. "Hey! Don't ignore me, damn it!" Kurt then felt water drip onto his face and then groaned. He then teleported, much to the creature's shock. "Hey! Where did you go!? Hey! What about that wish!? Hey!?" It began scratching its head. "What the hell am I supposed to do now? Look for him?" It screamed, "This is so irritating!"

* * *

Kurt was back in his room and removed his shirt. He then fell back onto his bed, lying on it as he took out the strange pass.

"Wonder who it belongs to?" Kurt pondered as he turned it over to find any identification and then sighed. "Well, as the Americans say it, 'finder keepers, losers weepers."

"And talking about finding (pant), you know how hard it is to find you?" questioned a gruff voice. Kurt jumped in shock.

"Who's there!? Show yourself! I warn you! I am a trained X-Man!" Nightcrawler warned as he jumped off his bed.

"Look down, idiot," the voice growled and Kurt looked down to see a pile of sand at his feet. It then began to reshape itself into the creature from before. "Now, about that wish."

Kurt blinked. And then blinked again…and then he promptly fainted.

"Hey! Wake up, you idiot! I need that wish! Hey! HEY!!"

* * *

"Was I dreaming?" Kurt groaned. He sat up. "What am I doing on the floor." He then froze. It was a message from the Professor. "Okay, off to Danger Room practice." Kurt then ported away.

The creature watched Kurt leave and appeared to be grinning. "Danger Room, huh? Sounds fun. Well, let's go!" The sand creature then vanished and became a pile of sand again as its essence became a red haze of energy.

* * *

Kurt walked into the danger room, without the hologram concealing his true appearance. He now had blue fur and a demonic appearance and dressed in his uniform. He stepped through the door and joined the rest of his team, the X-Men.

Cyclops, as commanding as ever, spoke to them. Not only were the X-Men present but so were the New Mutants, new students to the institute. Nightcrawler wanted to make a good impression.

"Alright, this will be a team simulation," Cyclops began. "We'll be putting together teams of three. One X-Man and 2 New Mutants. Nightcrawler."

"Yes, Scott?" Kurt asked.

"You'll be teamed up with Berserker and Cannonball. You think you can handle it?"

"You can count on me, Scott," Kurt saluted. Scott smiled and the door into the Danger Room opened before the three mutants entered. Scott then began the simulation and it came to life. Now it looked like a Danger Room.

The sand creature was seeing everything through Kurt's eyes. It was shocked to see Kurt's true appearance, but then looked through its host's memories. His host along with everyone in this building were evolved humans known as mutants. They had special abilities because of a special genetic anomaly known as the X-Gene. It then decided to just watch the action until his host needed help.

Berserker/Ray Crisp and Cannonball/Sam Guthrie were using their abilities to counter every single obstacle. Berserker let loose electrical blasts, destroying the lasers while Cannonball flew around, dodging shots. A wall came up in front of him but he was also invulnerable when flying so he just smashed through it. Aside from a headache later on, he'd be fine. Nightcrawler, on the other hand, was merely dodging with his teleportation powers, porting around as he was shot at.

"_Is that all you can do!?_" someone screamed in Kurt's head and Kurt froze. He knew that voice.

"What!?" Kurt shouted, shocked.

"_Let me show you how it's really done!_" the voice cried out before Kurt felt his consciousness being overridden by another. His hair stood up and became spikier and wilder and a red streak appeared in his hair. His yellow eyes turned red as he grinned.

"ORE SANJOU!" the possessed Nightcrawler shouted out before he climbed up the walls. Two flamethrowers came out and blasted at him but he jumped off and grabbed one, aiming it at the other flamethrower. The buzz saws came at him but he jumped over it as it struck down, another came to slice him in half but he effortlessly somersaulted away. "Hah! Is that all?" Kurt laughed out as the lasers began shooting at him. He jumped around, evading laser fire and causing the guns to shoot each other. He then finished the simulator like everyone else. "Hey! Beat that!" A buzz saw came at him but he jumped over it as it got stuck to the floor. Another came to slice him in half but he effortlessly somersaulted away.

Everyone gaped at him. They knew he was agile but they never knew he was _that_ agile.

"So what?' Berserker snorted, unimpressed, "All you did was port around and dodge. You only do that because you don't have any offensive powers."

A vein throbbed on Kurt's head as he grabbed Berserker by the collar, "You wanna see offensive!? What about this!?" He then ported and next thing you know they were at the top of a building. Kurt was holding Berserker by his uniform. Berserker panicked as he looked down and screamed, flailing around. "Hah! Now you're scared! See? Do my powers suck now?"

"_Stop_…" a faint voice whispered.

"Huh?" the possessed Kurt looked around. "What the?"

"_Stop what you're doing…_" Kurt, the real Kurt, asserted again, pushing into control again, his hair and eyes turning back to normal.

"Hey, wait! Stop! Argh!" the creature was forced out and Kurt regained control. He was confused for a second but then realized he was holding Berserker over the edge of a building. He gasped in shock and ported them back.

They were back in the Danger Room and Kurt let go of Berserker. Berserker scrambled away, fearfully.

"He's gone crazy, man! He was gonna drop me off a building!" Ray screamed, pointing at Kurt. Everyone stared at him. He couldn't take it so he just ported away and back into his room. He locked the door.

"Okay, I have to know what's going on here. What was that thing?" Kurt said to himself.

* * *

Steve Blazer sat down on a bench. He looked on at the skateboarders at the park, having fun on their boards. He growled. About two years ago he was one of the best skateboarders around. He aimed to beat 100 people and take their boards as prizes. One day, during an important skating tournament, he suffered an injury that ended his career. He could never skate again. His board had also been sabotaged, meaning someone had deliberately wanted him to fall. Maybe it was someone who wanted to get even. He never found out who.

He was also only 4 skateboards away from completing his 100 board collection, but since he could no longer skate, he could no longer bet with people for their boards. He let out a sigh of depression. A yellow glowing orb then flew into his body before sand fell from his body and then reformed into a strange creature with the top half of its body on the ground and the lower half floating above it. Steve jumped back in shock.

"Wh-What the hell!?" Steve shouted.

"Tell me your wish," the creature said, "I will grant any wish you want."

* * *

The sand fell from Kurt's body again and once again reformed into the creature. It yelled at him, "Hey! What's the big deal?"

Kurt glared at the creature, "You nearly made me kill Ray."

"Hey," the creature crossed its arms, "He deserved it. He was a jerk!"

"Well, because of you, everyone probably thinks I'm nuts!" Kurt yelled back. He heard a knock at the door.

"Kurt?" it was Kitty. "Is someone in there with you?"

"No, Kitty!" Kurt called back.

"Okay," Kitty didn't sound too convinced. She phased through the door and saw the creature. Her eyes widened and then she fainted dead away. Kurt jumped and grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"Great," Kurt said sarcastically. He turned to the creature, "This is all your fault."

"Hey, she came in without warning!" the creature protested. It then rubbed its hands together, "Well, now let's talk."

"Talk?" Kurt quirked an eyebrow, "Talk about what?"

"Well, the reason I'm here is because I will grant you a wish. Any wish you want," the creature said, hands behind his back and pacing around.

Kurt blinked. A wish? Then maybe he could…Hold on. From the books he read, wish-granting creatures usually wanted something in exchange for the wish. There had to be a catch here. Kurt asked, eyes narrowed, "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" the creature repeated, "What catch?"

"No wish comes for free," Kurt said as he placed Kitty on the bed. "What do you get in return if I make a wish?"

"Hey! You get a wish and I get out of your hair! We both win!" the creature shouted out.

Kurt didn't buy it, "Sorry, but if you're a threat there's no way I'm making a wish. There has to be something you get out of this so what is it?"

"I'll tell you after you make the wish," the creature replied indignantly.

"Then no wish," Kurt said, firmly. "I just hope Kitty just thinks you're a dream."

* * *

The male skateboarder was thrown against the tree as something picked up his skateboard. It looked humanoid in appearance but had armor on its body. It was brown in color and had a coyote's head. It stared at the skateboard and placed it under his arm along with another it had retrieved earlier.

"Two more and the contract will be complete," the creature said before leaping away. It was going to deliver the skateboards to Steve.


	17. I HAVE HER

"A letter for me?" asked Ryuki as his mother handed him the envelope. "Wonder who's it from?"

"Open it and see," Alex insisted as she looked over his shoulder. He smiled at her and shook the envelope. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was something inside.

"What's wrong, Ryuki-kun?" Emiko asked.

"There's something inside this envelope," he said. He tilted the envelope and a pair of pink butterfly hairclips dropped into his hand. His eyes widened in recognition. He knew those hairclips.

"Hairclips?" Alex blinked in confusion, "Who would send you hairclips?" But then she felt Ryuki trembling. "Ryuki, what's wrong?" Her question was filled with concern.

"Ryuki-kun?" his mother asked, worried too.

Ryuki reached inside the envelope and pulled out a note. On it were three ominous words:

**I HAVE HER**

The note included the drawing of a scorpion.


	18. KAMEN RIDERS UNITE!

"Hey, I brought some help!" Ant waved and then he pointed towards the mountain ledge where 17 people stood. There were 16 men and 1 woman. 14 of them were of Japanese descent but the 13 of the Japanese men looked old.

"Who…who are they?" Ryuki asked. He recognized, Xander, Ryan, Shinji and Selene, but the rest of the men were strangers. However, they felt familiar to him and despite their ages looked like they'd lived through many battles.

"Let us help out new junior member out, alright?" said the oldest looking man, who looked about 60. The other men with him, who were of various ages, nodded in agreement. They all waved their arms around as Xander, Shinji and Selene entered the codes into their Rider Gears. Ryan tapped his tuning fork to his wrist and raised it up in front of his forehead. Ryuki's eyes widened as he watched the familiar arm waving motions. Belts appeared around their waists.

They then all called out a word that identified them the best.

"HENSHIN!"

In flashes of light the normal looking people on the ledge were now replaced by familiar looking armored warriors.

"K…k…Kamen…" Ryuki stuttered out. Everyone watched as the warriors called out their names and Ryuki felt he was about to faint.

"Kamen Rider Ichigo (#1)!"

"Kamen Rider Nigo (#2)!"

"Kamen Rider V3!"

"Riderman!"

"Kamen Rider X!"

"Kamen Rider Amazon!"

"Kamen Rider Stronger!"

"Kamen Rider Super-1!"

"Skyrider!"

"Kamen Rider ZX (Z-Cross)!"

"Kamen Rider Black RX!"

"Kamen Rider J!"

"Kamen Rider ZO!"

"Kamen Rider Faiz!"

"Kamen Rider Kaixa!"

"Kamen Rider Delta!"

"Kamen Rider Oni!"

"WE ARE KAMEN RIDERS!!"

And then there was an explosion of flames behind them to announce the amazing and heroic presence of these legendary warriors. Ryuki couldn't believe his eyes. The Riders…the real Kamen Riders…were here.


	19. The New Slayer is Tsukune?

A/N: Set in Rosario+Vampire. This is for my sequel to MASKED RIDER FANG called MASKED RIDER FANG II: YOKAI ACADEMY. Just something for you all to look forward to.

* * *

"Moka-san said she'd be right here," Tsukune said to himself as he looked around. He was in the forest just outside the school and holding in his hand a pink sheet of paper. On it was writing, which had asked him to come to this spot. From the signature, it was Moka's, but then where was the pink haired and spunky vampire girl?

"No Moka here, wuss," growled a voice that chilled Tsukune to the bone. He would remember that voice anywhere. It was the voice of the first evil monster he'd ever had the displeasure of meeting. He spun around and his eyes looked on in shock.

"Saizou!" Tsukune yelled out in horror as the orc in human form walked out from behind a tree. "What are you doing here? Where's Moka-san?"

"I wrote that note to draw you out," Saizou sneered. "Now, I'm going to have some fun with you and no S-Class vampire slut is here to save you." With a roar, Saizou's shirt tore to pieces as he assumed his true form, an orc. "I suggest you run. It's more fun that way." Tsukune, horrified, screamed before running off. "I love it when they run. Makes them more tender when I eat them." Saizou let out a roar before chasing after Tsukune.

* * *

Meanwhile, Devlin was sitting against a tree whilst writing in his notebook. Sitting on his shoulder was his partner, Count Fangula the Third (Fangy for short), and sitting next to him was the Smart Brain briefcase that held the Slayer system Version XI. The forest was the only place he could find some peace away from the girls. He loved them, that was a fact, but it got really annoying and frustrating overtime. He just wanted some alone time

"What are you doing there?" Fangula asked curiously.

"Just writing a letter to my father," Devlin said. "I'm going to send the Slayer system back to him. I have no use for it." Of course, that was because he'd had some bad experiences fighting against it and didn't want to be anywhere near Smart Brain battle tech anymore.

"Well, maybe someone else could-" Fangula began to say before a loud monstrous roar was heard, "What was that!?" This was followed by a loud scream.

Devlin's eyes narrowed. He'd trimmed his bangs so now his new Demon Emperor Eye was visible. It was better that way. The eyebeam had burnt part of his right fringe so it was much better to just trim it. Though the scar showed, the girls thought he looked much more handsome, rugged, cool or dangerous with it showing. His Demon Emperor Eye shone for a brief second before he stood up and picked up the briefcase, sliding the notebook and pen into his jacket.

"Someone's in trouble," said Devlin. "Let's go!" Devlin ran towards the direction of the roar.

Tsukune was knocked into a tree, hard. He groaned in pain as he looked up to see Orc-Saizou looming over him with an evil grin. He grabbed Tsukune by the collar and pinned him against the tree. Orc-Saizou licked his lips.

"You can't be a Yokai," Orc-Saizou spoke, sniffing Tsukune. "You're weak, like a human." Tsukune began to sweat. "Well, when I eat you, I think I'll know what it is." Orc-Saizou opened his mouth wide, revealing his razor sharp teeth, ready to bite Tsukune's head off.

Suddenly, there was a bright explosion of green light that burst out of Orc-Saizou's back. The orc roared in pain as he dropped Tsukune and spun around, rage filling his eyes. He saw Devlin walking into the clearing, his Demon Emperor Eye smoking.

"Step away from him," Devlin warned, eyes narrowed dangerously, one glowing red and the other glowing green. "Or else the next one goes right through you."

Orc-Saizou growled, "This is none of your business!"

"I'll make it my business, orc," Devlin retorted. He took a look at the boy. '_Tsukune Aono? Again? How does he get into these messes?_' That moment allowed Orc-Saizou to attack. He swiped at Devlin and knocked him aside and falling on his rear.

"Well, now, I get to eat you both!" Orc-Saizou announced before he pounced at Devlin. Devlin smashed the briefcase into Orc-Saizou's face, sending him rolling to the side.

Devlin got up and ran towards Tsukune. "Aono! Come on!" He grabbed the human student's arm and lifted him up.

"Amakusa?" Tsukune asked, bewildered and confused, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm saving you! What does it look like? Now, come on!" Devlin urged before they started to run, but Orc-Saizou was on their trail. "What's with this guy?"

"Long story," Tsukune sighed.

"Well, if we survive, we can talk all about it."

"I'M GOING TO GET YOU!!" Orc-Saizou roared but then something flew into his face. "WHAT!"

Fangula laughed, "Finally, some action worth my time!" He began to fly about Orc-Saizou's head, slashing with his wings and even biting the orc. The orc swiped with his arms but Fangula kept dodging. "Hah! I'm so good!" In his moment of cockiness, he was knocked out of the air. "Not good!!" Fangula wailed.

"Fangula!" Devlin shouted as he spun around to see Orc-Saizou charging at them. He shoved Tsukune away and was tackled by the orc, dropping the briefcase in the process. Orc-Saizou had a firm grip on Devlin's neck and pinned him down to the ground. Orc-Saizou's saliva dripped from his mouth and tongue as he looked down on Devlin.

"You should've minded your own business, kid!" Orc-Saizou growled as he applied more pressure. Devlin was clawing at Orc-Saizou's hand, trying to get it off. "Now, you're going to die with him!"

Devlin gritted his teeth and concentrated before his body broke down and turned into black smoke. This shocked Orc-Saizou who could feel the smoke slipping through fingers and then reforming not too far away. Devlin gasped for breath. Turning into smoke took a lot out of him. He turned to look at Tsukune and saw that the briefcase had been knocked open. Devlin's got an idea and shouted out, "Aono! Grab the belt and knuckle from the briefcase!"

"What!?" Tsukune shouted out as he looked at the open briefcase. "Why?"

"Just do it!" Devlin shouted out, dodging a claw swipe which left grooves across a tree. "Put the belt on! There's a piece of paper to tell you what to do!" Devlin ducked. "And for goodness sake, do it fast!" Devlin had the air knocked out of him when Orc-Saizou punched him in the gut.

Tsukune grabbed the strange belt and glimpsed at it for a second before strapping it on. He also grabbed into the strange knuckle-duster and strapped it onto his right wrist. He picked up the paper, which had the instructions on it, and skimmed through it, getting the gist of it. He wasn't sure what it would accomplish, but anything was good right about now.

Orc-Saizou stood over Devlin who had cuts and bruises all over his body when he heard Tsukune yell, "Hey! Get your claws away from him!" Orc-Saizou laughed as he turned to look at Tsukune.

"Or what?" Orc-Saizou sneered. "You'll call your girlfriend?" He got a good look at the belt around Tsukune's waist. "And what's with that belt?" Tsukune did not answer and pressed the knuckle against his left palm.

"READY!" the Slayer Knuckle announced before Tsukune snapped it onto the buckle. It then announced, "FIST ON!" A golden cross flew out from the belt buckle and set itself in front of Tsukune's face. It released a blinding golden flash that forced Orc-Saizou to shield his eyes. When he opened them up, he was looking at a new Tsukune.

"What!?"

Slayer-Tsukune was just as surprised as he looked down at himself. "Woah. What is this?"

Devlin smirked in triumph from where he was standing. He just hoped Tsukune knew what to do.

Orc-Saizou shook off his shock and growled, "So what if you got a fancy suit! You're still a wuss!" He then charged straight at the now armored Slayer-Tsukune. Slayer-Tsukune yelled out and then out of reflex swung his arms.

POW!

Tsukune looked up to see his fist implant itself into Orc-Saizou's face, sending him flying backwards. Slayer-Tsukune looked down at his hands, questioning, "Did I just do that?"

"Yes," Devlin said as he struggled to get up, the wounds healing, "Now, you have the power to fight him!"

Tsukune nodded and jogged towards Orc-Saizou who was recovering from the hit. Snarling, Orc-Saizou swiped at Slayer-Tsukune who blocked with his new gauntlets. He then proceeded to wail on Orc-Saizou by hitting him in the chest, stomach and face. The orc howled in pain.

Devlin looked inside the briefcase to see the Slayer system's own set of Power Whistles still inside. He picked up the Knuckle Whistle. He looked to see Slayer-Tsukune gaining the upper hand, despite his inexperience in fighting. Of course, Devlin was worried. What if the flaw was still there? It could endanger Slayer-Tsukune. Best finish this now.

"Aono!" Devlin yelled out as Slayer-Tsukune managed to send Orc-Saizou staggering backwards with his punches. "Catch!" He tossed the Knuckle Whistle to Tsukune who caught it in his fist. The new Slayer system user just gawked at the strange object in his hand.

"What do I do with this?" Tsukune asked.

"Slide it inside your belt buckle and then remove the knuckle! Hurry, he's coming for you!" Devlin shouted. Slayer-Tsukune looked up again to see Orc-Saizou roaring with red eyes glowing with rage. Orc-Saizou then charged straight for Slayer-Tsukune, claws drawn to gut him.

"I'M GONNA OPEN YOU UP LIKE A CAN OF BEEF!!" Orc-Saizou roared.

Slayer-Tsukune quickly slid the Knuckle Whistle into the belt before removing the knuckle with his right hand. The computerized voice spoke again.

"SLAYER KNUCKLE: RISING UP!"

Slayer-Tsukune felt some sort of energy rising in him and it was being focused into his Slayer Knuckle. He watched as Orc-Saizou came into range before throwing his fist. The Slayer Knuckle smashed into Orc-Saizou's stomach. The strike knocked the wind completely out of Orc-Saizou. Not only that, a sphere of heat energy was released by the Slayer Knuckle which then took the orc for a ride, smashing through several trees and sending him flying far away from Slayer-Tsukune and Devlin.

Slayer-Tsukune fell to his knees, exhausted. The armor deactivated instantly and vanished. Devlin walked towards Tsukune and gave him a pat on the shoulder to congratulate him.

"You did good, Aono," said Devlin. Tsukune gave a weak smile in return.

"Tsukune!" Moka called as she ran into the clearing, followed by Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore. They saw his exhausted state and when they saw Devlin with him they assumed the worst. They stood between the boy and Tsukune, giving him a look of warning.

"Girls, it's OK," spoke Tsukune as Kuruku and Mizore helped him back to his feet. "Devlin didn't do this to me. He helped me."

Moka looked warily at Devlin who smiled back. "Aono is correct, Ms. Akashiya. It was an orc that did this. Saizou, I believe his name was." Moka gasped at the name.

Yukari then saw the belt around Tsukune's waist. "What's that?" she asked, curiously. Devlin picked up the briefcase and closed it before handing it to Tsukune.

"Huh?" Tsukune questioned.

"It's yours. You need it more than I do," said Devlin. "Just don't abuse it." He then walked away.

The girls blinked and Kurumu questioned, "What was that about?"

Tsukune looked at the briefcase and then the belt around his waist along with the Slayer Knuckle still strapped to his hand. His life, as he knew it, had just gone insane…again.

* * *

As he was walking away, Devlin felt Fangula land on his shoulder. "Hey, Devlin. You really think you should leave that to him?"

"He's going to need it. He won't always have those girls with him to back him up," Devlin reasoned. "Besides, if Akashi isn't going to use it, I might as well leave it in hands that will."

Fangula nodded in acceptance. "So, what are you going to do when you see the girls again?"

Devlin froze in his step and grimaced. "I knew I was forgetting something."


	20. Train Me

Devlin was in his dorm room, going over his homework, when he heard a knock at his door. He looked at his watch and asked himself, "Who's coming at his this hour?" He hoped it wasn't any of the girls. Even if it was Danielle he didn't feel in the mood to handle any of them. They were fighting over him and he really didn't want to get into the middle of all that. He'd pretty much chosen Danielle but the other girls still wanted him, which was troublesome. On one hand, he was happy to be reunited with old childhood friends, but on the other hand, having them fight over him was really starting to bug him.

He walked over to the door and unlocked it, opening it up to just a crack to see who was on the other side. He stared. "Aono?"

"Hey, you're Amakusa, right?" Tsukune asked.

"Yes," Devlin nodded. He opened the door wider. "So, why are you here?" He looked to see Tsukune carrying the briefcase. "Come inside." Tsukune accepted the invitation and Devlin closed the door before locking it after Tsukune came inside. Tsukune sat down on the floor and Devlin walked over to sit across from the boy he'd helped earlier that day. "So, you have questions, right?"

"Well, yeah," Tsukune admitted. "I mean, you just handed me this thing without asking any questions and I want to know why."

"You need it," Devlin answered a matter-of-factly. "Though the other students are blind towards what you really are, I do know of your true identity." Tsukune knew what Devlin was referring to. It was about Tsukune being human amongst several different yokai, some of them being his closest friends.

"So, this is to protect me?"

"You must want to protect your friends, Mr. Aono," said Devlin. "I just gave you the means to do so." Devlin finished, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Well, all I can say is that the girls are impressed," said Tsukune. He had demonstrated the transformation to Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, Ruby and Mizore earlier and they were amazed by the way he looked clad in white armor, like a noble white knight. He remembered seeing them fighting amongst themselves to be his 'princess'. "So, any other reason for this?"

"The Student Police," Devlin said in disgust. "Those bastards aren't going to just leave you alone, especially after what happened to their leader. They are going to come after you again eventually."

Tsukune shuddered at the memory. Being ostracized and tortured for being human had been a nightmare for him. It just proved how utterly vulnerable he was with all these dangerous Yokai after him.

"So, with this," Tsukune gestured to the briefcase, "I can fight them."

"Just keep that belt on at all times," said Devlin with a shrug. "It can hide it until you need it. That was how it was built."

"Oh," Tsukune blinked. "So…can you teach me?"

Devlin quirked an eyebrow. "Teach you what?"

"Teach me how to fight? I just got lucky this time so I need to prepare myself," Tsukune said.

Devlin nodded. "Very well. I suppose Lobo and Francis can help out as well."

"Them?" Tsukune asked. He remembered seeing Lobo, who was the new PE teacher, and Francis around. Francis was acting as campus security and was very strong. "They train you?"

"On the weekends and after school," Devlin said offhandedly. "You need to learn how to use a sword and it wouldn't hurt to build some muscle."

"Thank you," Tsukune bowed down but Devlin stopped him.

"There's no need for that, Mr. Aono. We are all trying to find our place in this world."

"Well, I do have one question though," Tsukune said as he motioned to the briefcase. "How did you get this thing?"

"That's a story for another day. Now, it's late. You should get to bed."


	21. Shadowcobra Death Form

Shadowcobra opened his eyes and found himself in an endless white space. There was nothing there and he couldn't tell which way was up or down.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. He then realized that he wasn't in his armor. "How did I get here? The last thing I remember is…" He paused. "Raven!" He looked around. "Where's Raven!"

"Ichi…" a gentle voice called. He froze. He knew that voice.

"Who?" he questioned as the angelic figure approached him. She was wearing a white robe and had a pair of shining angel wings behind her. However, he wasn't focused on those. He was more focused on the face of the angel. "Misha? Is this a trick? Is that really you?"

The angel nodded and gave a soft and gentle smile. Ichijyo felt himself calming down. For some reason he knew that this wasn't some sort of trick. "I've missed you," Ichijyo told her.

"As I have too," she returned. "I've been watching over you, Ichi, and I am proud of you." She then told him, "But, you need to forget me."

Ichijyo's eyes widened with shock at the request, "Forget you? Forget you!? I can't do that!" He reached out for her but his hand passed right through. "What?"

"I am not really here. I am only a vision," she said, sadly. "I am here to tell you to move on with your life, Ichi."

"But I have," he told her defiantly. "I have moved on."

"You still can't forgive yourself for what happened to me and turned it into an obsession. You became a Knight because of me," she told him.

He fell silent. She was right about that. "But, Misha. I…" She placed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Someone else needs you now. I'm happy that you loved me, Ichi. I really am," she said, smiling serenely, "But, now, please forget me. You need to in order to access the power to save Raven."

Raven. Yes, she was in danger. That corrupt priest was going to. "I do. She needs me."

Misha smiled and then leaned down to give him one final kiss. She didn't pass right through him this time and he could feel it. She did love him, but they were on different planes of existence now.

"Go to her," she said, finally, and then he saw only a blinding white light.

All of his memories of Misha were being burnt away. He would no longer remember her face after this.

* * *

Shadowcobra woke up, standing tall, now clad in his Zodiac Armor. However, now it was all black with silver trimmings and his cobra emblem had been replaced by a Deathtron symbol. The visor of his helmet had also turned blood red. Hanging from his back were a pair of black angel wings.

He opened his eyes and they were locked on the corrupt priest. "You're mine," he hissed as he spread out his wings. "Now DIE!"


	22. Doomed

Fangboy looked around his terrain, gripping his blaster tightly in his hands as he scoped his surroundings. His visor flashed, alerting him of a presence. Suddenly, a monster that had been hiding behind several rocks jumped at him.

BANG!

In an instant, a gaping and smoking hole was in its chest before its body vanished.

"Now where are those girls?" Fangboy muttered.

"Here we are!" shouted Green Girl as she came into view, her laser crossbow strapped to her arm as she waved. Flanking her were She-Dragon and Phoenix, armed with a sword and spear, respectively.

Fangboy frowned, "What took you girls?"

"Well, we haven't really played this game before," Phoenix huffed. "It takes getting used to."

"Well, without Ghostgirl and Sniper around, I need a party and you girls are the only ones here," Fangboy spoke up. The girls beamed and he rolled his eyes.

Devlin had introduced the girls to the joys of the famous MMORPG known as Doomed. Danielle had introduced him to the game and, next to Chaos, he was the most powerful player around. Like her he knew some cheats that could get him easy experience, power ups, and some cool upgrades. He was already at LV: 45. The girls; Nami, Anzu and Suzume, were all n00bs so they needed him to survive the game. Thus far, Suzume had gotten herself killed 5 times in under 5 minutes. It was her lack of patience that usually caused her to make the mistake.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Green Girl/Anzu.

"Well…" Fangboy/Devlin spoke up as he pulled out a map and laid it out, "There's supposed to be this chest with an item that allows a player to LV UP by 10." The girls exchanged smirks, wanting that prize. "But, so far, every player that has tried to get to it keeps getting killed."

"Well, I believe we may be the first," She-Dragon/Nami spoke.

"Hey, I already got killed," Phoenix/Suzume said in objection, "I'm not interested in starting over again."

"Suzume, you got killed those times trying to fight monsters that were at an extremely high level," She-Dragon reminded.

"You don't have to remind me."

"OK," Fangboy said as he gathered the group's attention. "Here's the plan…"


	23. Dragon

* * *

Ranma and Ryoga reached the operatives that were lying on the ground. The holder of the Caucasus Inzecter kneeled down and asked, "What happened?"

"Or…Orphe…" the man tried to speak before his body crumbled into ash. Ranma's eyes widened.

"No way," Ryoga said as the other bodies began to disintegrate as well. "What did this?"

"I don't know," Ranma said with eyes narrowed and filled with anger. "But it won't get away with this."

* * *

"I was actually hoping that the little dragon would come," Asakura said with a vicious grin as he dropped his latest victim. The impact with the ground causes the body to explode into ash, leaving only the clothes behind.

"You sick bastard!!" Ryoga shouted as he charged but Ranma held him back. "Let me go!"

"Ryoga, that guy just killed all the operatives just by touching them. What do you think will happen when you touch him? He doesn't even have to dodge. He'll just let you hit him and you're dead," Ranma said. Ryoga usually wouldn't listen to Ranma, but then this monster of the man had killed all the operatives in a matter of seconds.

"It's true," Asakura said as he picked his teeth. "Skin to skin contact with me can be fatal. I can control it, but why should I?" He then morphed into his Dragon Orphenoch form. "Now, let's have some fun."

The Inzecters flew into their masters' hands and the two new Riders exchanged serious looks. "Henshin!" they both shouted before locking their Inzecters to their receivers.

"HENSHIN!"

* * *

Ryuki slammed his hands onto Ichijyo's desk, shouting, "Asakura's here!? Why didn't you tell me!?"

"Because I knew you'd react this way!" Ichijyo replied, standing up. "You could barely control yourself the last time you fought!"

"You shouldn't have sent Ranma and Ryoga! Asakura is my problem!"

"Your anger is clouding your judgment, Hasuma!" Ryuki growled before turning away and walking towards the door. Ichijyo couldn't really stop his friend so he just sat down and palmed his face in despair.

"Ryuki…just don't get yourself killed."

* * *

The Dragon Orphenoch bashed both Stinger and Caucasus' heads together before knocking them backwards with his fists. They rolled on the ground before stopping, belly-up.

"OK, now I'm mad!" Caucasus growled. "Cast Off!" He pulled the horns of his Inzecter over its body.

"Not without me!" Stinger shouted, turning his Inzecter around after flipping the wings. "Cast Off!"

"CAST OFF!" armor pieces exploded off their wearers and were sent flying at the Dragon Orphenoch. They slammed into him but he was unfazed.

"CHANGE CAUCASUS BEETLE!"

"CHANGE HORNET!"

The two Inzecter Riders, in Speed Mode, got into their fighting stances before charging. They struck at the Dragon Orphenoch with their fists and he blocked them, barely.

"KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!" Caucasus shouted, smashing his fists rapidly into the Dragon Orphenoch's chest and face.

"SHISHI HOUKOUDAN!!" Hornet shouted, blasting at the Dragon Orphenoch with his ki blast.

"MOUKO TAKABISHA!!" Caucasus joined in, blasting with his own patented ki blast. The Dragon Orphenoch crossed his arms in front of his body and tucked in his head as the blasts of energy smashed into him, sending him sliding backwards as his feet dragged along the ground. A massive explosion soon followed.

* * *

Ranma and Ryoga were lying on the ground, without their armor, writhing in pain. Ranma forced himself onto his hands and knees but the Dragon Orphenoch stomped on his back.

"Heh, newbies," Asakura the Dragon Orphenoch sneered. He brandishes his giant claw. "Not even a challenge." He raised up his arm and prepared to strike when a blast of energy smashed into him, sending him flying. The Dragon Orphenoch got back to his feet and looked up to see the Jet Slinger speeding towards him. He grinned ferociously. "So, the little dragon decided to show up."

Ryuki was riding the Jet Slinger and heading towards the Dragon Orphenoch. He activated the 5 rockets in the back, causing them to release flames as he accelerated. He was going to run the Dragon Orphenoch over.

He smashed his vehicle into the Dragon Orphenoch, but Asakura proved too strong as he grabbed hold of the front. Ryuki anticipated this and activated the missiles. The trays came out from the sides of the front of the Jet Slinger. Ryuki locked in his target and fired. The missiles flew out and then slammed into the Dragon Orphenoch, causing a massive explosion. At point blank range, even the Jet Slinger would be destroyed, along with its rider.


	24. Transformers and Titans

ZK: Read, review, tell me if this should be an official fic.

Titans Tower, Jump City; this was home to the cities' heroes known as the Teen Titans. It late night and everyone was asleep in the tower. Recently, Cyborg had ordered some new parts to add to his baby, the T-Car. He also fixed up the R-Cycle (with Robin's permission) and modified the T-Ship with some of the spare parts he'd also ordered. Oh, he should've really checked those parts.

In the garage, where the T-Car and R-Cycle lay, a bright flash of light suddenly engulfed them. Deep in the T-Ship's hangar, the same bright flash of light had just engulfed the T-Ship. When the light died down, something strange was about to happen.

The headlights of the T-Car turned on by themselves and the T-Car began…to yawn? Wait, cars don't yawn.

"Hey, what's going on?" the T-Car spoke. OK, since when do cars speak? "Did I just talk?" The T-Car sounded female.

"You bet you did!" snapped the R-Cycle, who had a masculine voice, almost like Robin's. "Now can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep." There was a brief pause, "Wait? Did I just talk?"

"Yeah, and so did I? Geez…do you think we could do that before?"

"I don't know but we better investigate," responded the R-Cycle. The motorbike received a groan. "What?"

"You're just like the bossy bird, you know? My daddy would just go with the flow," the T-Car said.

"Well, anyway…we really should find out what's going on." The R-Cycle asked, "So, you with me?"

The T-Car replied. "I don't go out with any strangers. What kind of a girl you think I am? You didn't even give me your name."

"Well…you can call me… "Lightspeed". Yeah, that's it. Call me Lightspeed!" the R-Cycle, now Lightspeed, said.

"OK, and since my daddy has a big sonic cannon, you can call me "Sonic-Boom! Just call me Sonic for short!"

"Well, Sonic," said Lightspeed before he suddenly transformed. He looked a tall and svelte looking robot now, red and silver, with a head resembling a motorcycle helmet. The visor looked like a beak. His face was silver and his blue eyes looked like they were covered by a domino mask. "Woah!" (Imagine Prowl from Transformers: Animated but with Robin's head wearing his helmet)

"Hey, how's you do that?" Sonic-Boom asked.

"I don't know. This is a mystery," Lightspeed said, looking at his new hands.

"Hey, let me try!" and just as easily as Lightspeed, did, Sonic-Boom transformed. She was an aesthetically pleasing female robot. She had wings on her back made from her front car doors and a sonic cannon equipped to her right arm. She was also 2 feet taller than Lightspeed. "Damn!" She looked herself over, "I look good!" Her head had a blue visor over eyes, white 'skin' and wore a helmet that had the same circuitry pattern as some parts of her body.

"Yeah, you sure do," Lightspeed agreed. "Come on, let's go."

"Hey, wait…" Sonic-Boom said, hand to the side of her head. "I'm picking up something?"

"What?" Lightspeed was annoyed.

"You're the detective here, Lightspeed. Come on, we better look."

* * *

Down in the T-Ship's hangar, the T-Ship had just transformed into a really large robot. He sported a round head with an orange face and gentle blue eyes. "OK, this is really weird," the T-Ship said.

"Tell us about it," both Sonic-Boom and Lightspeed said as they rolled in as vehicles before transforming back to robot mode.

"Hey, you're like me!" the T-Ship spoke. He was large but had a gentle aura around him.

"Yeah, I'm Sonic-Boom and shorty here is Lightspeed," Sonic-Boom introduced, receiving a glare for the 'shorty' remark. "So, big guy, you got a name?"

"I don't know. I know I fly through space and stuff," the T-Ship spoke.

"Well, how about we call you "Cosmos"?" Sonic-Boom suggested.

Cosmos smiled, "I like it. It really fits." Suddenly, the alarm sounded. "Uh-oh."

"We better head back to the garage," said Lightspeed, turning back to vehicle mode. "Cosmos, you stay here. Sonic, come on before our humans come back."

Sonic-Boom transformed to vehicle mode. "Right behind you."

* * *

It would appear that the HIVE Five, minus Jinx, were back and causing trouble. They were doing a late night bank heist and weren't very quite about it. Mammoth just smashed through the wall and then Gizmo hacked into the security system to open up the vault. With them was SeeMore, Billy Numerous and Kyd Wykkyd.

"Come on, hurry up," said SeeMore anxiously.

"Chill out, one eye," grumbled Gizmo. "This isn't rocket science."

"So, it shouldn't be taking you too long."

Gizmo grumbled obscenities and grinned when he was done, "OK, vault is opened. Let's grab the loot."

"Sweet pickings!" cheered Billy Numerous, creating clones. "Yeehaw!"

"Oh, I don't think you got time to make a withdrawal," spoke Robin as he and his team, the Titans, stood at the door, facing the HIVE Five.

SeeMore, growling, shouted, "Get them!" He fired his eyebeam as Mammoth, Gizmo, Billy and Kyd Wykkyd charged. Billy and his clones went after Robin, Kyd Wykkyd went after Raven, Gizmo went after Cyborg, Mammoth went after Beast Boy, leaving SeeMore to go after Starfire.

Outside the bank, the T-Car (Sonic-Boom) and R-Cycle (Lightspeed) just sat there, watching.

"Ooh, check out my daddy going to work!" Sonic-Boom cheered.

"Can you keep it down?" Lightspeed whispered back. "I don't want the Titans to know about us yet."

"What, you afraid they'll take us apart?"

"Knowing my owner, yes!"

"I don't think they will once they see what we can do," Sonic Boom said as she rolled towards the bank's front doors.

"What are you doing?" Lightspeed asked.

"Helping daddy," Sonic-Boom said with a 'grin'.

"Get off me!" Cyborg shouted, reaching behind him since Gizmo had latched on and attempted to hack into him like last time.

"No where, booger breath!" laughed Gizmo before he was roughly yanked off by his backpack. "Hey! Let go!" He then got a good look at what'd picked him up and screamed. This caught everyone's attention as they saw a robot with Gizmo in its grasp. Cyborg's eyes narrowed when he saw some of the bluish circuitry parts on the robot. First, he was thinking someone had stolen his designs, again, but when the robot smiled at him, he was surprised.

"Is this baby giving daddy a hard time?" Sonic-Boom teased. She then threw the small evil genius at one of his partners, SeeMore, like a baseball, hitting him in the gut. "And that's a booyah!"

"Who are you?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh, daddy, don't you recognize your baby?" Sonic-Boom giggled.

Cyborg's jaw dropped.

Robin would've gone to get some answers if he wasn't preoccupied with a dozen Billy clones. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a bike engine as his R-Cycle drove in, fast, without anyone riding it.

The R-Cycle rammed into a few of the Billy clones, sending them flying. The R-Cycle popped a wheelie next, sending a Billy clone flying into the air. The R-Cycle then transformed into Lightspeed, standing back to back with Robin, which was funny since Robin only came up to his waste.

"What are you?" Robin asked suspiciously.

"Your ride. Now can we please beat these guys and cart them to jail? Even I wanna know what's going on!" Lightspeed responded.

Robin smiled, "You read my mind," before both he and Lighspeed attacked, going into similar martial arts moves.

Beast Boy was sent flying by Mammoth but was caught in Sonic-Boom's hand. She laid him on the floor, gently, saying, "Easy there, greenbean." She glared at Mammoth and charged. She swung her fist and rammed him in the face, sending him flying into a wall and unconscious.

Raven was able to defeat Kyd Wykkyd and Starfire had a rough time with SeeMore before Gizmo was slammed into him. Billy became one guy again after Lightspeed knocked out the real one. After tying up the HIVE Five and contacting the police to pick them up, the Titans stood up to the two newcomers, who weren't really newcomers. Sonic-Boom and Lightspeed both sat down on the floor, waiting for the inevitable.

"What are you?" asked Raven.

"You tell us," Sonic-Boom responded. "One minute we were just parked in the garage being normal vehicles and then the next thing you know there's this bright light and now we're like this."

"We really need to know what that light was," said Robin and Lightspeed in unison.

"Woah, in stereo," Beast Boy laughed.

Starfire pondered and then looked like she knew something, "I know what they are!"

"You do?" Cyborg asked, "Come on, speak up, girl!"

"I once heard of a robotic race of transforming aliens from a planet called Cybertron. The people were called Cybertronians, but are also known as Transformers, and classed into two groups. The good ones are called "Autobots" while the evil ones are called "Decepticons." Starfire added, "My people have only heard of them but never seen real Cybertronians."

"Well, girl, there's one problem there," said Sonic-Boom, raising a finger. "I ain't no alien."

"That's true," Raven rubbed her chin.

"But you can transform like those Cybertronians!" Starfire stated.

"Well, the answer is in that bright light," Robin rubbed his chin. "Cyborg, are you picking up something?"

Cyborg scanned the two robots and was startled, "Robin, you are not gonna believe this, but there's some weird glowing stuff inside them."

"Their souls," Raven spoke up.

"Come again?" Beast Boy asked.

"I sense that they have souls," Raven blinked. "It's like a pulsing energy but it's pure, very pure."

Sonic-Boom and Lightspeed exchanged looks.

"OK, so now what?" asked Beast Boy.

"Well, we could show you Cosmos," said Sonic-Boom. "He's at the Tower."

"Who's Cosmos?" Robin asked, "And you haven't given us your names."

"Call me Sonic-Boom, honey."

"I'm Lightspeed."

Cyborg smiled at the name choice of his baby and Robin thought the name was appropriate, sort of.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the mines located not too far away from the city of New Detroit, the Decepticons' computer detected not one, but three Allspark energy signatures. The evil and ruthless leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, turned his attention to his two soldiers, the extremely loyal and powerful Lugnut, and the triple-faced and unstable Blitzwing.

"Blitzwing, Lugnut, it seems that there are three new Allspark fragments detected," Megatron told them before ordering, "Find them and bring them to me."

"As you wish, Mighty Megatron!" Lugnut kneeled and bowed.

Lugnut's cold face was replaced by his crazy face, "Ooh, should we bring presents? Where are we going? Is it a tourist spot?"

Megatron sighed and said, "They are in a place called Jump City."

Blitzwing's cold face returned before both he and Lugnut transformed into their vehicle modes. Blitzwing became a fighter jet while Lugnut became a bomber jet. They then took off.

* * *

They weren't the only ones. The Autobots had also found the Allspark energy signature. When Optimus mentioned Jump City, Sari who'd just woken up from the commotion perked up. She wanted to go.

"Why are you so excited, Sari?" Bulkhead asked.

"Are you kidding me? Don't you know what's in Jump City?" Sari questioned, excited and already dressed in her clothes.

"No, tells us!" Bumblebee answered, wanting to know. If there was something fun on Earth, Sari would know what it was.

"The Teen Titans!"

The Autobots drew a blank.

"Oh…" Sari groaned.

"Ratchet, can you log into the internet to find out about these Teen Titans?" Optimus requested.

"Sure can do, Optimus," Ratchet said as he tapped a few keys. "Ah, here it is." The other Autobot read the information. "Says here they are a team of 5 teenage superheroes. Kids today."

"Fascinating," said Prowl, looking at the strange picture of the heroes.

"Hey, one of them is made of metal!" pointed out Bumblebee.

"Another one's green!" pointed out Bulkhead.

"And it says here they've saved the city and fought a lot of powerful super criminals," Optimus read on.

"That's why I wanna go! I wanna see them!" Sari said excitedly.

"It's a bit late, don't ya think?" said Prime. "I mean, aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"I'll just sleep in Bumblebee! Please, can I go? Please…?" she begged, looking cute.

"Come on, Prime. She can help us talk with these Titans," Bumblebee vouched for Sari.

"OK, fine," Optimus sighed. "Autobots, transform and roll out!" He transformed to vehicle mode, quickly followed by the others. They then drove out of their secret lair towards Jump City.

* * *


	25. Gekiryuken

Neko found herself in a strange place. It was a vast space of darkness with the only source of light being the stars shining all around her. There was no visible floor and yet she felt that she was standing on something.

"Where am I?" she asked herself. "Wasn't I fighting Copycat?" She panicked, "Rosey-chan! Koneko-chan! They're in danger! I need to go to them!" She began to run. Yet, the farther she ran, she felt as if she wasn't going anywhere. That wasn't going to stop her, however. She continued to run, trying to find a way out of this strange place. Hours seemed to pass and she collapsed onto her hands and knees, exhausted. "What is this place?"

She suddenly heard a disembodied voice speak to her, "_Where do you want to go?_"

She didn't question where it was coming from, strangely. She answered, "I want to go home."

"_Is home so important?_" was the reply she received.

"Yes."

"_Why?_"

"Because there are people I want to protect."

"_Are these people that you wish to protect important to you?_"

"Yes."

"_Are you willing to do anything for them?_"

Neko pushed herself to her feet and stood up, answering, "Yes."

"_To protect them, are you willing to use my power?_"

'_Power? What kind of power?_' If some sort of divine entity wanted to help her, she was in no position to deny it.

The voice repeated, "_To protect them, are you willing to use my power?_"

"YES!" Neko raised her voice. "Give me the power!"

"_Call my name! Call my name and receive the power! Call my name!_"

What was the voice's name? How could she know that?

_Ge…_

_Ge…_

_Geki…_

The name was starting to come to her.

_Gekiryu…_

_Gekiryu…_

The word was becoming clearer.

_Gekiryuk…_

She then shouted out its name.

* * *

"GEKIRYUKEN!!" Alt-01/Neko roared out and all of a sudden a bright light engulfed the black lance in her hand. Copycat was shocked and pushed back by the light.

"What is this!?" Copycat shouted in outrage. Rose's eyes widened as the light dimmed. Copycat's eyes narrowed before popping wide open.

"Is that…?" Rose began.

"It can't be!" Copycat finished.

Replacing the lance was a strange sword. The handle resembled the handle of a key and had small wings flanking it. Hanging from the handle was a keychain shaped like a dragon. At the base of the blade was a small dragon's head and the tip of the blade was shaped like a diamond. The sword was mainly blue with gold and white accents. This sword was not any old sword. It was a special weapon. It was Neko's key to victory…

It was the legendary Keyblade and its name was…

Alt-01/Neko called out again, "GEKIRYUKEN!"


	26. STAG

A young man, about 16 walked up to the Smart Brain Headquarters in Tokyo. He had short light blue hair that went down to his shoulders and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He had a pair of goggles positioned above his eyes. He was wearing a necklace that had a door hinge attached to it. He held a letter in his hand, which held the Smart Brain emblem on it. "Smart Brain, huh? Awesome!" the boy smiled. "Man, I can't believe that up until a few days ago everything was normal…"

* * *

A few nights ago…

An abandoned warehouse had been condemned, and people were told to steer clear of it… But that doesn't mean everyone listens. There are people in this world called urban explorers, people who explore the normally unseen or off-limits parts of human civilization. Shinji Kamishiro was one of these people. Unfortunately for him, the building was condemned because it was due to collapse at any moment.

CRASH!!

And like that, the entire building came crashing down around him. "Stupid rotted building," groaned Shinji as he dug himself out of the rubble, coughing. His goggles covered his eyes. He coughed up some dirt and dust. "Well, that could have gone better," he said as he patted himself down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small digital recorder. "At least I got the collapse on tape." He then heard a sort of clicking noise and noticed a small mechanical insect that was similar to a stag beetle. "Ah! Metal bug!" he shouted. He heard the insect clicking. "Partner?" He was shocked to realize he could understand the bug.

"OK, this is weird," said Shinji. "What are you supposed to be?" The mechanical stag beetle clicked its mandibles a few more times before flying off. "Hey, wait! I didn't get you on tape." He grumbled, "Great…nobody is gonna believe me when I tell them this." He heard something being dropped at his feet and looked down. "Huh?" He squatted down and picked it up. "Wicked belt. Wonder whose is it?" He heard clicking and saw the stag beetle flying around his head. "You want me to put it on? OK." Shinji fastened on the belt. "Hm. Not bad." Shinji looked around. "Now, I need to find a way to get out of this place." The stag beetle heard the question and flew towards the belt before attaching itself to it. "Hey!"

"HENSHIN!" the belt announced.

"Woah!"

Shinji then felt weird as a hexagonal field began to cover him. The field turned out to be armor as it slowly enveloped his body.


	27. ACT 2 PREVIEW

**Warrior of the Blood Red Moon**

**Act 2**

**Arrival of a Paladin Rider**

**Preview**

**Written By: Dark-Magician-41**

Kamen Rider Kiba, AKA Jason Kurenai, moaned as he slowly got up from the beating he was getting by the newest Fangire. He glared as he watched the Fangire slowly and confidently walked up to him and his friends the Sailor Scouts.

The newest Fangire looked like a ladybug and man cross with its armor colored the same way as a ladybug meaning its main colors were red and black with strange black wings on its back that had three large see through red spots on it. Unfortunately that meant that it could fly as well, a first for Kiba. All around the Kamen Rider were the Inner Sailor Scouts along with Saturn and Tuxedo Kamen.

"_Kiba and the Sailor Scouts would be stronger then this,_" the lady bug Fangire said mockingly, "_Guess I was wrong._" And with that he fired off another strange energy wave/sound wave attack at Kiba who barely dodged it.

"Bastard," Kiba said with a growl. The first time he battled this Fangire he ran away but not without seeing the Rider use the Basshaa Fuestle to summon the Basshaa Magnum. Now every time he reached for one of the whistles the Fangire would fire an attack at him forcing him to dodge.

"_So the great Kiba falls,_" the Fangire said extremely cocky as he slowly walked up to the down rider, "_The other Fangires will sing praises to me!_"

As The Fangire was about to land the final blow on a weakened Kiba someone spoke up from behind the Rider, "Not on my watch, Fangire."

Shots rang out from behind Kiba as bullets slammed into the Fangire's body sending him stumbling back a few yards. When it stopped everyone turned from where they were to look behind the Kamen Rider. There, slowly walking out of the smoke from where the Fangire's attack hit, was another rider just like Kiba and yet drastically different.

He had flexible black armor like bodysuit under ivory white armor with blue trim that covered his feet, the sides of his shins the outsides and front of his tights, and his forearms with black armor on the top of his palms and fingers except for the pinky, middle finger, and thumb which were white. His chest armor was also white but the front of it was shaped like a silver guitar pick with two red circles on it, one inside the other with the outer one having some spaces missing on the left and right sides along with the top and black around it and more silver around that.

His broad shoulder pads were white on top and yellow on the bottom while his head was covered by a white and blue helmet similar to Kiba's but there was something similar to an upside down gold arrow like T acting like a faceplate. Around his waist was a high-tech black belt with a black and gold buckled on the front that had hints of silver and blue in it. The left side of the buckle had a red circular gem on the front while the right side looked like a high-tech knuckle duster. All in all he looked like a paladin if it wasn't for his weapon.

In his right hand was a black and silver gun with a small pair of gold wings near the back of the gun tilted to the left with a red circular gem in-between them. The gun handle was silver with black edging with what looked like a long white magazine with a gold stripe down the middle.

"IXA," Kiba said softly recognizing the familiar armor.

"Fangire," the newly christened IXA said as he walked past the fallen warriors and stopped in front of the Fangire, "Those lives you have stolen. Return them to god."

With that the gold face plate started to split into four pieces with the bottom two shifting to where his cheeks would be revealing a silver mouth plate while the top two pieces shifted up and to the sides a bit revealing cold red eyes. A discharge of heat and energy erupted from the armor as glowing white and silver angel wings unfolded from his back and when the discharged faded they folded back up. He raised his right hand holding the gun up once again and fired at the Fangire who stumbled back once more. IXA pointed his gun up to the sky while turning it so that the right side of the gun was facing forward.

With his left hand he pushed the magazine of the gun up into the handle revealing a silver and red extension on top of the gun where the ammunition chamber would be. He slashed forward and a red two foot long blade popped out of the extension as IXA kept on walking towards the Fangire. The Fangire tired to fire another one of his sound/energy wave attacks at the newest Kamen Rider but they did nothing but annoy him.

The Fangire tried to run away again but the Kamen Rider slashed at him sending him stumbling back before IXA attacked once again. He grabbed the Fangire's shoulder and threw him behind him before walking up to it and attacking twice more. A final slash sent the Ladybug Fangire flying into the air before landing on his back his body smoking form the brutal attack.

"Time to finish this," IXA said before shifting the gun sword to his left hand before reaching for something on the right side of his belt.

On the left and right sides of his belt were Fuestles and Fuestle holders similar to Kiba's but the holders were silver while the whistles were black with two holes near where you would put your lips. He reached for the first one on the right side of his belt and pulled it out. He held it on the sides between his thumb and pointer finger. The design on the top front of the whistle was a gold version of the design on the buckle/knuckle duster.

He twisted the whistle so that the design was facing his left and inserted it into his belt buckle. The gem on the buckle flashed for a bit as it accepted the Fuestle before the Rider gripped the handle of the knuckle duster and pushed the front of it into the side of the belt causing the gem to glow as it process the command.

"_IXA CALIBUR: RISE UP!_" the buckle said in a computerized voice as IXA shifted the IXA Calibur to his right hand again as electricity crackled from his arm to the gun-sword. The symbol on his chest also started to glow as the energy traveled through it.

The sun showed somehow behind IXA as he slowly brought the IXA Calibur to the left side of his face with his left hand resting on the right side of the gun-sword's barrel. His wings unfolded behind him before they and the armor started to shine brightly blinding the Fangire and the Sailor Scouts. Kiba's Omnilens protected him from the glare as he watched IXA's finisher.

IXA looked up at the Fangire before moving his sword so that the tip faced the Fangire and the end of the sword gun's barrel faced the sky. The Sailor Scouts regained the sight in time to see the end of the finisher.

"IXA JUDGMENT SLASH!" IXA shouted as he slashed from left to right at the Fangire with his super charged, super heated sword gun.

The Ladybug Fangire screamed in pain as the energy of the attack rippled across its body causing it to become extremely brittle before it shattered like glass, its body and soul destroyed completely. IXA stood up as his wings folded back behind his back and he shifted the IXA Calibur back to gun mode before putting it up somehow. Kiba got up and the two Riders stared each other down like two gunmen at a noon time shoot out.

"IXA." Kiba said softly in a pissed off like voice making the Scouts edgy.

"Kiba," IXA said in a similar voice.

Before the Scouts knew it the two Kamen Rider charged at each other and threw a fist at their opponent. The fists slammed into each other causing a sonic boom where it was a test of strength for a while before they got at it. Kiba fought like the disciplined martial artist he was with kick and punches. IXA fought more like a back alley fighter than anything else, surprising the Scouts once more as he threw punch after haymaker and so on.

Soon the two fighters jumped back to get a bit of room before they charged at each other. With a loud war cry they both threw a right hook that seemed to be aimed for their heads. The Scouts wanted to look away but it was like a train wreck, they just couldn't. As the Kamen Rider neared each other they threw their fist but before it connected their fist opened up and…

They high fived each other.

"Hey, man!!" Kiba said as he grasped IXA's right hand with his own and pulled him close slapping the white Rider's back, "How ya been?"

"Ah same old same old," IXA said returning the slaps before they parted, "You can still pack a punch, bro."

"What do you think I've been doing, man," Kiba said slapping the guy's shoulder, "Having a tea party? I've been fighting Fangires here. How are things back home?"

IXA sighed before speaking, "Fangire activity is pretty low. When I heard you moved to Japan I got a ticket and booked it on over here."

"Oh?" Kiba said a bit shocked, "What for?"

Before IXA could say anything Sailor Moon cleared her throat catching the Kamen Rider's attention.

"Hey," IXA said with a perverted grin under his helmet, "Who are the cuties?"

"They are my newest friend here, bro," Kiba said before waving a hand towards them, "IXA meet the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen. Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen, meet Kamen Rider IXA."

(IXA is pronounced Ikusa)


	28. When Lawn Gnomes Attack

**ATTACK OF THE LAWN GNOMES**

Minx and Jasmine, Kat's pet cats, were curled up in their little basket fast asleep. The girl decided to emulate them and was having a catnap of her own. She was curled up in bed with a smile on her face. She then heard the door open as a small form scampered into the room.

"Mama! Mama!" the little cute voice called, "Look what Uncle Grant got me!"

Kat cracked her eye open at her daughter, who she had adopted 6 weeks ago and had grown into a 6 year old child due to her accelerated growth rate brought upon by her mutation. The mutation also gave her pointy ears, slit pupils and a tail. She was dressed in a black dress and wore a bow in her short and dark purple hair. This was Cathy. Originally, she'd been named Nekokage but for the forged birth certificate and adoption papers, she was named Catherine Hasuma Wilson. She was called Cathy for short.

"Koneko-chan, can you please show it to me later?" Kat yawned. "I'm taking a catnap."

"But, mama, I wanna show you something!" Cathy whined cutely. "Please, take a look. Pretty please…"

Kat couldn't refuse her daughter for any reason. She had grown attached to the girl as soon as she'd found her and raised her to the best of her ability, spoiling her with love and affection while Slade was a strict disciplinarian. However, the little girl's cuteness could melt the man's heart and he became like a doting (grand) parent to her nonetheless.

Kat decided to just give in and do as Cathy asked. She looked at her daughter and then the little girl showed her what Grant had given her. She responded with a blink.

Cathy was holding a lawn gnome in her hands.

"Grant gave you a…lawn gnome?" Kat questioned. Cathy nodded, beaming. "Why?"

"Oh, he was busy shooting at these things when I came by. They were so cute so he gave me one!" Cathy explained. In her young and naïve little mind, she'd confused Grant's attempt at getting rid of her as a gift. To her, Grant had performed a gesture of generosity. Kat knew better but didn't want to break the girl's heart.

"O…K…" Kat began and she just looked at the lawn gnome. It had a white beard, a smiling face, a tall pointed hat, and wore the garbs that people imagined gnomes would wear. It didn't look all that cute to her in her own honest opinion but she wasn't one to burst her daughter's bubble. She was feeling lazy to do anything and bored…she just wanted a catnap and then her daughter came to her, bothering her with a lawn gnome.

Boredom…

Bother…

Lawn gnome…

ONE lawn gnome…

Very mischievous…

A lot of people have lawn gnomes…

Army…

Kat grinned.

"Cathy, do you want me to bring your little friend to life?" Kat asked her daughter whose eyes sparkled at the suggestion.

"You'll do that? Really?" Cathy smiled.

Kat reached over and focused on the Power of the Rat which granted Motion to the Motionless. She tapped the lawn gnome on the forehead and in an instant he began to move. Cathy let him go and the lawn gnome jumped around, speaking in its own tongue, singing and dancing. Cathy laughed and applauded.

Kat's mind was forming a plan. "I'm not going to be bored tonight…"


	29. Fang in Jump City

"Fangire, your life ends here," Fang swore as he got into a fighting stance. He went into a crouch before dashing forward. The Aardvark Fangire let loose its long tongue to impale the Rider but the heir of the Demon Emperor dodged to the side, jumped up, did a tuck roll in the air before diving straight for the Fangire with his elbow out. The elbow smashed into the Fangire's head, sending it falling to the ground. The Fangire struggled back to its feet and started to lash out with its tongue like a whip but Fang managed to smack the offending appendage away. The Fangire decided to change its battle plan and charged straight for Fang. It threw a fist but Fang used an outer forearm block to divert the strike before swinging a right cross at the Fangire's face. He dealt several violent punches to the Fangire's face and chest, sending it reeling backwards with each strike. He then used a roundhouse kick to send the Fangire to the ground.

"Fang, let's finish this one off!" Fangula said and the vampiric Rider complied. As he was reaching down to the right side of his belt, fingers on the Fang Whistle, he heard people approaching. He swiveled his head around to see who was coming and realized it was _them_.

The Teen Titans, including his brother.

He recognized Starfire and Raven from their last visit to Amity Park and also Robin, but this would be his official meeting with the rest of the team. He smiled at the prospects but right now he had something to deal with first, namely the Fangire that was escaping. He drew out the Fang Whistle and placed it in Fangula's mouth. The sealed vampire blew it and detached from his perch, flying around Fang as the day sky turned to night and a blood red moon shone there. Fang placed one foot in front of the other as he bent his knees, his arms crossed at the wrist in front of his face, palm facing out. He then spread his arms to the side as he kicked his right leg upwards, allowing Fangula to fly around the armored boot. The chains shattered, allowing the red wings to spread out and the green gems gleamed. Fang used his left leg to send him straight into the air.

He then did a flip and then plummeted towards the Fangire like a meteor coming for Earth. The kick smashed the Fangire to the ground, the force creating a crater resembling Fang's insignia. The same insignia had been branded on the Fangire's chest and was glowing. The Fangire twitched as cracks spread out from the glowing emblem before completely engulfing its body. All of a sudden, the Fangire shattered, its soul floating into the air. Fangula flew after the soul and engulfed it before flying back to his partner and spitting the gem into his hand. "One more soul down." As soon as he turned around, the Titans were on the defensive. '_They probably believe me to be an enemy. Oh, this will be amusing._' His brother knew who he was but the others did not.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded.

"Tim, you really don't remember me, do you?" Fang questioned. Robin's eyebrows shot up.

"How did you know my-" Robin began and Fang chuckled.

"Oh, isn't it obvious?" Fang questioned with a laugh and then greeted Shadow, "Onii-san, you never told me Tim was so funny."

Raven and Starfire _knew_ that voice.

"Is that…" Starfire began.

"It can't be," Raven finished.

Shadow shrugged, "If he does it often enough, maybe I would, but class clown is definitely Beast Boy's profession."

"I see," Fang nodded.

"Wait," Robin narrowed his eyes. "Devlin?"

The chains exploded from the belt and engulfed Fang like a cocoon before stripping off his armor as they unwrapped from his body. In Fang's place was a 15 year old boy wearing black and white clothes, had his hair cover the right half of his face, wearing a Gatsby hat and a smirk on his face. He removed his hat and held it to his chest, giving a bow before standing up straight.

"That's right, Timmy," Devlin grinned, "And I am also known as Masked Rider Fang. Please, hold the applause."

Shadow rolled his eyes as Draco smiled. The Dragon Knight was always happy to meet new Riders.

"And I am Count Fangula the Third!" Fangula announced as he landed on his partner's shoulder.

"Call him Fangy," Devlin joked.

"Oi!" Fangula snapped.


	30. The End of ZKD?

Note: This was the originally planned ending I wrote a year ago until the plot changed but I'd like you all to enjoy it anyway.

**END OF ZKD**

Warped by the Horror's darkness, Copycat's armor began to change, gaining a more sinister look. It looked like the medieval armor of Knights from the middle ages but it was not of noble appearance. It was evil, sinister, hateful, hellish and diabolical. Spikes covered the shoulders as a dark cape fell from the shoulders. The fingers of his gauntlets ended in sharp tips like claws. The helmet had four long and sharp horns pointing upwards arranged to appear like a crown and the faceplate, it looked like a black skull. Above the Horror was a giant ball of hellfire that appeared to look like an eye, glaring at everything with evil intent.

Sauron explained, "**I was only able to influence her but never control. You see, when you defeated me, Dragon Knight, my powers were weakened. You, however, were not a Makai Knight and thankfully I was not sealed by you. Since I am a Horror, my spirit latched onto the closes source of negative emotions**."

Draco said in realization, "Onee-chan..."

"**Yes**," Sauron confirmed, "**And what a surprise to realize that she is a Living Gate that allowed Horrors to pass into this world. She became my host and unlike other hosts she was able to suppress me to the point that I was like a prisoner in her mind. However, her hatred and jealousy towards you was easily manipulated. I led her towards the Cat Deck and from then on she became Zodiac Knight Copycat. But, even then, I was still not able to control her. Do you know the opposite to hate? It's love! Her love was able to suppress me! Her love for you and your mother and it had extended towards Slade and her friends and lover. I had to get stronger and so did she. So, I influenced her into taking Zodiac Powers and killing. The more blood on her hands and powers she absorbed, the closer I was coming into control. Now, I am free!**"

Draco demanded, "Let her go!"

"**Your cousin is a Makai Knight. Didn't he tell you that the hosts of Horrors are as good as dead? She's gone now and you'll never get her back!**"

"Souka…" Draco realized and then just reached into the air. There was a warp sound and the Hyper Inzecter flew into his palm before he connected it to his belt and pushed down the horn lever.

"HYPER CAST OFF! CHANGE HYPER MODE!"

Draco went into a ready stance and said, dangerously, "Now, we end this…"

Sauron then summoned a black sword with jagged edges and skull and bones as the crossguard and said, "**Yes…the end of your life, that is!**" Sauron charged and Draco summoned the Perfect Inzecter, blocking Sauron's swing. They pushed against one another, in a deadlock.

"Onee-chan, I know you can hear me! Please, don't let him control you!" Draco pleaded, trying to reach his sister inside Sauron.

"**She's long gone, Dragon Knight!**" Sauron said as he punched Draco back and slashed him across the chest, sending sparks flying. He then continued to slash as Draco, repeatedly, causing screams to escape the Dragon Knight's lips…they sounded so delicious to Sauron.

The Titans watched, horrified as Draco was being attacked by Sauron, but now without Shadow who had been eaten by Sauron before and Pluto who was gone…their only hope now lay in Draco's hands.

Draco caught Sauron's blade in his hand, ignoring the burning pain as he activated his weapon. "HYPER POWER! HYPER BLADE!" He slashed with it and Sauron got a nasty gash in his armor. The Horror was not pleased. He continued to battle Draco. Their swords clanged into one another as they crashed against one another, Soul Metal against Horror Metal. Draco then used his Zodiac Powers, sending a fireball at Sauron. He dodged that, but then a column of rock sent Sauron flying into the air before Draco sent ice spikes at him. He then jumped up and slashed down with his sword, sending Sauron crashing to the floor. However, Sauron was still standing even after that onslaught.

"**Is that all you got?**" Sauron challenged. "**Well, take a taste of this!**" He pointed up at the flaming eye and then it sent a powerful beam of energy at Draco. Draco leapt out of the way as that part of the floor exploded and he rolled away again from another beam. He then started porting, avoiding them.

"**Well, **_**you**_** can dodge it**," Sauron said but added sinisterly, "**But what about your friends?**" The eye aimed at the Titans and FIRED!

"No!" Draco cried out and then ported to block the beam. He screamed in pain as he felt the searing heat through his armor. The Titans gasped.

Draco stood, his body smoking, as Sauron approached him. Sauron laughed, "**See? That is the price you pay for playing hero! You couldn't defeat me before and you can't defeat me now. Why? Your friends hold you back. Don't worry, I'll end your pain once and for all**." Sauron swung down but Draco caught him arm and sent Sauron staggering back with a kick before he slashed down with his sword, slicing off Sauron's arm. Black blood spilled from the stump. "**YOU! THAT WAS YOUR SISTER'S ARM!**"

"My sister…would rather die…than to be your puppet," Draco growled and then the Cutter, Scarab and Fire Inzecters flew in and attacked Sauron, smashing into him before combining with the Perfect Inzecter. "This…ends…now…" Draco pressed the buttons.

"FIRE POWER! CUTTER POWER! SCARAB POWER HYPER POWER ALL INZECTERS COMBINE!" He pressed the trigger, "MAXIMUM HYPER TYPHOON!" He charged at Sauron and then with the concentrated Tachyon energy blade, slashed down on the Horror. Sauron screamed as he fell and exploded. Soon, his body shifted back to the form of Kat. She had many injuries on her. Draco kneeled down and lifted her up.

"Onee-chan!" Draco cried.

"Otouto…" she began, weakly, "It's still not over yet." She pointed to the eye. It was still there and radiating evil power. "That eye…is Sauron's…true…power…Destroy it."

Draco nodded at his sister's request and picked up the Perfect Inzecter, converting it to Gun Mode as it announced, "GUN MODE!" He pressed the same series of buttons before it announced again, "ALL INZECTERS COMBINED!" He stood up straight and took careful aim, up high, at the eye and then pulled the trigger, "MAXIMUM HYPER CYCLONE!"

The powerful spiraling beam of tachyon energy burst from his weapon and towards the eye. It got blasted and Draco continued to fire. In the process, his Hyper Clock Up Mode activated, the fins unfolding from his gauntlets and boots and his wings behind him to withstand the recoil. Soon, with a last burst of power, the eye exploded. Draco dropped the Perfect Inzecter, panting. He then kneeled down to his sister.

"I've done so many horrible things…" she said slowly before coughing out blood.

"Onee-chan!" he panicked, picking her up, "We better get you to a doctor!" She laughed, bitterly.

"Baka…I thought you knew that when a person becomes a host to a Horror, they are deemed already dead. My time is…almost…over…"

"No…" he begged. "No…"

"Sauron…is weakened but he still lives inside me. Please…take my life now," she pleaded, a dark aura covering her. His eyes widened. Did he just heard her right?

"No…" he shook his head, "NO!"

"Please…I don't want to end up his puppet anymore…please…"

Draco listened to the pain in her words and laid her down on the ground. He said to her, "I'll try to make this painless for you…" He summoned his Keyblade. He stood up straight, pointed the tip of the Keyblade down to her chest and then plunged it down into her heart. There was an inhuman shriek before Kat lay still. The Zodiac Powers she had also collected rose up from her body and into Draco's…

The other Titans, watched, horrified, as Draco killed his sister but not as horrified as Draco who fell to his knees, his hands clutching the bloodied Keyblade and he screamed, painfully, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Now, only two Zodiac Knights remained…

Draco walked down the hallway. It was funny to not hear explosions coming from Pluto's room when he usually did his experiments. Oh wait, he was dead, Draco reminded himself, died in his arms during the Horror invasion. Draco passed by the SB Ops room and didn't hear the usual tapping of Shadow's fingers on the keys...They were gone, like Tazuka and Craig. He was the one last Knight that remained...

Draco entered his room and spoke, "Why did it have to like this...why did this all happen?" He stared at a photograph of the whole team, happy, but that was several months ago.

Blackfire was in the gym, beating the crap out of ALL the sandbags until she moved onto bricks and other things to vent her frustration. Draco wished she'd beat him up. He did promise her that he'd take care of Pluto and he'd failed.

Raven had gone back to wearing her dark uniform. Depressed and alone, the sorceress of Azarath turned to the only solace she had; books. Cyborg was not working on his baby. He saw no point since he didn't have Pluto around to talk to and Beast Boy didn't crack any jokes.

Telling his mother the truth about Kat, the whole truth, hadn't been easy, but it was something he had to do. He didn't stay to see his mother cried but got out of her sight. Who would want to see their daughter's murderer anyway?

Draco, angry at himself, punched a hole through the wall. Suddenly, he heard a familiar ringing sound, beckoning him towards the full length mirror in his room. He saw Libra, standing in the reflection. Eyes narrowed and enraged, he smashed his fist into the glass, shattering it.

"Why did you start all this!? Why!?" Draco demanded from Libra's cracked image. "Why do people have to die!? Was it for the amusement of the gods!? Tell me! Why did you allow me to live!? Why did you keep saving me!? Why!? WHY!?"

"For the answers you seek, you must fight," Libra said simply.

"NO!" Draco denied. "No more fighting! No more! I've had enough of this! I quit!"

"You can change all this if you win," Libra stated. "Don't walk away now. You have only one more day before it's too late."

"It's already too late, don't you get it? My friends are gone! Ichijyo and Takada are gone! Tazuka is gone! I killed Mortuary when I had no choice and I killed onee-chan too! No more killing! This stops now!"

"This is your destiny…my son," Libra said, causing Draco to freeze.

"What did you just say?" Draco questioned.

Libra walked out of the remains of the mirror and appeared before Draco. He reached up and removed his helmet, revealing his face to the Dragon Knight for the first time.

The face of his father…

No, it had to be a trick but Draco had the feeling that Libra was telling the truth.

Draco could only do ONE thing…

WHAM!

Libra was sent flying by the force of Draco's fist and slammed into the wall, leaving a mark. Draco flew at Libra, his _father_, and grabbed him by the throat and pummeled him with his fist, repeatedly.

"Why? (POW!) WHY!? (POW!) _WHY!?_ (POW!) **WHY!?**" Draco questioned as he punched the man, repeatedly, in the face. The others had heard the commotion and forced Draco's door open to see him beating the crap out of Libra.

"Baby, STOP!" Jinx yelled. Draco did and let the god go in disgust.

"I know I deserved that, son," Libra said.

"SON!?" Beast Boy echoed in disbelief. "HE'S YOUR DAD!?"

"This man…is not my father," Draco growled.

"I know you must hate me," Libra began, but was interrupted.

"And why shouldn't I? You pretend to be dead for the last 16 years and then just watched over us, but you never used your powers to really help!" Draco shouted accusingly and hatefully. "There are so many ways I can hurt you now…Why didn't you help Tazuka, Craig, onee-chan and the others!? Why did you only help me!? What about the others!? WHY, DAMN IT!? TELL ME!?"

"Because, it was your destiny," Libra replied. Draco scoffed.

"To hell with destiny," Draco said. "I'm done being anyone's pawn."

"If you don't fight, you have already lost," Libra said.

"I've lost my friends, some by my own hands," Draco reminded.

"But if you fight…you can bring them back," Libra replied. Raven and Blackfire stepped forward.

"Can he? Really?" Raven asked uncertainly.

"The power he would receive in the end will grant him one wish…anything he desires…that is, if he fights for it."

"Maybe you should do this," Blackfire began, but received a glare from Draco.

"And ruin another life? Forget it!" Draco objected.

"There's not enough time," Libra said, "Is there, Terra?"

Terra stared down at her hands. They were turning back to stone! She was running out of time!

"Remember that your brother made a deal with Fuji-sama and I to bring you back to life for you are the Key to the Mirror Dimension, Tara Markov. He wished for you to live and thus became MY Knight of Libra…and the final obstacle to my son's wish."

Draco, seeing the pleading looks on his friend's faces, made his choice then and there, "Alright, I'll do it," Draco said firmly. Libra nodded and created a Mirror Portal where Geo was waiting for him. Draco stepped in front of it and held out his Zodiac Deck but instead of the normal summoning call for his armor, he shouted, "Henshin!" and slid the deck into the belt, allowing the armor to encase him.

"Now, face your destiny, Zodiac Knight Draco," Libra said.

"No…My name is…Kamen Rider Ryuki…" Ryuki said before he stepped into the portal to face Geo…

In the End there can be only One.

ZK Chromedragozoid: Geo was meant to be the my version of Kamen Rider Odin as an extension for Libra and maybe even the identity of Terra's brother, Geo-Force/Bryon Markov, but I decided that Libra would be the final Knight they would fight instead after careful consideration. I also wrote this before I had the idea for the Living Gate.


	31. Fear

Osoru found himself floating in a dark abyss and then he was in water. He gagged slightly and spit out some of the water. "Where… am I?" Osoru asked himself as he stepped out of the water and onto the shore. He kneeled down and picked up a handful of sand, letting the grains sift through his fingers. "Am I… dead?"

"Osoru-kun!" he heard a voice call and Osoru turned to see Naminé, standing in the water and then saw a huge wave coming up behind her. It was well over 15 feet tall!

"Naminé!" Osoru called as he ran after her. "Look out!" But the wave crashed down on both of them and the next thing Osoru knew, he was underwater! He was then shocked to find that he could breathe. He then saw Naminé holding her hand out and Osoru tried to swim after her, swinging his arms and kicking frantically. '_I won't lose her again!_'

"You could try standing," he heard a female voice speak and Osoru did. He got up and he turned to see Naminé, standing on the beach, waving at him. Osoru found that he hand tears welling in his eyes.

"Naminé-chan!" Osoru said happily as he ran over and hugged the girl tight, afraid to lose her again. "I've missed you!"

"Osoru-kun..." Naminé said softly. "You have to go back… and fight…"

"Nani?" Osoru spoke in confusion but then found himself in a dark void. "Nani!? Where am I? Naminé?!" But Naminé was no longer there. Was this reality? A dream? A nightmare? Was he alive? Dead? Osoru looked around cautiously until he took a step forward. A bunch of doves flew off of the ground, which lit up. As soon as the doves all flew away, Ryuki saw that the floor was a stain-glass portrait of everyone he met at the Academy… his friends. Osoru pondered at the portrait.

"So much to do, so little time…" a bodiless voice said.

Osoru swung his body around, searching for the voices owner. "Who's there? Show yourself!" he demanded.

"Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?" the voice continued.

"Of course, I can," Osoru said as he stepped forward.

As soon as Osoru was at the center of the platform, three trapezoids appeared on different parts of the platform.

"Power sleeps within you," the bodiless voice said as a weapon appeared on each trapezoid. The weapon on the trapezoid to Osoru's left was a shield. It was silver and showed two warriors staring each other down, as if prepared to fight. What struck him as strange is that the warriors were identical. The weapon on the trapezoid that was all the way to Osoru's right was a familiar looking staff. He then realized that it was the staff depicted in the shield. Osoru then looked ahead of himself and saw a sword. The blade was pitch black. This too was depicted on the shield.

"If you give it form, it will give you strength" the bodiless voice continued, "Choose well."

Osoru thought for a minute, and then put his finger up and pointed to each of the weapons and after a moment, said, "I choose the sword!" He walked over to the sword and picked it up, looking curiously at it.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction…" the bodiless voice explained, "Is this the power you seek?"

"Hai," Osoru replied, nodding without hesitation.

"Your path is set," the bodiless voice said. The sword disappeared from Osoru's hand.

Osoru then shouted, "What was that all about?"

"Now, what will you give up in exchange?" the bodiless voice asked.

"I must give something up? Fair enough" Osoru replied, "I give up the staff."

He walked over to the trapezoid where the staff was and picked the staff up.

"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin," the bodiless voice explained, "You give up this power?"

"Hai," Osoru replied. Then, the staff disappeared.

"You've chosen the power of the warrior; you've given up the power of the mystic." The bodiless voice explained, "Is this the form you choose?"

"It is," Osoru answered.

The trapezoids sank into the ground and disappeared. Osoru got back on the floor and saw that the floor began to shatter. Osoru, again, fell down screaming. He soon came down slowly and then landed safely on another circular floor where there was a portrait of Naminé and Yukai. The next thing he knew, the sword appeared in Osoru's hand.

"You gained the power to fight," the bodiless voice said.

Osoru swiped his sword in an attacking way. Then slashed upward.

"Alright! You've got it," the bodiless voice praised, "Use this power to protect yourself and others."

Suddenly, a group of dark creatures, 4 in total, rose up from the ground and surrounded Osoru. They were clad a single black leather hooded cloak. It is plainly adorned with a silver zipper and seemingly pointless silver beaded pull strings for the hood that form a semi-circle in the middle. Each member wore their zippers at differing points. They each carried a sword, prepared to fight with it.

"There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong," the bodiless voice continued.

Osoru swung his sword wildly as he ran at the strangers, screaming. Every swipe Osoru attempted, he defeated the warriors in no time, causing them to vanish back into shadows. Then, a warrior came up behind Osoru.

"Behind you!" the bodiless voice shouted. Osoru quickly turned around to see another warrior. More of them appeared.

Osoru continued to fight the warriors with his sword until they all fell. A few survived and sank into the ground, making a dark void appear on the ground. This caused Osoru to sink into the ground. He felt like she was sinking in quicksand. After that experience, Osoru was laying on the ground, swinging his arms wildly, trying to grasp on to something. He calmed down as soon as he looked around. He was on another platform. This one portrayed two hearts. In one heart he could see Kairi (new love interest). There was a silhouette of a person in the second heart. Osoru then spotted a door at the end of the platform. Before Osoru could touch the door, it began to open slowly, and an almost blinding light lured Osoru in.

"Hold on," the bodiless voice warned. "The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself."

"Fine," Osoru nodded.

"Osoru, what are you afraid of?" the voice asked.

"Ano…" Osoru thought a bit. He then knew what he was going to say, "Becoming weak." If he was weak, how could he protect his friends? How could he protect Yukai?

"Is being weak really so bad?"

"How can I protect Yukai if I'm weak?!"

"Next question: What do you want out of life?"

Osoru answered as he stared at his hand, remembering Naminé. He gripped his hand into a fist. "To destroy the darkness that corrupts my world."

"Destroy the darkness? Is that all? Very well. Last question: What is most important to you?"

Osoru answered firmly, without hesitation, "My daughter!"

"Your daughter? Interesting." The voice repeated Osoru's answers, "You're afraid of becoming weak, you want to destroy the darkness, and your daughter is important to you. Your adventure will begin when you awaken. As long as the darkness surrounds you, your journey will be a painful one. The day you open the door is both very near but also very far away."

"Huh?" Osoru tilted his head in confusion.

Osoru then appeared on a circular floor depicting Kairi (new love interest), smiling widely. Osoru approached a light and then the warriors appeared again. Narrowing his eyes, Osoru quickly defeated them.

After that, a light revealed a flight of stairs. Osoru went up the stairs and found himself on a platform depicting 13 figures, dressed in matching black suits of some kind, similar to the ones worn by the warriors.

Osoru saw the light ripped through the void and thought that was the way out of this insane dream.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes," the bodiless voice warned.

"Nani?" Osoru asked and then his shadow lengthened before something rose up from it. The figure was a shadowy replica of himself.

"But do not be afraid… and do not forget," the voice advised. "That you have strength and light within you."

Osoru gripped his sword. He charged at the doppelganger but it moved to the side to elbow Osoru in the back. Osoru picked himself up and swung the sword, only for it to be blocked and then he was kicked across the floor. He got back up again and growled before slashing at his replica, but his double dodged each one before appearing in front of Osoru and sent him flying with a powerful punch.

"How can I win?" Osoru questioned as he stared at his sword… suddenly, it glowed and then reformed into a weapon, resembling a key. "What is this?" His double came at him and without thinking; he stabbed the weapon into its chest. The double staggered back, in pain, before exploding.

"Excellent, you are worthy of being the Keyblade Master!" the voice congratulated.

"A 'key… blade'?" Osoru pondered, staring down at the weapon in his hand. "Is that what this is?" A door appeared before him.

"Use that to open the door and do not forget that you have the mightiest weapon of all."

"Well, this **is** a key," Osoru said before stepping towards the door. He pointed the Keyblade at the door and it then swung open, engulfing Osoru in bright light. He screamed in shock as he was blinded.

Osoru vanished but then Naminé appeared and said, "Gambatte, Osoru-kun. Aishiteru."

* * *

Fear opened his eyes as Wakka started to choke the life out of Kairi. With the little strength he had left he threw a small rock at Wakka. It wasn't big enough to do any sort of damage, but it got Wakka's attention. "Ah, so you still live Number Fourteen?" asked Wakka.

"I can't die just yet… There is still so much I have to do… People I need to protect…" As he said that a vision of his daughter appeared in his head.

'_You're the best, Daddy!_' the vision exclaimed.

Then a vision of Kairi appeared. '_I love you, Osoru…_'

Osoru was now on his feet, fists clenched. "AND I WILL NOT LOSE!!" a blinding light surrounded him. His classmates covered their eyes. When the light dissipated Fear now looked different. His long hair was now spiky and black and white. He wore black jeans and a black t-shirt under a white trench coat. In his right hand he wore a black glove and he wore a white glove on his left hand. His eyes glowed with white energy.

Introducing… Fear, Nightmare Mode!

He held two Keyblades one in each hand. The one in his left hand was black. The handle was also black and resembled bat wings. Its keychain was an upside-down black cracked heart. This was the Inner Nemesis Keyblade. The one in his right hand was white. The handle was reminiscent of angel wings. Its keychain looked like a white, right side-up heart. This was the Pure Heart Keyblade.

Fear charged at Wakka and slashed at him, cutting the project. He then swung around and caught Wakka with the blunt end of the Inner Nemesis, sending him flying into a wall. The wall cracked under the impact. He got up and charged at Fear. Fear began twirling his Keyblades; they were gaining speed and soon looked like blurs. He too charged. The warriors attacked simultaneously, appearing behind each other. Wakka's blade was thrusted forward. Fear's blades were extended from his sides. Everyone looked on in fear, wondering just who had won. They gained their answer when Wakka fell to his knees.

"How…?" asked Wakka.

"Let your heart… shatter," said Fear. Wakka then collapsed and vanished into nothing.

Note: This was written by a good friend of mine called Shadow Element 13.


	32. Little Ichi

ZK Chromedragozoid: A long time ago, a fellow writer once thought of something called "The Danny's of Darkness" and well this is what I thought up for it. Enjoy.

"Are you sure about this?" the white clad Raven asked her fiance.

"Yes, I am," Shadow responded. He elaborated, "Emily doesn't have a friend her age in this castle and I cannot both be her playmate and guardian since I will be called off on missions with Spawn. So, I think that it'll be a good idea to make her a friend."

"I see..." Raven nodded. Both of them were in their shared room in Hogwarts and sitting across one another with cups of tea in their hands. "So, why am I here then?"

"My shadow clones are created from MY shadow, thus making them an extension of myself. But, if I created a clone using OUR shadows..."

"We'll be creating an extensions of our own souls and..."

"A child."

Both of them blushed and went silent. A child created from the both of them...they had dreamed of having a child but like this?

"So, this is for Emily?" Raven asked.

"Yes, mainly, but since we are at war and may not survive..." Shadow took her hand. "I want to have a child with you, Raven."

Raven looked into his eyes and they leaned closer into a kiss before breaking away.

"Alright," she agreed. "Let's do this."

Both magic users stood up under a ball of light created by Shadow and their shadows overlapped. Shadow concentrated and their shadows began to take form. The height of the figure reached up to their knees and began to take shape. It was a dark silhouette but enough color was being added.

The process was complete as the new figure opened its eyes and looked up to Raven and Shadow. He then said, "Papa..." to Shadow and, "Mama..." to Raven. Raven held tears of joy as she picked up the child and Shadow stood by her side. He looked like a chibi version of Shadow, except without the Mark of Sin on his forehead. His eyes were violet and he had short black hair. He was dressed in a tunic and pants the same shade of white as Raven's clothing

"He has your eyes," Shadow stated, staring at Raven lovingly.

"I think he has your nose," Raven said, tapping his nose and the child giggled. "So, what are we gonna name him?"

Shadow then said, "Ichiro. His name will be Ichiro Daniel Amakusa-Akuma."

"Hello, Ichi," Raven said as the child cuddled against her. She used Shadow's old nickname which his mother had called him. She hugged their child tenderly.

"Let's introduce him to the others," Shadow suggested. "Come on, luv."

"Alright," Raven said as she put Ichi down and the child took her hand. They both walked out of the room and Dark walked by.

"Hey, Raven, Shadow," Dark greeted and then noticed Ichi. "Hey, who's the kid?"

Ichi took one look at Dark and screamed before letting go of Raven's hand and hiding behind his parents.

"What?" Dark questioned. "Was it something I said?"

"Dark," Shadow began, "This is Ichi." He then finished, "Our son."

5 seconds later...

"WHAT!!" Dark's voice echoed all over the castle.

"But-but how?" Dark asked.

"Magic," Raven and Shadow explained simply while Ichi looked at Dark fearfully, hiding behind his father's cloak.

"Oh, okay," Dark blinked. "He's cute. Kinda looks like you two." Dark then flew off, "Later! Pluto needs me for something."

"Papa, mama?" Ichi asked nervously. "Who...who was that?"

Shadow kneeled down and spoke, "That's Dark, one of the people living here. You'll meet the others soon."

"He's scary," Ichi told Shadow.

"He appears so but he's a good man."

Raven asked Shadow, "He seems scared of Dark for some reason."

"At that age I was afraid of clowns," Shadow admitted, getting a strange look from his beloved. "What?"

"YOU were afraid of clowns?" she chuckled.

"I was 4 and very frightened of the world. I guess Ichi has that same problem."

"If he's afraid of Dark then how do you think he's going to react to Spawn?"

* * *

Later...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Ichi screamed as he took sight of Spawn. He hid under his father's cloak.

"This is your kid?" Spawn asked. "And you made him out of shadows?"

"As compared to your daughter being made from your own heart?" Shadow responded cynically.

"Point. So, you want him to meet Emily?"

"That was the purpose of this, right?" Shadow asked. "Where is she?"

Emily ran into the room and shouted, "Daddy! I found you!" She hugged her father and Spawn picked her up. "Hiya, Uncle Shadow, Auntie Raven!"

"Hello, Emily," Shadow said with smile. Raven smiled too and nodded in greeting.

"Emily, we have someone you'd like to meet," Raven said.

"Really?" Emily was excited to meet a new friend. "Where is he? Or is it a girl?"

"It's a boy," Shadow chuckled and then opened his cloak. "Ichi, I'd like you to meet Emily."

Ichi walked from his parents and his violet eyes met Emily's blue-green ones. Emily broke into a wide smile as Ichi returned it with a small one.

"H-Hello," Ichi spoke shyly, his cloak draped over his body as he nodded.

"Hi!" Emily beamed and said, "I'm Emily! Wanna be friends?"

Ichi responded to the word friends and said, "Yes, I'd like that."

"Yay!" Emily hugged Ichi and his face turned bright red. The adults laughed.  
"Let's go play!" Emily grabbed his hand and they both ran off somewhere.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Shadow said, smiling.

"Just be careful that Starfire doesn't see him and decides to hug him to death," Raven warned.


	33. Gekijoban

**A year has passed since the end of the last Zodiac War. The Dragon Knight is the victor and his wish for a New Life has come true.**

Ryuki can be seen in a lecture hall taking notes as the professor in front is giving a lecture.

**However, that does not mean that his life as Knight is over.**

A violent explosion throws Ryuki off his bike. As he is buried under rubble, he sees an item shine in front of him. He reaches over and grasps it.

**4 Knights will band together once more against the forces of evil.**

In his office, Ichijyo reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black deck case.

**One who wields the Power of Wisdom.**

Takada is flying through Tamaran's skies and clutches a red deck case.

**One who wields the Power of Immortality.**

Kat kicks a man out through a bar window as she drinks from a can and crushes it in her hand. She then reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a white deck case.

**One who wields the Power of Ferocity.**

Ryuki grabs it and realizes it's a blue deck case.

"A…Vent Deck?" he questions.

**And finally the one who wields the Power of the Heavens.**

**They are the 4 who've been chosen by fate to face against a new enemy.**

"WE ARE GIN SHOCKER!"

**Gekijoban…ZKD…**

"Minna! Henshin!" Ryuki called as he stood with Kat, Takada and Ichijyo.

**THE RETURN OF THE KNIGHTS**

**Coming Soon to a computer near you. **


	34. Trauma

A preview for Fang 2…a Flashback Scene…

* * *

"Kyoichi!" Keiko called to her blood soaked son. He didn't move. He was panting, breathing hard, his entire body covered in blood and his eyes wide open. His right eye was glowing with an almost ominous glow. "Kyoichi!" He turned to look towards her. She couldn't take it anymore. She removed her coat, ran towards him and placed the coat over his body and hugged him. "It's going to be okay, baby. Everything is going to be okay…"

"The girls are fine," said Ichiro to his wife. "I can't say the same for the kidnapper though." Ichiro had seen what was left of the kidnapper, a Huntsclan member, and there was barely enough intact pieces to even identify him.

"What happened? Why did he take the children?" Keiko asked as she attempted to comfort her youngest son. He was in shock. He was only 6 years old and now…now this.

"Must've been for bait to lure us. We are a rare breed. Maybe he wanted to hunt us and mount us on his wall."

Keiko narrowed her eyes. She wanted to curse the Huntsclan member. "But, what will happen to the children now?"

"They shouldn't remember this. For their young minds this is too much." Ichiro removed his glasses.

"You're not thinking of…erasing their memories, are you?" Keiko asked.

"It's for their own good. The trauma of this event could haunt them forever. I'm just trying to help them," Ichiro reasoned.

Keiko looked to her son and placed a hand on his right eye. The seal had been weakened and must've triggered his powers, which killed the Huntsclan member. She closed her eyes and repaired the seal. The Eye of Mephisto blocked her son from ever accessing his powerful magical energy. It was too much for a child his age, too much for him to control until he was older. She hugged her child, staining her clothes with blood, as she ran her hand through his hair.

Her husband went to the scared young girls and he looked them in the eye with his own glowing ones. Their eyes glowed too as he started his work on erasing their memories. With a snap of his fingers the three girls fell asleep. "Their parents are worried. Immensely worried."

"I'd be worried too," said Keiko. "Now, are you sure you're going to erase our son's memory of this?"

"We did the same for Ichijyo…we have to so they won't be traumatized by this." He went over and kneeled down. He placed his palm gently to the back of his son's head and focused. He found the memories. He saw what his son had done. A part of him was proud that his son could be so brutal, so precise and yet…so uncontrolled. His powers had awakened. His vampiric powers…he saw his son turn into mist and strike the kidnapper with his claws from every angle. And then…he saw his son rip the man apart and drink his blood. His son's vampire side was feral…wild…like a beast…

His son was a damphir…half vampire, and unable to control the instincts…

Ichiro closed his eyes. He was forced to do this. If he didn't then his son would be plagued by nightmares. He was only four years old. He was too young for this…far too young.

The memories were removed and Kyoichiro fell asleep in his mother's arms. She cradled him in her arms as she carried him. The girls were floating within dark energy orbs rolling behind Ichiro.

"Let's go," Ichiro said and Keiko nodded. They all teleported from the spot.


	35. Regrets

"_It should've been me…IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!"_

* * *

Ryuki woke up with a gasp as his eyes snapped wide open. It was the middle of the night and despite the darkness of his room he could still see due to his cat-like night vision. He felt the mattress shift and turned his head over to see Jinx, snuggling against him. It was obvious from her bare shoulders that she was as unclothed as he was.

Ryuki wiped the sweat off his brow. The dream…no…memory was still so vivid. He remembered it as clear as day. The day Tazuka had died, sacrificing himself to save him.

Ryuki felt that it was so unfair for Tazuka to die like that. He'd blamed himself, and still did, for being so weak. He couldn't be a Knight if he was so weak but he couldn't give up either…

At least now Tazuka could find peace.

Ryuki slowly got out of bed, got dressed, ad headed out of the room.

In the living room he found someone flipping through the channels without caring what was on. Maybe he was just bored.

Ryuki spoke, "You're up late, aren't you, niisan?"

Pasenderos, Tazuka's Arrancar, looked over the backrest of the sofa and smiled. "And so are you, Ryuki-kun."

After his death, Tazuka had become a Hollow and then an Arrancar. He named himself El Pasenderos Aguarius but despite all that Ryuki and his old friends still called him by his old human name.

Ryuki sighed and went over to the couch and sat down. He asked, "So, what are you watching?"

"Nothing," responded the Arrancar. "There are so many channels and yet nothing interests me." He put down the remote. "So is there any reason why you're up at these ungodly hours?"

"I have trouble sleeping," Ryuki admitted. Tazuka narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Any reason why you have trouble sleeping after what you did with Jinx?" Ryuki's eyes widened as his face turned red. "Don't look too surprised. I walked past your room and heard everything. Just tell me if you used protection?"

"Niisan!" Ryuki snapped. Tazuka laughed.

"Even after all this time you're so easy to fluster," chuckled Tazuka. He stopped and spoke, "Things have sure changed since I last saw you all…"

"Niisan…"

"I became so out of touch after my turning. I've missed a lot. I should've tried harder to be there for you even after...you know."

"It's my fault you died," Ryuki said regrettably. "If I was only a little stronger. If only I had…"

"You weren't a killer, and I didn't want you to become one," Tazuka cut him off.

"But-"

"No buts, otouto. Let bygones be bygones. Let it go. I've forgiven you. There's nothing to feel sorry about."

"But now you're…"

"Listen," spoke Tazuka. "Stop beating yourself up about this. Yes, I died. Yes, I turned into a Hollow and now an Arrancar. And yes, for a while I blamed you. But, look at it this way." Tazuka drew his Zanpakuto. "I got new powers and a sword to boot. Plus. In this Gigai, I can get on with my life again…"

Ryuki didn't know what to say.

"Ryuki-kun? What's wrong?"

"It was so unfair for you to die just to protect me…I just can't help but feel…sorry. I can't stop feeling this way. I never really got over your death."

Tazuka smiled and ruffled his younger brother's hair. Ryuki pulled back, glaring.

"Sorry," Tazuka apologized. "You used to like it when I did that."

"I was 16. I'm 19 now…" responded Ryuki curtly.

"And I missed seeing you grow up to become what you are now," Tazuka admired. "You're stronger, faster, and more powerful than you were all those years ago…"

"I had to. I couldn't let what happened to you happen to anyone else ever again."

"Noble, as always," Tazuka noted. "Don't ever change."

Ryuki bit his lip. "Niisan, do you believe I'm evil?"

Tazuka stared. Jinx had told him about the future Ryuki had encountered. Ryuki met his future and hadn't liked it. Such an experience was a serious eye opener for him.

"No, you're not," Tazuka answered. That was an honest answer. The Ryuki he knew was not evil.

"I sometimes wonder myself. I'm not sure if I can still walk a straight and narrow path. Temptation can cloud ones judgment, especially in times of desperation…"

Tazuka knew. Ryuga had been stricken with grief after his Jinx's death that he turned to the dark side. That was what he'd been told.

"Ryuki, will you ever willingly hurt your loved ones?" Tazuka asked.

Ryuki answered, "No, I would never…"

"Good, because stop thinking about the what-ifs and think of the here and now." Tazuka quoted, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

Ryuki smiled, "That sounded like it came from a fortune cookie."

"Words of wisdom all the same. What I'm trying to say is to stop worrying about what was in the past and what will be in the future. Focus on what you have here and now. For example, your beloved girlfriend will be wondering where you are. You should go back to bed to comfort her. She needs your warmth."

Ryuki blushed at to what Tazuka was insinuating and nodded before standing up. "Arigatou, niisan," said Ryuki.

"No problem. What are brothers for?" With a smile, Ryuki left the living room. Tazuka turned to the TV and rolled his eyes before shutting it off. He stretched himself out on the couch and closed his eyes. "God, I miss sleeping…"

* * *

The Fortune Cookie quote came from Kung Fu Panda...


	36. End of Damien Trailer

Featuring; The GaroLiner Hunters and ChronoLiner Riders working together to defeat Damien once and for all. Of course, this is set up by the owner of the HorrorLiner III who is Katherine, the physical embodiment of the Living Gate and a pure demon. Of course, none of them is happy or ready to work with her due to the grief she has caused them.

**There will be distrust! **

Katherine: I want what's mine. I want to get even with Damien.

Kenzaki: Why the hell should I care!?

Warren: We can handle Damien ourselves. We don't need your help.

**Some pissing matches! **

Katherine: It's a bit ironic you fell in love with a girl wearing the face of your family's killer, isn't? Is it because the sex is too good to pass up? Wait, you haven't done it yet, have you? Why are you waiting so long? Aren't you the type of guy who doesn't give up? Does it hurt to look at her since she reminds you so much of me and when I ate your sister's heart? Come on, tell me...

Kenzaki: You bitch! I should throw you off right now!

**Unlikely help! **

Neko: Let's help her.

Kenzaki: WHAT!?

Katherine: At least she's generous enough to help.

**Disbelief! **

Ryuki: I still can't believe she's still alive.

Kenzaki: I can't believe we're helping her.

Ryan: I can't believe she broke my guitar! Ember got me this!

Craig: Aw, quit your whining!

**Vengeance!**

Warren: This ends here Damien…

Damien: Yes Warren, it does!

**Featuring a NEW RIDER! **

Katherine: Grimm, let's do this!

Grimm: Yes, Master!

Katherine: Henshin!

**HORROR FORM!**

**And the loss of a hero…**

Warren: No! NO!!

**STAY TUNE FOR ****GEKIJOBAN! ****THE END OF DAMIEN!**


	37. Noble Fox

Fang looked towards the Fox Fangire in bewilderment. "Your…daughter?"

The Fox Fangire held the little girl against herself, nodding. Fang looked at the little girl, who looked no older than 4. She was human, but if the Fangire was telling the truth, that meant…

"You fell in love with a human, didn't you?" he asked and the Fox Fangire whispered something into her daughter's ear. The little girl shook her head stubbornly but the Fangire insisted. The little girl looked between her and him before running off, back into the house.

The Fox Fangire began her tale, "It was several years ago. I lived in the forest and I attacked anyone that trespassed. I loved the animals so I only killed and fed on those that threatened the animals." She paused, "Then, I saw _him_."

* * *

_A young man dressed in a black and red shirt and brown pants with hiking boots put down his backpack to look over a deer. It had hurt its leg in a bear trap which it's stumbled into. He removed the trap and checked its leg._

_From the trees, the Fox Fangire watched, perfectly blended into the foliage. She watched as this human intruder touched one of her animals. Her first instinct was to attack but she continued watching._

_The man's hands began to glow as they hovered over the deer's wounded leg. In a matter of seconds, the deer was healed and then ran off into the forest. Smiling, the man picked up his backpack and was about to leave when the Fox Fangire jumped in his path. The man stumbled backwards in shock and dropped on his rear._

"_Human, you are an intruder," the Fox Fangire sneered. "Tell me why you have come here?"_

_The man explained, "I…I just wanted…wanted…to…to explore the…the area and observe the animals," he responded, shakily, as his eyes looked over the Fox Fangire. Her red, orange and yellow stained glass body was a perfect mix of colors. "You're…beautiful…"_

_The Fox Fangire looked at the man with wide eyes before turning away. "I've already eaten. If you promise not to venture into this forest ever again, I shall let you live."_

("But he came back. At first I thought he was stupid but as I got to know him…")

"_Why did you come back?" the Fox Fangire demanded._

"_I just wanted to see you again…" he replied, surprising the Fangire. She frowned and then decided to do something about her appearance._

"_Well, if you wanted to see me, maybe I should change," she told him before her form was replaced with that of a beautiful woman with flaming red hair, dressed in a red dress which went down past her knees. He gasped._

"_May I know who you are?" he asked._

(He didn't ask 'what' I was. He asked who I was…)

"_I am Artemis, the Fox Fangire_…" she told him.

("Despite my warnings he kept coming back. He knew I wasn't going to eat him so he bravely returned. I don't eat meat so he always brought food that had no meat in them.")

"_You wish to be an animal doctor?" Artemis asked._

"_That's right," he nodded. "I want to help the animals here. I think the animals in this forest need to be protected."_

("I was touched by his commitment. Originally, I thought of humans as nothing but inferior creatures meant to be food for Fangires. I then decided to help him but he made me promise something…")

"_Don't attack anymore humans," he said to Artemis._

_She stared at him. "Why?" _

"_Because…I know you want to protect the animals, but killing these people won't help."_

"_It sends a message."_

"_Yes, but how long until more people come because people keep disappearing? They'll come after you."_

_She bristled. "I can take care of myself."_

_He grabbed her hands and begged, "Promise me, please."_

("I couldn't refuse his request…and for many years I only fed on the life force that flowed around me instead of directly from humans. He built a cabin in the forest which we lived together in. We were together for years and I watched as he became older, wiser, and well…I realized I was in love with him. Then, it happened.")

* * *

"It?" Fang asked.

"Those bastards murdered him…" the Fox Fangire growled.

* * *

_Artemis' sharp hearing heard a gunshot and she whirled around. She could sense something was wrong and it concerned her mate. "Jeremy?" she gasped. She then ran out of the cabin and ran into the forest._

("What I saw caused my blood to run cold. He was lying on the ground with a gunshot wound in his stomach and lying in a pool of his own blood.")

"_Come on!" Artemis said as she cradled his body. "Heal yourself!"_

_Jeremy stared at her and said, "My powers don't work like that…Artemis…I wanted to give you this…" He lifted up his hand to show her a blue velvet box. "I love you…will you marry…me…?" Before she could answer, his arm fell limp and he dropped the box. Artemis picked up the box and opened it up to reveal a silver band with a red gem. Inscribed in it were the words, "You're beautiful, In and Out."_

("I think that was the first time I ever cried for a human.")

_Artemis let out an anguished roar before she assumed her true form. She wanted to find the ones responsible for this!_

("I found those hunters, laughing about how they killed 'the freak'. I know they were talking about Jeremy. One of them boasted about shooting him. All Jeremy ever did was help the animals and these 'monsters' killed him and had the gall to laugh about it.")

* * *

"So, you killed them," Fang said. It wasn't a question. The Fox Fangire nodded.

"I devoured their life energy and destroyed their bodies," Artemis continued. "Then, months later, I realized that I was pregnant with Jeremy's child."

That little girl was a Fandiri like Sandy. "I see…" Fang turned away and walked.

"Where are you going?" Artemis asked.

"She needs you," Fang stated in mid-step. "So I won't kill you. However, if you ever attack an innocent human being, I shall return." With that, a fog rolled by and Fang vanished within it.


	38. Lies and Loss of Trust

"You all have been lying to me this whole time," Devlin growled as his eyes were focused on Francis, Gillian, Lobo, but most of all Fangula. They were standing in the forest.

"Devlin, let me explain!" Fangula began.

"The Fangires were created by the Demon Emperor, and the Demon Emperor…" he pointed straight at Fangula, accusingly, "Was you! You were sealed away for creating the Fangires and now you want me to fix your mistake!"

Fangula fell silent. The boy had figured it all out.

"All this time, all of you, every single one of you have been lying to me, playing me for a fool," Devlin continued.

"Master Devlin, please…" Gillian began, pleading with Devlin. "We didn't mean to-" A green beam flew past her face and she froze.

Devlin's Demon Emperor Eye was glowing as he snarled, "Shut up. I've had enough of your lies."

"There's no reasoning with the boy," Lobo said as he kneeled down. He scraped the ground with his fingers and assumed his true form as Savage. "_He's serious._"

Francis nodded, regretfully, as he pounded his fists together, assuming his true form as Juggernaut.

Gillian was hesitant. She didn't want to fight Devlin. She loved him for heaven's sake! But now, he wanted to…

"If my job is to destroy all Fangires, then let me continue with you lot," Devlin swore, bringing the Slayer Knuckle out of his jacket and strapping it to his right fist. He pressed it against his left palm.

"READY!"

And then snapped it onto the belt.

"FIST ON!"

The golden projection generated over his body before solidifying into the Slayer system's armor. The golden faceplate opened, showing vengeful blue eyes. Slayer Devlin spoke, "Demon Emperor, prepare to meet your demise," Devlin began before stalking towards them.

* * *

Jiro, Tamashii and Tsukune were running through the forest with Danielle, Suzume, Anzu and Nami. Tamashii's partner, Frost-Bat was flying by his partner's side.

"Sempai is going to make a huge mistake," Suzume said, worried. She flew in the lead, her wings on her back.

"Then we need to stop him!" Nami said firmly, close behind.

"I know," Anzu agreed, running fast. "We can't let onii-chan go on with this!"

"I hear the sounds of a battle," Jiro growled. "We're close."

"Devlin…" Danielle spoke worriedly.

* * *

Gillian could only watch, holding Fangula in her arms, as Slayer Devlin smashed his fist into Savage's snout. Juggernaut tried to make a grab for the white armored Rider but Slayer Devlin leapt up and did a back flip before landing behind Juggernaut. He threw his leg forward to kick Juggernaut in the back, sending him falling on top of Savage. Slayer Devlin took out the X-Calibur and converted into Sword Mode by pushing up the magazine and swinging the weapon, allowing the blade to slide out. He took out one of the whistles from its slot and inserted it into his belt buckle. The red gem glowed, accepting the whistle and processing the command.

"SLAYER X-CALIBUR: RISING UP!" the belt spoke as energy crackled around Slayer Devlin. The cross on his chest glowed as his wings spread out, releasing a blinding light. The light was as bright as a sun, emphasized by a vision of the sun shining behind him, radiating with heat and bright light. Savage and Juggernaut were blinded by the two shining wings. The Slayer X-Calibur also began to glow brightly as Slayer Devlin stepped forward.

"_HEAVEN'S JUDGMENT!_"

He then swung his weapon, slashing at the two Fangires swiftly. The force of the strike created a blinding flash. The flash subsided and Slayer Devlin was shocked at what he saw.

Standing before him was Tamashii, the Slayer X-Calibur clutched firmly in his hand. "Akashi…get out of the way!"

"Why?" asked Tamashii, not releasing the blade. "So you can kill your friends? So you can become the monster I thought you were?" He released the blade and Slayer Devlin stepped backwards. Tamashii held out his arm. "Then so be it…Kusunagi!" called Tamashii, summoning the legendary sword. He took a stance, preparing to fight. "Let's finished what we started that day! Frost-Bat!"

"Ikuze!" Frost-Bat shouted as he flew around Tamashii. Tamashii raised up his left arm and Frost-Bat bit on his wrist. Ice formed around Tamashii's waist and shattered revealing a belt. Frost-Bat then swooped down and hung upside down from his perch on the belt. "Wake Up!"

Ice spread from the belt and coated Tamashii's entire body before shattering. He'd transformed to Masked Rider Frost. Slayer Devlin narrowed his eyes at Frost and growled. "Come at me!" Frost commanded.

"Gladly!" Slayer Devlin shouted before releasing a war cry and charging at his eternal rival.

Sparks flew as their blades clashed with one another. Despite Devlin's apparent skill, Tamashii had experience at his side and thus with ease was able to disarm Slayer Devlin. The X-Calibur landed several feet behind Slayer Devlin and the tip of Kusunagi was pointed at Slayer Devlin's throat.

"Amakusa, stand down!" Frost ordered. "Don't make me finish you!"

"It's either me or those traitors!" Slayer Devlin shouted before drawing out his Savage Whistle and sliding it into his belt.

"SAVAGE SABER: COME HERE!" the belt announced. Savage felt himself involuntarily transform into the Savage Saber and flying into Slayer Devlin's hand. With a swift swing, Slayer Devlin knocked the sword away from his throat and howled before slashing at Frost like a raging berserker.

Tsukune, Jiro, Danielle, Anzu, Nami and Suzume could only watch as the two rivals battled savagely.

"This isn't how it was supposed to be," Danielle said miserably. She saw Gillian cowering against a tree, holding Fangula in her arms as Juggernaut stood protectively in front of them. The purple armored Fangire would not allow his friend and master be killed. He would protect them with his life, even if it meant fighting Devlin who he'd grown quite fond of.

"This has to stop," said Nami.

"Onii-chan, yamette!" Anzu shouted.

"Sempai, you can't do this!" Suzume yelled. "Stop, please!"

He wasn't listening to them. His rage had clouded his mind. He'd been betrayed and lied to by the people he'd trusted the most. Fangula had been using him this whole entire time. No more! NO MORE!

He spread out his wings which emanated with light. The bright light was blinding and Slayer Devlin took advantage of the distraction to fly past Frost and towards Gillian and Fangula. He was going to finish Fangula, now!

He kicked smashed Juggernaut away and stood over the two. "This is for playing me like a fool!" Slayer Devlin shouted as he was about to bring down the Savage Saber on the Fangire girl and his former partner when Danielle appeared in front of him out of thin air.

"STOP!!" Danielle shouted and Slayer Devlin froze.

"Get out of the way, Danielle!" he commanded.

"I'm not going to let you kill them!" Danielle crossed her arms.

"Danielle, don't make me…"

"Make you what? Kill me?" she questioned. He fell silent. "Dev, please, stop. I know you've been hurt but you don't want to do this. Once you go down this path, there's no turning back."

Slayer Devlin's body shuddered as he dropped his arms to the side. He released his grip on the Savage Saber which fell to his feel. Clutching his helmet covered head, he fell to his knees, letting out a cry of anguish. He then ripped the Slayer Belt off his waist and tossed it against a tree, disengaging the armor. He smashed his fists against the ground and shouted out, "WHY!!"

Danielle got down on her knees in front of the confused boy and took him into a soothing hug. "It's alright," she whispered. "I'm here. We can help you." He embraced her, crying against her shoulder.

Nami, Anzu and Suzume all felt a little jealous as they watched the scene but they knew only Danielle had the power to get through the haze in his mind. Devlin was a rationale person but he felt betrayed and thus he felt rage and anger.

Fangula watched the scene, thinking. "Maybe…it's time to tell Devlin the whole truth."

"The question is, though, if he will ever trust us again?" Gillian questioned.

"Only time will tell."

Topper was watching the scene from afar, a smile on his face as he removed his top hat. "Looks like I didn't need to intervene after all." He then disappeared into the forest, now that everything was alright, for now at least.

* * *

It had taken Danielle quite a while for her to calm Devlin down until she finally used one of his own potions on him. All she had to do was pop one of those capsules into his mouth and he was out like a light. She tucked him into bed before exiting the room.

"How is he?" Nami asked. With her were Anzu, Suzume, and Gillian who was holding Fangula. They were all standing in the hallway.

"Yes, how is onii-chan doing?" Anzu asked, worried

"Well, I managed to calm him down," Danielle replied. Actually, she had popped one of his sleeping potion capsules into his mouth and he was out like a light. "He's sleeping in there right now."

Fangula sighed, "This is all my fault. I should've told him the truth from the very beginning. This never would've happened if I had told him the truth," Fangula shook his head, guilty for what had happened."

"I won't argue with that logic," Suzume agreed. "You were the one who created the Fangires, then get sealed for it. Now, you're trying to use Sempai to fix your mistake."

"Suzume-chan, please…" Nami tried to calm her friend down.

"Nami-oneesan, you gotta admit that I'm right about this."

Nami sighed.

Gillian frowned sadly, deep in thought. She loved Devlin and it pained her to see him like this. She didn't have anything to say. She had no right to. To him she was a traitor.

"But, if you had told him, would he have agreed to become Fang?" Danielle questioned. She was, too, upset with Fangula and the Trio but there wasn't anything she could do about it now.

"I believe he wouldn't," Fang answered.

Danielle knew why Devlin had been so angered. Betrayal was something he could not forgive, at least not immediately. She remembered when he'd been ready to kill Tamashii once he'd discovered that the samurai had been responsible for blinding his right eye.

"Actually, I think he would if he knew what was at stake," Danielle countered. "Devlin can be understanding. He just really hates being lied to and betrayed by the people he thought he could trust."

"Will onii-chan be okay?" asked Anzu.

"We just have to wait," Danielle answered. She looked towards Fangula and Gillian. "I don't think either of you should be here when he does wake up."

"It was good while it lasted," Fangula sighed.

Gillian nodded in agreement, giving the door one last look, before leaving.

* * *

Jiro, Tamashii and Tsukune all sat at a table outside the Mad Hatter Café, discussing the events which had transpired not long ago. Frost-Bat was on Tamashii's shoulder, sighing.

"To think that Fangula created the Fangires," said Tsukune. "Unbelievable, huh?"

"Did you know about this?" Tamashii asked Frost-Bat.

"Yes, I did," Frost-Bat confessed. "Count Fangula was once the Demon Emperor and the creator of the Fangires."

"I should've known."

"This is so messed up," Jiro grumbled. "I don't think I've seen the guy so mad before."

"Neither have I," added Tsukune.

"I have and trust me when I say he can be very dangerous once provoked," said Tamashii.

"Well, it's no wonder Amakusa's all pissed off," Jiro pointed out. "Fangula lied to him."

"But, if he had told Devlin-san the truth, do you think he would've helped?" Tsukune inquired.

"Personally, if I was in Devlin's shoes, I'd slay Fangula on the spot," Tamashii answered bluntly.


	39. Kamen Rider Ifrit

Despite Ryuji's warning, Kotonoha followed after him anyway. She found him standing across from a humanoid creature resembling a praying mantis. She took cover behind a tree to watch.

"You Imagina-teme," spoke Ryuji disdainfully. "You just interrupted a date I had with a cute girl."

The Mantis Imagin snorted, "Heh, like I care about what you do, human. All I wanna do is pave the way for the others."

Ryuji's eyes narrowed, "So you can turn this world into utter chaos and destruction? I don't think so."

"Is that a challenge?"

Ryuji pulled at the belt hanging from his left shoulder and brought it around his waist with a swift swing. He fastened it on. "You bet, insect." He pressed a switch at the top of the buckle and took out a black and silver rectangular case. The belt released a powerful tune as Ryuji waved the case, a train pass, over the buckle. "Henshin."

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

Instantly, his Plat Form armored appeared over his body, the bodysuit under the black armor was dark blue. To finish the change, his additional armor appeared and connected to his body with a loud clang. Finally, a black visor with horizontal grills slid over his faceplate and snapped on. The red eyes under the visor flashed.

Kotonoha gasped at the sudden change.

Ifrit's armor resembled Draco's Dark Ice Form except that he had no black dragon emblems on him. He popped his neck from side to side and flexed his fingers. With a snort he said, "Let me tell you this from the beginning, teme; I am very ticked off!"

With a howl, both combatants charged at each other. Ifrit's hands blazed with blue fire as the Mantis Imagin rushed at him with its scythes raised.


	40. The Ronin

The young man was in his late teens, probably a college student, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Standing before him was a creature. Its body was covered in chains and metal balls. It had muscles that looked like they were either dead flesh or metal plated. Its face was covered in an obsidian black mask that had white teeth and beady yellow eyes. Chains came from the mask and were bolted into the skin of the head. Unafraid, the young man took out a strange dagger and it was revealed that he was wearing a strange belt with a circular buckle and a crescent moon on it.

With a cry of, "Henshin!" the young man slid the blade of the ceremonial dagger into a slot on the right side of the buckle, causing the crescent moon to glow and release a brilliant shine.

The image of the young man could be seen, but it was all black. Around the white orb, silver sections of armor appeared in the air. All the pieces looked like they belonged on the body of a samurai. Even more brilliant, the pieces appeared to be made of silver that was almost reflective, but as bright as the moon. As the light began to die down, the armor began attaching to the figure in the orb.

As the light cleared, the true form of the figure could be seen. He was covered by a black bodysuit which left no flesh to be seen. The torso was covered with silver armor that had wolf designs on the sides. His shoulders were covered with silver wolf heads while his forearms were covered with silver gauntlets which covered his hands. Around his waist was his belt which he had been wearing before. His legs were covered with silver boots that depicted crescent moons near the knees. His face was shielded by a helmet that had a samurai design to it. His eye pieces were perfectly rounded and a deep sapphire blue. His mouth was plain, but looked like it had wolf fangs etched on the sides.

The strange creature growled angrily as it eyed the new form of its opponent. It felt an ancient power coming from this human. A power that it did not like at all.

"I am the outcast who wields the blade of the moon and shall cut down all evil," the man spoke. "Kamen Rider Ronin! Kenzan!"

* * *

**COMING SOON**

**AI YORI AOSHI: KAMEN RIDER RONIN**

* * *


	41. Arranged Marriage or Not?

Devlin walked through the hallway of his family's castle accompanied by his thoughts. He would only be here for a few days before continuing on his cross-country trip back in America. He really didn't want to be surrounded by the cold walls of his home.

He walked past his father's study and heard a couple of voices. Curiosity got the better of him so he leaned against the door to listen.

"You're making a huge mistake," he heard another voice, not his father's but it was male all the same and sounded enraged.

"I doubt it," he heard his father say. "You only want to marry your daughter off to my youngest son for power." His father continued, "Besides, he already has a girl he loves."

The other man huffed, "What does love have to do with anything? Is she of noble blood? If she isn't then there isn't any point. She's nothing!" Devlin felt like punching the man in the face.

"Like the way you treat your daughter as a bargaining chip?" his father retorted. "Just because my son is the heir of the Demon Emperor? That is all you care about. It's the prestige."

"Your son has great potential but is a fool who is far too emotional."

"He also has more power than you will ever have."

Devlin found himself surprised, something that didn't happen often. It seemed that this man was attempting to access the power of the Demon Emperor through marriage. A logical political move. The Demon Emperor was one of the most powerful supernatural beings and Devlin was named his heir. News also traveled fast through the supernatural circles. Of course anyone who kept their ears to the ground would hear about his power. Apparently this man was from one of the noble families that weren't already married into the Akuma Clan. Either that or he wanted to get the power directly with a daughter that wasn't already married off.

Devlin was also surprised that his father was refusing the marriage idea. If some families were that determined to access the power of the Demon Emperor then they would be willing to give a lot in terms of dowries. Ichiro was a shrewd businessman and it wouldn't have surprised Devlin for him to hold out for more or better offers, but it seemed that he was rejecting the marriage offers because Devlin was already in a relationship.

"And you will let your son waste his potential just because of simple emotion?" the man inside asked.

"He's developing his potential just fine," Ichiro retorted calmly. "He already has access to the Arms Monsters, the Great Dragoon, and even Roulette has deemed him worthy of the full power. Although you already knew that…didn't you?"

The man frowned, but still tried to find a suitable argument to prove that Devlin marrying his daughter would be a good idea.

"My family does have its resources and much of it will be part of the dowry," the man spoke. "Not only are we a corporate power but we also are a powerful Oni family."

"Which is why I am listening to your proposal instead of shutting you out," Ichiro answered. "You've had my attention and respect because of your position. However, your case is being presented rather poorly. Your family gains access to the power of the Demon Emperor and mine gains access to the many companies Smart Brain has been trying to deal with. However, you haven't even mentioned once how your daughter feels about it."

"I don't see how it matters," the man groused. "However, since you want to know, she is actually very eager to meet the Demon Prince. She is hoping to make a good impression so they can get along. If the proposal is accepted then they will make a good pair."

"Yes, I've seen her," Ichiro sighed. "A very fetching woman. Any man would be lucky to have a beauty like her."

"She has been taking lessons all her life for this," the man continued. "She knows that an arranged marriage is unavoidable in our lives and she hopes that she will have a good husband. She feels that the Demon Prince will be perfect for her."

"So she is resting her hopes on Kyoichiro's shoulders," Ichiro sighed. He began rubbing his brow.

Devlin knew this man had his father tightly. Mother had often said that his father had a soft spot for people who were in arranged marriage situations and hating it. He had been subject to the process himself when he was picked to be the next leader of the Akuma Clan. Either this man knew that or he had lucked out.

"My son is going to throttle me," Ichiro sighed to himself. "Tell you what. We'll have them meet. If your daughter is that much taken with Kyoichiro then we'll see what happens. I doubt her chances though. Kyoichiro's current girlfriend has him snared soundly."

"He'll change his tune when they meet," the man smirked. "Besides, as his father you can order him to break up with her anyway."'

'_Like that will ever happen_,' frowned Devlin. He wasn't going to abandon Danielle for any girl, arranged marriage or not. He discreetly glided away, turning his feet into a gaseous form in order to move silently.

* * *

Devlin heard the sound of knocking at his bedroom door. "Come in," he said. He was sitting on his bed, reading a book. Fangula was hanging from a perch, asleep, while Roulette was lying on his master's lap. The door opened and Ichiro came in.

"Son, we need to talk about something," said Ichiro evenly. His relationship with his son had been on thin ice for quite awhile now and even though they were on speaking terms, there was still a wall between them.

"Then talk," said Devlin without looking away from his book. "I'm listening."

Ichiro took a chair and sat down and Devlin looked over to his father, putting the book down. "Son, I know things between us have been difficult since…"

"Since the day you enrolled me in the Deathtron Academy to be a killer," Devlin finished.

Ichiro couldn't deny it. That hadn't been his intention to be honest but his youngest son had so much talent and could be an assassin for the honor of the Deathtrons. Unfortunately, Devlin didn't see it like that. "I know what I did was wrong, but it was for the best."

"Whose? Mine or yours?" Devlin argued.

Ichiro sighed. His son could hold a grudge. Maybe it was because he, his father, had technically betrayed him and refused to listen to his own wishes. But what else could Ichiro have done? His son couldn't go to a human school because of his powers. It was the only place he knew that could handle Devlin because of his powers.

Deciding to think of the present, Ichiro spoke, "An acquaintance of mine came with a marriage proposal. He wishes to arrange a marriage between his daughter…and you."

Devlin gritted his teeth. He'd heard it. "So, what did you decide?"

"You should meet her," said Ichiro. "Maybe you'll like her."

'_And maybe pigs will grow wings and fly_.' "I'm too young to be getting married, father," stated Devlin. "And even if I wasn't I have no intention of marrying a stranger. Plus, I'm already in a relationship."

Ichiro sighed, "Well, she's been looking forward to meeting you. Just, promise when you meet her you'll turn her down gently."

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises."

"Well, that's all I have to say," said Ichiro. "Good night." He turned to leave but stopped at the door to say, "It's good that you came to visit. Your mother and I missed having you here." Devlin remained silent as his father walked out and shut the door.

* * *

A day later, Devlin's future 'bride-to-be' came. She certainly looked the part of a traditional Japanese beauty. She was wearing a very expensive looking blue kimono with a pink obi around her waist. She seemed to be a bit taller than regular Japanese girls. She had a green tint to her hair which was braided at the back. She was smiling demurely and looked every bit like the lady that she was expected to be.

Of course, the scene of her father standing behind her with a smug grin sort of ruined the image that the maidenly young woman was giving off. Of course, even with that, she still looked very beautiful. If Devlin wasn't with Danielle and so much in love with her, he might have considered at least attempting to meet this woman in a more familiar sense.

She walked up to Devlin and bowed deeply, showing humility and respect for the boy in front of her and his family.

"Konnichiwa," she spoke. "I am Umi Onimaru. It is my honor to meet you, Demon Prince-sama."

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Umi-san," Devlin nodded. "I welcome you to our home."

The two families moved inside to the main sitting room where the fathers took a seat off in the distance so that Umi and Devlin could speak privately. Devlin knew his home was anything but private. His mother and Megumi were probably spying already while Ichijyo was using one of his many skills to get a report of the situation.

Both Devlin and Umi were sitting across from each other and hadn't really said anything to each other. Umi seemed almost too shy while Devlin really didn't want to get attached to this girl or else turning her down would become much harder.

"Um," she spoke up. "So…are you really the heir of the Demon Emperor?"

"Yes," Devlin nodded. "I inherited his power, subjects, and abilities. Though, I am called the Demon Prince by the Fangire population."

"I see," Umi nodded. "I heard you are a powerful warrior. Many of the Fangire population are telling stories about your battles."

"Well, I'm Devlin Amakusa first and the Demon Prince second," Devlin shrugged. "I use the power when I have to, but prefer not to fight if given the chance."

"That's nice," Umi smiled. She looked to her hands for a moment as a small flush came to her cheeks. "I…I hope we can get along. I mean…we may be married and I hope we can at least be friends."

"I have no problems being friends. I have only a few," Devlin nodded. "However, I am afraid that there is little chance of us being wed."

"Huh?" Umi blinked. "But…Demon Prince-sama…our families."

"Call me Devlin, please," Devlin sighed. "I know how much your family must be pushing for this, but mine is nowhere near as hopeful. And even if they were, I would still be unwilling. I am currently in a relationship and hold no thoughts about breaking it off."

"I see," Umi frowned sadly. "Then she must be special if I am so unappealing to you."

"Unappealing? You? Perish the thought," Devlin commented. "If I wasn't in my current relationship then I would be very willing to see if something can develop between us. As it is, I do not."

"Oh," Umi blushed. That was a rather nice thing to say. It made her feel good. He didn't find her lacking at all. He just had someone else in his heart. "Then I guess…this meeting won't go the way my family hopes."

"Unfortunately, no," Devlin chuckled. "Still, I was telling the truth when I said I would like to be your friend."

"I would like that too," Umi smiled. "So…how did you become the heir of the Demon Emperor?"

"That's a rather funny story," Devlin smiled. He then launched into the tale of how he and Fangula first met.

Umi and Devlin talked for hours about each other. Devlin told stories about his adventures as Fang and about his friends in America. Umi was entranced by his stories and paid rapt attention. She was amazed that Devlin was so kind and gentle. She had heard the Demon Prince was a powerful and brutal warrior who destroyed all his foes. Devlin confirmed that he had destroyed many Fangires, but all of them had gone on rampages and were killing people left and right. Umi knew that some monsters had to feed on humans to live, but killing on such a scale just for fun was sickening.

Eventually, it was time for Umi and her father to leave. The man still had a smug look on his face, believing that he was closer to gaining access to the Demon Emperor's power. Saying their goodbyes, Umi and her father headed back to their limo. Devlin and Ichiro watched them go before finally heading back inside.

"You seemed to get along well with her," Ichiro commented. "I assume you had a lot to talk about?"

"She was pleasant company," Devlin nodded. "She will make some lucky man a fine wife. Unfortunately for her father's plans, it won't be me."

"Oh, I assume he'll be back," Ichiro chuckled. "He won't give up. Would you believe he attempted to place a love compulsion spell on you and her? As if I wouldn't notice and stop it."

"The man seemed desperate," Devlin frowned. "Much too smug for his own good."

"Yes. Sorry about putting you through that," Ichiro sighed. "I needed to get him off my back somehow and his daughter to move on, hopefully to find someone else."

"I understand," Devlin nodded. "Besides, I made a new friend today. Hopefully I can see her again sometime without her father's meddling."

* * *

MEANWHILE…

Umi was smiling pleasantly in her family's limo as her father cussed about the failure of the meeting. He kept ranting about how he was sure that the love compulsion spell had taken hold. Umi knew her father would try some trick to force the issue and get her married to Devlin. That was fine since it didn't work.

Umi had to admit that Devlin surprised her. He was much nicer than she thought he'd be and way different than expected. He was truly a king in the making, despite her father's opinion that he was squandering his potential. It was just a shame that he already found a princess.

'_Still,_' Umi pondered. '_The future is not set in stone._'


	42. Emperor Form's Awakening

Wataru was horrified as he saw all his friends lying on the ground and wounded from Kuyou's attack. Now, Moka was his next target. No, he could not let that happen…

"KIVAT!" shouted Wataru.

"OK, Wataru!" shouted Kivat with glee. Kuyou tried to blast him but missed. Kivat flew down into Wataru's hand and the young man pressed his partner against his hand, allowing Kivat to bite him and summon his belt.

"Henshin!"

The quicksilver covered Wataru and shattered, donning him in his armor. He then leapt up and attacked Kuyou.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" roared Kiva

* * *

Castle Doran shook as the Arms Monsters looked around in worry.

"Nani, nani? What's going on?" asked Ramon.

"It's Tatsulot," said Riki. "He's awakening."

Jiro spoke, "Looks like Wataru-sama is going to unlock Kiva's true power."

* * *

Kuyou was sent staggering by the hit and spat out blood. Snarling in rage, he grabbed Kiva by the throat.

"YOU HALF-BRED FREAK!" roared Kuyou. "YOU DARE TOUCH ME WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!" Kuyou tightened his grip.

Kiva was losing air and Moka could only watch helplessly, "Wataru-kun!"

* * *

Suddenly, the ceiling exploded as something flew out of it. It looked like a small golden dragon. "TADAA!" the dragon shouted, "Time for my dramatic entrance!"

* * *

Kuyou tossed Kiva away and turned his attention towards Moka, "But first, to kill your vampire whore!"

"NO!" shouted Kiva but a ring of fire surrounded him. "Moka-san!"

Of course, help was on the way. Soaring through the air, a tiny gold dragon flew towards the fight. It made a straight line for Kiva. The stunned warrior watched as the tiny dragon flew around him, as if he was analyzing him for some reason. Then, the little dragon smiled and cheered.

"Pyun, pyun! Tension Fortissimo!" Tatsulot shouted. "G'day, Master!"

"W-Who are you?" Kivat exclaimed, confused.

Tatsulot swooped down and broke the chains holding Kiva's shoulder armor. They then unfolded and became golden bat wings. The sky turned black as a red full moon rose in the air. The wings also released a swarm of golden bats.

Kuyou turned, shocked, and Moka watched equally surprised. All of Wataru's friends were also seeing this.

Tatsulot flew around Kiva and the Rider raised up his left arm, allowing the dragon to attach to it. "Henshin!" shouted Tatsulot as the golden swarm returned.

The bats first covered Kiva's legs in golden boots with silver feet that had blades on the back, then his torso armor turned gold with a red chestplate resembling the unsealed state of his iron boot. He also gained golden gauntlets. Finally, the bats enveloped his helmet, turning his visor red with extra red fangs, trimmed in white with a golden crescent moon ornament resting on top where the bat head was. The mouthguard had also become pitch black. His shoulder armors were now spiked. Finally, with a wave of his left arm, flames burst from his back and became a blood red cape.

Kiva Emperor Form had awakened.

Kuyou looked on in shock at the sudden transformation and so was Moka. What was this? Was this Wataru's true power unleashed? They could all feel the intense demonic aura Kiva was releasing.

Kuyou, enraged, fired blasts of fire at Kiva and they exploded. He grinned triumphantly but the grin fell as he saw Kiva walking out of the flames unscathed. Kiva then dashed towards Kuyou and attacked.

"This is for Kurumu-san!" shouted Kiva as he punched Kuyou across the face. "For Yukari-chan!" He punched Kuyou in the gut. "This is for Mizore-san!" Kiva used a snap kick to send Kuyou reeling, "And this is for Gin-sempai!" He grabbed Kuyou by the throat and sent him flying with a side kick. Kuyou tumbled along the ground and when he stopped glared at Kiva.

"You…bastard!" Kuyou roared as he stood up, body enveloped in flames, "DIE!"

"AND THIS IS FOR MOKA-SAN AND I!" shouted Kiva. He raised up Tatsulot and tugged the head, allowing the image under the window to spin and stop at his emblem.

"WAKE UP FEVER!" shouted Tatsulot as Kiva was surrounded by an aura. He trained his eyes on Kuyou's charging form before leaping upwards. He then executed a drop kick as the aura formed energy blades at his feet shaped like pick-axes.

Kuyou was slammed in the chest as Kiva started kicking him wildly, the blades doing additional damage as they hacked and slashed at the Head of the Student Police. Kuyou screamed as he was attacked and then Kiva decided to finish it.

"KNOW YOUR PLACE!" shouted Kiva as he used one final kick to send Kuyou flying skyward.

Kuyou seemed to hover in the air for a moment, like a signal to all the oppressed students of Yokai Academy, before he came back down. His body landed heavily on the roof of Yokai Academy. However, he didn't stop. He smashed right through and landed on the desks in the classroom below him. His body was cut up and bruised. He wasn't going to be moving under his own power for a while.

Everyone looked upon Kiva now, in awe and fear. He walked towards Moka and kneeled down. Moka looked deeply into Kiva's red visor and then was surprised when he enveloped her in a hug.

"Wa…Wataru-kun?" Moka questioned with a blush decorating her cheeks.

"You're alright," Kiva said, relieved. "Thank goodness."

"OI!" shouted Kurumu in protest. "Why do you get a hug?!"

"Wataru-sama!" Yukari squealed excitedly. She dashed over to the golden warrior and hugged him around the waist. "Sugoi!"

Mizore then suddenly popped up beside Kiva and hugged him from the opposite side, "Thank you. You look very regal in this armor."

"Hey!" Kurumu cried before she glomped Kiva's back. "Save some room for me!"

Gin was stunned. He would have to be careful around Wataru from now on.

"Let's go," said Kiva. "I think all the students are going to want to know what's going on."

* * *

The students all surrounded the building. They'd only caught a glimpse of what'd happened but they knew Kuyou had been defeated.

"What happened to Wataru-san?" asked Nekonome-sensei.

She got her answer as she saw the group approaching them and the figure leading them. He was radiating with immense power, like an S-Class Monster. All the students and some members of faculty backed away in fear at seeing Kiva in his Emperor Form with the girls flanking him and Gin walking behind. They were all a little wounded but they managed to stand. They would still need medical attention though.

Kiva then stopped and then looked around. In a flash of light he released his armor in the form of golden bats as Tatsulot and Kivat detached from him. The entire student body and faculty were stunned. It was Wataru!

The stained glass markings appeared on Wataru's skin, signifying Kurenai's control of the body.

"I suppose Kuyou's little exposition got the message across," he frowned. "For all who don't know, I'm half human."

No one seemed to be surprised about the news. Kuyou and his cronies had done a good job in getting the message through the school.

"And yet I kicked his high-breed ass," Kurenai smirked. "I dare anyone to say I don't belong here."

Several students gulped and backed away from him. It was obvious that none of them were eager to tangle with him, especially after they witnessed him emerging victorious from a fight with Kuyou.

"Wataru-kun," Moka giggled. His other side was funny sometimes.

"That's right!" Kurumu cheered. "Anyone think they can take my Destined One? Just line on up!"

The markings vanished as Wataru smiled at his friends. His life in Yokai Academy would be different now but at least it would be for the better.

* * *

Later, the Newspaper Club had all their wounds tended to in the infirmary. Despite getting a few scorch marks from Kuyou before, Wataru had healed. It was probably because of the armor.

Now, for introductions.

"Konnichiwa!" greeted Tatsulot as he perched himself on Wataru's head. "I am Tatsulot. Nice to meet you all!"

"Nice to meet you too, Tatsulot-kun," Moka smiled brightly. It was odd to talk to a tiny dragon, but she had gotten used to the quirks in Wataru's life. Things certainly never got boring.

"He's so kawaii!" Kurumu squealed as she swept the tiny reptile into her arms and hugged him. His little wings and squeaky voice were just so cute!

"I want to hug him too," Mizore commented. She found the little dragon adorable, but she wasn't as vocal about it.

"Wow," Yukari admired. "You're brimming with magic power!" She wasn't lying either. Dragons were a very powerful source of magic energy. Lots of witches and warlocks in history had attempted to harness that power. This is the first time she had seen a successful attempt.

"Hard to believe such a little guy can boost Wataru's power to S-Class level," Gin pondered.

"Ohhh!" Ms. Nekonome squealed as she plucked up the tiny dragon for herself. "We can have him be a mascot for the newspaper! He's so cute!"

"Hmph!" Kivat snorted at the attention the tiny dragon was gathering. "I'm cuter."

"Of course," Wataru laughed. "But he's the new guy. Let him get to know everyone."

Kivat rolled his eyes. Why hadn't he been informed of this? This dragon, Tatsulot, was able to unlock Kiva's true power. There was just something about Tatsulot that bothered him but he did owe the dragon for assisting Wataru in his time of need.

"Wataru-kun, you really didn't know about this?" Moka asked. She wondered if her friend always knew about Tatsulot but clearly Wataru was just as clueless as Kivat.

"I'm sorry, Moka-san, but this is really the first time I met Tatsulot," said Wataru. Tatsulot flew out of the teacher's embrace to regard his new master.

"Well, I hope to serve you well, Wataru-sama!" Tatsulot spoke.

There was a knock at the door and then a man came in. Gin's senses reacted a bit at the man's presence as did Ms. Nekonome. Moka and Wataru knew this man well.

"Jiro!" both Wataru and Moka said.

"You know this guy?" asked Kurumu.

"He's one of Wataru-kun's guardians," Moka informed.

"Guardians?" Mizore, Yukari and Kurumu echoed.

"I see that you are doing well, Wataru-sama," said Jiro. Gin couldn't help feel that he'd met this guy. Of course, what Gin didn't know was that Jiro had been Kiva's sword in Garulu Form. "Ramon and Riki were worried about you."

"Well, you can tell them that I'm fine," said Wataru. "Jiro, do you know about Tatsulot?"

"Oh, the Golden Wyvern. Yes, I do. Like Kiva, he is also part of your inheritance," Jiro told him. "He is the key that unlocks Kiva's full power."

"From my mother?" asked Wataru. Jiro nodded again. "I see."

"Um, hello, Jiro-san," said Ms. Nekonome.

"Just Jiro," he said. The cat-woman shivered.

"Right." She bowed apologetically. "I do apologize for not being able to take care of Wataru-san! As his homeroom teacher, it is my responsibility and I failed."

"Stand up, woman," Jiro said gruffly. "What's done is done. No reason to bring it up anymore."

Kurumu decided to introduce herself to Wataru's guardian and maybe score some points. "Hi, I'm Kurumu Kurono and I'm-"

KLONG! A bucket hit her head.

"I'm Yukari! It's nice to meet you!" Yukari bowed.

Mizore stepped forward. "My name is Mizore Shirayuki."

Jiro smirked at Wataru, "It seems that you've gotten a lot of girlfriends, Wataru-sama, just like your father."

"They are just friends, Jiro," said Wataru in protest.

"Of course," Jiro nodded. "Well, I do hope you all recover soon. I will be seeing you all again in future but you may not know it." With that said, he gave a nod goodbye and left the infirmary.

"Brrr," Ms. Nekonome shivered. "He's nice, but I just feel so uncomfortable around him."

"Don't worry," Wataru smiled. "All felines tend to react that way around him. It's not just you."

Gin absently rubbed his chest. That Jiro guy definitely seemed familiar, but at the same time he was reminded of when Kiva had slashed him off the top of the school with that blue sword of his. Still, Jiro's presence alone made him feel pretty meek. It was like being in the presence of an Alpha. You knew not to mess with the leader of the pack.

"You little brat!" Kurumu cried, snatching up Yukari. "I was trying to make a good impression on Wataru's guardian!"

"And I made a way better one than you, you cow!" Yukari snapped back. "Besides, we all know you're a bad influence on Wataru-sama!"

"Says who?!" Kurumu growled.

"Says me!" Yukari shouted back.

Wataru didn't want to see his friends argue so he decided to try and stop it, "Kurumu-san, Yukari-chan, please, don't fight…"

"Stay out of this, Wataru!" both girls shouted at him. He backed away in fear. Moka giggled. It was funny how Wataru could fight most monsters without fear but was scared of getting into the middle of a fight between two girls.

"Well, there is still going to a problem," said Ms. Nekonome. "Now everyone knows Wataru is half human…but what's the other half?"

"Fangire," Wataru answered. "My mother was a Fangire. Because of that I'm what's known as a Fandiri."

"That would explain those markings," the teacher nodded. She warned, "Still, things may not be easy for you. Sooner or later the Student Police may try to get back at you for what you did to their leader. Also, some students may not like having a halfbreed in their presence and may react violently despite your warning."

"Let them try!" Tatsulot exclaimed proudly, "Emperor Form is Kiva's true form and nobody can defeat him!"

"Oi, you don't know if that's true!" Kivat shot back. "There could be something stronger!"

"But Wataru-sama will still be able to defeat it with our help!" Tatsulot argued.

Wataru sighed. "Well, I'll just face it when the time comes," he said. "But right now I really just want to rest." He yawned. "It's been a really long day."

"Oh, and let me remind you that you have exams too," said Nekonome-sensei.

"Exams!?" Kurumu and Wataru exclaimed.

"I've completely forgot!" Wataru cried, panicking.

"They are coming up soon," said Ms. Nekonome. "So, study hard everyone."

"Don't worry, Wataru-kun," said Moka. "We'll help you study."

"I can help you with all your subjects too, Wataru-sama!" Yukari said gleefully.

"Hey, what about me!?" cried Kurumu. "I need help too!"

Mizore watched passively and then sighed. She watched as Tatsulot came to rest on her left shoulder and she stroked the tiny dragon's head.

* * *

The following day, Wataru was walking along the path to school and noticed the stares he was getting. It was either because of his victory over Kuyou, the public revelation that he was Kiva, or that he was half-human. Still, he was saddened by the looks of fear he was getting as they all gave him a wide berth. Of course, a number of girls were looking at him appreciatively.

"Is that him? The half-breed?" one girl said.

"Shh! Don't say that! He might hear you!" said another.

"Who cares? He's still dreamy and those markings looked really sexy," a third girl spoke.

A fourth girl expressed, "Not just those markings, but his armor too. Like a knight!"

Wataru couldn't help but smile. He may not be fully accepted, but at least he wasn't completely hated.

"Wataru-kun!" Moka greeted as she latched onto his arm.

"Oh, Moka-san," smiled Wataru. "Good morning."

The boys all groaned in despair. Seeing Moka with Wataru dashed all their hopes away and it wasn't like they could fight him nor would they even try. He had defeated Kuyou and they didn't want to risk that.

Kuyou had been taken away in a body cast the day before, vowing revenge, but he was also facing expulsion for what he'd done. He'd destroyed school property.

"Wataru!" exclaimed Kurumu as she glomped Wataru, rubbing her breasts against his chest. Ever since yesterday, she'd become more amorous in her attempts at seducing him.

"Ohayo, Kurumu-san!" Wataru blushed.

KLONG!

A steel bucket hit Kurumu's head and the succubus glared at the witch. "BRAT!"

"COW!" Yukari shot back.

The two started fighting as Wataru tried to stop them. Mizore was hiding behind a tree, watching Wataru from afar. With her was Tatsulot who'd taken a liking to her.

* * *

Tokyo

"King-sama," a tall man who wore black clothes and glasses spoke reverently to someone who was walking with him. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," the man known as King nodded. This man was actually a teenager who looked like he was just entering or already in High School. "I like the sound of this Yokai Academy."

"But they teach their students how to coexist with humans," the man frowned. "They sound like weaklings making the next generations of monsters weak."

"Bishop," King frowned. "Humans are the most populous people on Earth. We need to learn to coexist. We feed when we need to. That's nature. However we don't need to go on rampages merely because we feel like it."

"But your role as King needs to be considered," Bishop argued.

"True," King nodded. "I need to protect the Fangires from humans who would do us harm because of what we are. However there haven't been any humans like that since IXA was decommissioned; from what you've told me anyway."

"True, but what if another IXA comes?" asked Bishop. "We need to find these humans responsible and destroy them."

"I will deal with them when they appear," King frowned. "But in the meantime, I still need to complete my education."

"Then let me get the tutors needed for that," Bishop sighed. "Why do you insist to go to Yokai Academy?"

"Because I want to meet people my own age for one," King chuckled. "Secondly, I can learn about humans there. Know thy enemy and all."

Bishop sighed. This wasn't exactly how he had hoped the King would turn out. If his mother was still there then things might be different. Sadly, she betrayed them all by falling in love with a human. They also lost the powerful Castle Doran when she left them. A sad incident, but she was punished for it. Unfortunately, Bishop hadn't been as successful at shaping her son as he had hoped. He had a burning desire to learn and unless Bishop was able to shape that upbringing, the King wouldn't become what he was destined to be.

"Oh, before I forget," King spoke up. "What happened to Rook? I haven't seen him around."

"Probably on one of those Time Plays of his," Bishop replied. "You know how he loves to challenge himself."

"Ugh," King frowned. "Remind me to talk to him about that later. I don't mind if he challenges himself, but going on killing sprees is going to bring unneeded attention to us."

"I shall make a note of it," Bishop nodded, but the tone of his voice indicated that he didn't care what Rook did at all. "Are you sure I cannot talk you out of going to Yokai Academy?"

"No," King answered. "I already sent in my application papers anyway. I plan of enrolling in the fall term after summer."

"Very well, sire," Bishop sighed with a bow. "I will try to support you anyway that I can."

--


	43. Saga

"Are you the one who tried to hurt Wataru-kun?" asked Taiga as he stepped in front of Saizou.

"Who the fuck are you?" demanded Saizou.

The only answer he received was, "Sagark."

A strange silver creature that could only be described as a UFO with eyes and fangs smashed into Saizou and knocked him upside the head. The creature had a spinning plate on top of its head. It flew towards Taiga. It then planted itself on Taiga's waist, a black straps stretching from the sides to fasten around him as a belt. The plate on the creature head spun. It was facing upwards too.

"Henshin," said Taiga as he pulled out a strange white handle that looked like a key and inserted it into a slot in the right side of Sagark's head. He swiftly pulled it out.

"Henshin!" Sagark spoke as the plate spun rapidly. Taiga, like Wataru, became covered in quicksilver and then the layer shattered to reveal him in black and white armor. He wore a full bodysuit with white bracelets on his ankles and on his wrists which stretched over his forearms. His shoulders had spikes on them that jutted upwards. On his chest was a stained glass flower pattern. His helmet had blue eyes that resembled Kiva's but there was a snake's head in between the two eyes. The helmet also had a crown on top. The key in his hand, the Jacoder, had a thin red blade extending from it now.

The Rider Form of the King of the Checkmate Four, Lord of Fangires. He was known as Saga.

Saizou was stunned. He was too weak to fight now after his run in with Kiva before.

Saga took out a white Fuestle with a blue wave pattern on it before putting it in Sagark's mouth. "Wake Up!" Sagark called out as Saga withdrew the Fuestle.

The sky turned dark as a blue crescent moon floated in the air. Saga stood like a fencer with his Jacoder in front of him and his other hand behind him. He then thrust it forward, the blade turning into a whip which ensnared Saizou. A bright red symbol appeared in the sky. It was Kiva's emblem. Saga jumped up and through the emblem before coming back down from a different part of it. He landed on the ground as Saizou was pulled up by the whip, struggling. Saga gripped the Jacoder tightly and said, "For the crime of harming my beloved friend, I sentence you to death."

Saizou could only scream in horror.


	44. ZeroFour

"I've finally found you…Zero-Four…" the hyena masked man spoke as he hefted his twin shotguns on his shoulders

ZK Chromedragozoid: A bit for my idea, Zero No Rider, which is an adaptation of Zero No Tsukaima.

"I've finally found you…Zero-Four…" the hyena masked man spoke as he hefted his twin shotguns on his shoulders.

"Who…what are you?" Saito asked, his eyes narrowed under his helmet. The hyena masked man laughed. "What's so funny!?"

"Baka, haven't you figured it out yet?" the hyena masked man questioned. "Wait? You don't remember, do you? Let me refresh your memory, brother." He introduced myself, "I am Shotgun Hyena, a Inhumanoid Cyborg Agent of SHOCKER."

"SHOCKER?" Saito questioned.

"Saito!" a female voice cried.

"Louise, stay back!" Saito told her.

"You're my Familiar!" she reminded. "I can't just leave you alone!"

"Ah…who's this?" Shotgun Hyena asked. "A girlfriend perhaps?"

"I'm his Master!" Louise snapped, blushing.

"Master?" Shotgun Hyena laughed, "I didn't know you were into that, Zero-Four. Now this is going to something to tell the other back home."

"Back home?" Louise repeated. "Wait, you don't mean-"

"Louise, get back!" Saito warned, "He's dangerous!"

"Oh, I come from where Zero-Four came from," Shotgun Hyena answered.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because it's your codename. Your designation is HOPPER-04." Shotgun Hyena then realized something. "Oh, I see…you were brought here before you were reprogrammed. No wonder you don't know anything about SHOCKER. Well, once I take you back-"

"You're not taking him anywhere!" Louise threatened, aiming at the SHOCKER Agent with her wand.

"Annoying pest…" Shotgun Hyena growled. "DIE!" He aimed and fired.

"Look out!" Saito pushed her out of the way and the shot pierced his body. "Ugh!"

"Saito!" the girl gasped.

"Armor piercing rounds," Shotgun Hyena explained as he cocked his gun. "The perfect weapon against your armor Zero-Four."

"My name…is Saito!" Saito snapped.

"Not anymore," Shotgun Hyena grinned. "Not since SHOCKER changed you."

"Changed me?"

"You and I are the same, creations of SHOCKER. You're not human, at least not anymore," explained Shotgun Hyena. "SHOCKER stripped you of your humanity on that operating table."

The memories returned to Saito. The men in white who hovered over him, the scalpels, the wires and the needles. The boy shuddered at the images. "Shut up!" Saito shouted.

"You're no longer human," repeated Shotgun Hyena. "You're a monster, like me!"

Saito roared as he charged at Shotgun Hyena, his fist drawn back. "SHUT UP!" He smashed his fist into Shotgun Hyena's face, causing the other to stumble backwards.

Shotgun Hyena spat, "Is that all? I guess they were right about your cybernetic components being inferior, Zero-Four."

Saito didn't want to hear anymore and attacked with a ferocity he never shown before. This worried Louise as she watched her Familiar attacking as Shotgun Hyena dodged. She remembered when Saito had collapsed after a fight before and even coughed up blood. She had to stop this.

"Saito, don't!" Louise shouted. He didn't seem to hear her.

"Your body is in pain, isn't it?" Shotgun Hyena went on. "It's rejecting your components. Each time you use your power your body feels like it's burning, doesn't it?" He dodged all of Saito's strikes. "That's why you're weak!" He ducked under a swing and slammed his gun into Saito's gut, sending him flying backwards. He then aimed and fired on Saito mercilessly. "Dead or alive, I'm bringing you back, Zero-Four!"


	45. Rise of the DynoLiner

"Damn it," Ifrit cursed. He got ready to call the ChronoLiner when all of a sudden there was an earthquake. "Na-nani!?"

Suddenly, the ground burst open as something came exploding out of it, sending rubble and debris flying everywhere. Ifrit's eyes then widened at the sight of what was in front of him. "Sugei…"

It was a time train, definitely. It looked like a cross between a steam locomotive and a wooly mammoth with a crimson coloring and golden tusks along with a curled up trunk. It trumpeted loudly, announcing its arrival. Linked behind the locomotive were two bullet trains. The first one was white and modeled after a T-Rex with sharp teeth. The 2nd bullet train was blue and modeled after a triceratops with sharp horns.

Ifrit could feel that this time train was his. He didn't know how but it just felt like it. "You want me to pilot you?" The mammoth train trumpeted. "I'll take that as a yes. Yosh! Here I come!" He leapt up and entered the cockpit.

To his surprise it wasn't any different from the cockpit of the ChronoLiner except there was ancient writing along the walls. The bike which acted as the controls was a deep red color with tusks like the train. The viewing screen and HUD activated giving him a good view of the Gigandeath in front of him.

"OK, let's do this!" shouted Ifrit before gripping the controls and letting the wheels spin, "IKUZE!!!"

The powerful time train ran along its tracks and charged towards the Gigandeath who roared and charged right back. Both slammed into each other and ended up in a deadlock trying to push each other back. Ifrit's grip on the handlebars tightened before he activated the train's weapons. "Let see what you can do!"

The bullet train cars behind the locomotive unlinked and then flew into the air aboard their own tracks. The T-Rex train roared as the triceratops train bellowed. They rammed into the Gigandeath and sent it tumbling across the ground. Continuing with their attack, the T-Rex train bit down on the Gigandeath, causing it to scream as the triceratops train stabbed it with its horns. The two trains then backed away before ramming it at full speed. Ifrit watched with a grin. It was time to finish it. He entered a new command to see what would happen next.

The mammoth steam locomotive trumpeted as its trunk uncurled and then aimed at the Gigandeath like a cannon. Correction: it was a cannon. Taking aim, Ifrit then pushed down on the button. The trunk cannon fired a powerful beam of energy that engulfed the Gigandeath before covering it in ice, freezing it. The Gigandeath was now frozen from the inside out.

"Now to end it!" shouted Ifrit before the steam locomotive charged and rammed into the Gigandeath and shattered it to a million pieces, destroying it. The T-Rex and triceratops cars soon linked back up with it before vanishing into a portal. As soon as the time train left, the laws of time restored everything destroyed by the Imagin and Gigandeath as Ifrit returned to the present.

* * *

"Sugoi!" exclaimed Kotonoha as she admired her boyfriend's newest acquisition. They were all in the Sands of Time.

"So, it chose you?" Kenzaki asked skeptically.

"It did," nodded Ryuji.

"Wow, it's pretty awesome looking," complimented Neko. "But what are you going to call it?"

"It's called the DynoLiner," said Ant.

"DynoLiner?" repeated Kotonoha.

"Heh, I like it," grinned Ryuji. "But how come you know its name?" asked Ryuji.

"Oh, when you've been around the multiverse you pick up a few things," said Ant vaguely. "Anyway, the DynoLiner is said to be one of the first time trains ever built. Of course, it was so powerful that it had to be sealed away. It was purposely lost in time and space never to be seen or heard from again."

"Until now," corrected Gekiryuken.

"Exactly," nodded Ant. "It seems that the DynoLiner has chosen Ryuji as its pilot. I guess it deemed him worthy."

"Well, all I can say is now I can take Koto-chan on trips by myself," grinned Ryuji. He then grabbed Kotonoha, who gasped, and slung her over his shoulder. "Come on, Koto-chan." She giggled as she was being carried into the DynoLiner.

"I'm betting they are going to get it on in there," guessed Kenzaki with some level of disgust.

"Hey, they're in love," defended Neko. "At least we now have a new weapon on our side."


	46. DYNO FORM, TANJOU!

"ARGH!" Ifrit cried out as his was smashed backwards into a wall and crashed right through. His armor had reverted back to its non-powered Plat Form dye to the damaged pass and he was being creamed. "Kuso…" He pushed himself back onto his knees and staggered back to his feet. "I won't lose." Actually, he couldn't lose. The Past, Present and the Future were at risk. Suddenly, he felt his belt change somewhat. It ejected the pass and then the belt morphed. The buckle was now red and resembled a pair of jaws with sharp golden teeth. The belt also had three buttons on the right side. The first one was red, followed by a white one and finally a blue one. Ifrit gripped the pass in his hand and looked down on his belt. "Could it be…?" he questioned himself as the pass changed from silver and black to red and gold with flame patterns around the edges. The emblem on it was now a golden X instead of the cross within the circle.

The Gorilla Imagin came stalking towards him, ready to finish the Kamen Rider off. It didn't seem to notice how the belt had changed nor did it care. All it wanted to do was to finish off the Rider.

Ifrit gripped the pass tightly. He was going to take a chance. Now was better time than any. Standing straight he slid the pass in between the 'jaws' of the belt buckle. As soon as the pass was installed, the belt called out, "**DYNO FORM!**"

The Gorilla Imagin froze and watched as its prey's armor began to change. Red armor with golden spikes jutting up from it snapped onto his chest. Additional armor with wings that resembled elephant ears also snapped onto his back. The bodysuit became obsidian black and crimson armored plating with a golden trim covered along the outside of his upper arms and legs. His boots and gauntlets also turned crimson with golden bands around the wrists and ankles. The bands had ancient writing on them. Armor resembling a white T-Rex's head snapped onto his right shoulder as a triceratops' head also snapped onto his left shoulder. Finally, a red visor with vertical slits and golden fangs slid over his faceplate and snapped on before golden horns formed at the sides.

The Gorilla Imagin was stunned. Its prey had suddenly changed.

Right now, Ifrit was drawing on the power of the DynoLiner. The three trains that made it up were lending him their powers. Flowing within him was the power of the DynoLiner itself.

No longer was he Kamen Rider Ifrit. Now, he was Kamen Rider Dyno.

"Teme…" Dyno growled, "YOU'RE ABOUT TO BECOME EXTINCT!" One could hear the trumpet of a mammoth, the roar of a tyrannosaurus and the bellow of a triceratops at his announcement.

Looking ahead, he spread his right arm to the side and the Tyrano head slid along the length of his arm before stopping at the fist. The jaw opened and a red sword blade extended. This was the Tyrano-Katana.

He rushed at the Gorilla Imagin and then tackled into it like a freight train, throwing it violently backwards. He grabbed the flying Gorilla Imagin's ankle with his left hand and brought him up over his head before slamming it to the ground. The Gorilla Imagin groaned in pain and was barely able to dodge a stomp aimed for its chest. The stomp made a one foot deep and 2 foot wide crater on impact. Dyno turned his attention towards the Gorilla Imagin and then charged, swinging his Tyrano-Katana at it. The Gorilla Imagin howled in pain from the brutal and savage slashes of the blade and was sent flying backwards by a kick. The Gorilla Imagin tumbled along the ground. Growling, it pushed itself back to its feet and charged at Dyno. It smashed its large fist into Dyno's chest and even though it was able to rip off sparks, there was no damage at all to the armor.

"My turn," said Dyno. His left arm was also spread out to the side and the Tricera head slid along it to stop at the fist. The jaw opened to reveal a cannon barrel. This was the Tricera-Buster. He threw the fist armed with the Tricera-Buster into the Gorilla Imagin's gut and the explosive force of the punch threw the evil Imagin backwards 30 feet and into a wall which crumbled as it flew through it. Popping his beck from side to side, Dyno went to find his opponent.

Dyno, formerly Ifrit, was unstoppable now. He possessed the strength of a mammoth, the savagery of a tyrannosaurus and the durability of a triceratops. In other words: he was a powerful fighting machine.

The Imagin picked itself up with great difficulty. The pain was just too much. It had to flee and report this to…

"**FULL CHARGE AND UP!**"

"Too late to run now, teme," Dyno growled as the golden parts of his armor began to glow and crackle with energy that travelled from the belt and into his weapons. The blade of the Katana and the barrel of the Buster glowed.

"Please…mercy…" the Imagin pleaded. Unfortunately, it was pleading to the wrong choir.

"Sorry, mercy isn't on the menu. Today's special is TOTAL EXTINCTION!"

He charged at the Imagin and swung his sword wide. The slash made a glowing line of light that went across the Imagin, from its left shoulder to its right hip. Dyno swung again, making an 'X' shaped cut on the Imagin after slashing it from its right shoulder to its left hip. The Imagin cried out in pain but it was silenced when Dyno aimed the Tricera-Buster at it and fired a wide and destructive blast of energy that completely vaporised the Gorilla Imagin. When he stopped, there was nothing left of the Imagin but a long scorch mark on the ground where the beam had scratched it.

Dyno raised up the barrel to his mouth and blew off the smoke before the T-Rex and triceratops heads slid up his arms and back to his shoulders. He turned around and walked off.


	47. LINER GATTAI! RESSHA OH TANJOU!

"Garoh! Wraith!" Ifrit called out from within the DynoLiner. "Are you two ready?"

Garoh's face showed up on the viewing screen, "**Let's do this thing!**" He was in the GaroLiner.

"I want to see what this Liner Gattai can do," stated Wraith honestly on the screen. He was piloting the ChronoLiner.

"Insert Card!" announced the three Riders together before sliding the cards into their bike's consoles. The viewing screens in front of them then announced that they were ready.

"LINER GATTAI!" the three Riders called out.

The DynoLiner Mammoth unlinked from Tyrano and Tricera before flying into the air. At the same time the main car of the ChronoLiner broke away from the rest as the GaroLiner Tsume also did the same.

The Mammoth's base and wheels split down the middle before rising up to the side of the Mammoth's head as the back of the car folded down to form the lower torso and upper legs. The base and wheels had become the arms and hands.

The GaroLiner Tsume and ChronoLiner Car-1 then became the legs with the heads of the trains becoming the feet. The Tsume formed the right leg and foot as the ChronoLiner Car-1 became the left leg. They linked up to the Mammoth who trumpeted. The head rose up from between the shoulders. It had a silver human face with a red helmet and golden horns.

"Liner Gattai Complete!" shouted Ifrit from his place in the head. "RESSHA-OH (Train King) TANJOU (Is born)!" The trunk of the Mammoth blew out smoke as it trumpeted.

* * *

"RESSHA KICK!" shouted Ifrit as he entered the command and Ressha-Oh raced towards the enemy Gigandeath. The right leg was lifted up as the Mecha spun on its left heel. This had an unfortunate effect on Ifrit's fellow Riders and pilots.

Wraith was gripping the handlebars tightly as his train spun around and around. Garoh, however, had been thrown off his bike and was being thrown about his own cockpit, screaming curses.

The kick smashed into the Gigandeath which then exploded as a result. Ifrit, satisfied, threw his fists up, "YATTA!" He then called up Wraith and Garoh. "Hey, how are you guys doing?"

"I think…I'm gonna…hurl…" said Wraith with a groan.

Garoh was climbing back onto his bike ad glared at Ifrit through his own viewing screen, "Y**ou and I need to have a serious talk about that move**."

* * *

"You want to be the head? Why?" asked Ryuji.

"Cause I'm the one getting thrown around!" argued Kenzaki.

"Oh, right. Since your train is the foot?" said Warren.

"DynoLiner Mammoth is the head! Head!" insisted Ryuji, his arms crossed.

"It should be based on the most experience as a Rider! Tsume should be the head!" countered Kenzaki.

"No, my Mammoth is the biggest!" shouted Ryuji.

"Then it should be the leg to add more power to the kick!" countered Kenzaki.

"It's better as the body!" Ryuji shot back.

"Fine! It can be the body and Tsume will be the head!"

"Are you sure it will work?" asked Warren, trying to be the voice of reason.

"I don't see why it wouldn't," said Kenzaki.

As Kenzaki and Ryuji continued to argue within the ChronoLiner's dining car, Kotonoha who was enjoying a cup of tea looked out at the Sands of Time and then gazed upon the impressive figure of Ressha-Oh. She smiled and then returned to look at the three men.

* * *

RESSHA-OH is the combination of the DynoLiner Mammoth, GaroLiner Tsume and ChronoLiner Car-1. Mammoth forms the torso, arms and head as Tsume forms the right leg and foot and No. 1 forms the left leg and foot. Ifrit pilots the torso as Garoh and Wraith pilot the legs. The remaining train cars are used as auxiliary weapons that can be combined to Ressha-Oh for more power.


	48. Neo Pactio NANI?

The Titans Tower training room was Starfire, Raven and Shadowcobra's usual meeting place whenever they needed to practice using their Pactio forms and powers. Even after the end of the millennia's Zodiac War Shadow still remained. Takada was back on Tamaran with Blackfire while Draco and Jinx were in Tokyo attending college in the Red Horse Private Institute's University.

Though the Vampangel would not admit it, he would still miss his comrades. They'd been through a lot for the last four years but they knew that they had to part ways. It was how it was meant to be. They each had their own lives to lead.

"Partners: Raven of Azarath and Starfire of Tamaran," began Shadow as the two Pactio cards floated before him, depicting Starfire and Raven in their Pactio forms as the Warrior Queen and White Priestess, "Reveal the True Power Within! Contracts Activate!"

However, instead of the normal activation, the girls' copies of their own cards flew out from where they kept them and joined with Shadow's copies.

"Is this part of the ritual?" asked Starfire.

"No, it isn't!" Shadow hissed. He hated unexpected surprises.

Suddenly, the Pactio circle appeared under their feet and the cards flew around and around them. The two copies of Raven's contract and the two copies of Starfire's contract combined together and then flew at the girls.

"Watch out!" Shadow warned but he was too late as the two girls gasped when the cards entered them through their chests. The circle vanished and the two girls fainted. "Rachel! Kori!"

* * *

"So, this happened after you activated that Pactio thing, huh?" asked Cyborg as he checked the screens for the girls' vitals. The two girls were in individual beds, resting.

"Yes," nodded Shadow. "Is anything wrong with them?"

"Nothing seems wrong," said Cyborg, tapping the screen. "They're just sleeping."

"Thank goodness," Shadow let out a breath of relief.

"Well, consider yourself lucky that Robin's in Gotham. If he was here he'd beat your ass," reminded Cyborg. Shadow had been put in charge of the team until Robin's return. Cyborg would be his second.

"I know," agreed Shadow. "He cares about Koriand'r, Victor."

"The same way you care about Rae," added Cyborg. Shadow turned away, hiding his blush with his collar. "Hey, she's your wife. It ain't nothing to be embarrassed about."

"You know I'm not used to talking about my feelings," Shadow muttered. He then saw Raven stirring. "Rachel." He went to her and took her hand in his. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"Just a little tired," said Raven, smiling softly. He smiled back at his wife before leaning down to kiss her but stopped when he remembered Cyborg was in the room.

"Victor, do you mind…" Shadow gestured to the door.

"OK, I know, I know," Cyborg said as he went to the door. He knew better than to spy or tease Shadow and Raven about their relationship. The door slid close after Cyborg's exit.

Raven and Shadow shared a tender kiss that was brief yet meaningful before gazing into each other's eyes. "So, do you know what happened?"

"Whatever the reason, the Pactio activation malfunctioned," Shadow grimaced. "I should look into this."

"Could the contract have been broken?" asked Raven.

"Maybe, but for that I need to check our energies along with Starfire's," said Shadow. "And right now she's…"

GLOMP!

"On my back," said Shadow as Starfire hugged him from behind with her arms and legs around him.

"Good morning, friend," she giggled.

"Koriand'r, it's 5 in the evening," corrected Shadow.

"Oh, then good evening, friend!"

"Get off my back, please," he urged and she did. This just reminded him of how affectionate she was all the time. Even when they'd been children she hugged him like that.

"So, what happened?" asked Starfire curiously.

"We don't know, but it may effect our Pactios," stated Raven.

"Oh, please let it not! I love my sword!" Starfire panicked. She'd gotten pretty attached to her Starblade.

"That's why I'll be hitting the books later before I check our energies to see if they are in synch," Shadow told her. An out of synch Pactio was dangerous and Shadow didn't want to endanger the two girls in any way. One was his wife while the other was his childhood friend.

* * *

(Neo Activation-Raven Cosplay)

"Shadow!" shouted Raven. "My Pactio!" Shadow hesitated. "Shadow!"

"Alright!" he relented and the magical circle activated beneath their feet. He started on the incantation, "Partner, Raven of Azarath…" Raven's body began to glow as she stood before him, her body radiating with light. An orb of Azarathean runes appeared over her heart. Shadow then continued, "Reveal the True Power Within!" He reached inside the orb which caused her to gasp and blush. "Contract…Activate!" He drew the card out from her chest and the transformation occurred.

Raven's uniform was the replaced with a new set of clothes. Over her leotard she wore a tight white shirt with a bow tie, a black tuxedo jacket with long coat tails and a black cape with red lining. Her legs became covered in fishnet stockings with tight knee high boots and she also wore white gloves on her hands. She held a magician's wand in one hand and a top hat in the other which she placed on her head before striking a pose.

Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire and Terra gaped at Raven's new look and Shadow was staring at the card.

"Huh? Cosplay Card!?" Shadow looked it over. It depicted Raven in the same outfit in front of a white background.

Raven looked down at herself and grimaced, "Great…I look like Zatanna."

Mumbo was not pleased, "So, trying to steal my show, huh? Well, how about this?" He removed his hat and tapped it with his wand, "Hocus Pocus!" At his command the hat released a flock of killer pigeons.

Raven did the same and removed her own hat. Somehow she knew what this form was capable of and decided to take advantage of it. She removed hr hat and then did the same thing Mumbo did. She tapped it with her new wand and the hat produced vacuum winds that sucked in the killer flock. It stopped and Raven smiled. "Hey, Mumbo! What goes around comes around!" She then fired the flock straight at the stunned magician. He scrambled away from the flock which began to peck at him.

"OK, let's see what else I can do," smirked Raven, enjoying her new power up. She reached into her hat and then reached in deeper before grabbing something. "Hm…" She then took out a deck of cards. "OK, what am I supposed to do with these?" The cards then flew out of her hand and positioned themselves above her. A sudden burst of inspiration came to her and she looked towards Mumbo. "Hey, Mumbo, ever played 52 pickup?" She used her wand to direct the cards at Mumbo and then they sliced through the air before bombarding the criminal magician. Instead of cutting into him, the cards exploded. He screamed as all 52 cards caused small explosions all over his body.

When the bombardment ended, Mumbo was lying facedown on the ground and waving a white flag. "I…surrender…"

Raven turned to her teammates and took a bow as she placed her hat to her chest. "And that's all folks!" winked Raven before she changed back to normal. She stomped over to Shadow, "What the heck was that?"

* * *

"NEO Pactios?" Shadow responded after getting the message from Renia.

"_It's a new type of Pactio_," said Renia. "_It's pretty high level but also unpredictable_," stated Renia who was on the screen. She was in Tokyo.

"I can testify to that," said Raven.

"Basically you got three cards with different power levels," said Renia before listing them, "_You got Armor, Cosplay and Suka_."

"Suka?" the Titans repeated.

Renia giggled, "_You'll find out what it is. But don't worry, nothing's wrong with the Pactio. It just got an upgrade. Just…make sure you don't draw the wrong card at the wrong time._"

* * *

(Starfire's Cosplay)

"Partner, Starfire of Tamaran…" Starfire's body began to glow as she stood before Shadow, her body radiating with light. An orb of Tamaranean writing appeared over her heart. Shadow then continued, "Reveal the True Power Within!" He reached inside the orb which caused her to gasp and blush. "Contract…Activate!" He drew the card out from her chest and the transformation occurred.

As soon as the transformation was completed, the boys stared and Cyborg nearly got a nosebleed.

Starfire was dressed in a tiger-skin bikini with matching knee high boots and elbow gloves that had black fur around the elbows and knees. She also had a tiger's tail sticking out from her bottoms and a pair of pointed ears on her head. She struck a cute pose and meowed.

Shadow groaned, "Great…another Cosplay card."

Billy Numerous and his clones stared at the new Starfire and they all grinned while whistling. "Woah! Now you don't see that every day!"

"Yeah! Now that's one hot momma!"

"Think she can do a pole dance for us?"

The Billy clones and the original continued to laugh while giving Starfire wolf-whistles and cat-calls. This didn't bode well for Starfire and she roared like a tigress. This resulted in her energy manifesting itself into giant green aura tiger that stood above her. This made the Titans' gawk.

"And another surprise," stated Shadow.

The tiger roared along with Starfire before she sent it at the Billies. They all screamed in pain as the aura tiger attacked and as soon as it was done with them they were all left in a twitching pile. The aura tiger vanished before Starfire skipped towards Shadow.

"Friend, I adore this outfit!" she purred.

* * *

(Suka Form)

Shadow palmed his face. He had his doubts about the power of these Neo Pactios but both Starfire and Raven had displayed new powers and abilities in their Cosplay forms (which had been unintentional) but now this was worse.

Now he knew what Suka meant.

Both Starfire and Raven had been reduced to Chibi forms and wearing animal costumes. Raven was in a white bunny costume with the ears and Starfire was in a tiger cub costume. Not only did they look like children, they had also mentally regressed to have the minds of 5 year olds.

"Shadow, let's play!" urged Chibi-Starfire.

"Play! Play!" added Chibi-Raven. "Let's play!" She leapt into his arms and nuzzled his chest.

"Yay!" Starfire also glomped him.

"Great…" groaned Shadow. Now he was a babysitter.


	49. Cyborg's New Skin

"A full body synthetic skin suit?" questioned Cyborg. "Are you serious?"

"That's right," Pluto nodded. "That is my gift to you, my friend."

Both Titans were in Pluto's lab. The former Dog Knight was explaining a new discovery he'd come upon. Actually, he'd gotten the idea from the Men in Black movies.

"With this suit, you'll feel like you actually have real skin," Pluto explained. "So, how about it?"

"But…" Cyborg hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Pluto asked.

"Will it work?" Cyborg asked.

"Don't you have any faith in me?" Pluto frowned.

What could Cyborg say? Pluto's track record wasn't exactly an excellent. He'd had more failures than successes since he started out as an inventor and Cyborg had witnessed these inventions exploding in a blaze of 'glory'. So, Cyborg was allowed to have his doubts.

"Listen, Cyborg," Pluto sighed. "Vic, I went to Fixit for help with this. We'll use the TR-Chambers for this. The material is a synthetic goop that would mould onto your body. It has nanobots which will connect to your central processor so that you can actually feel through the skin like it's really there." He added, "Don't you miss it? When you hold Sarah's hand, don't you want to actually feel her soft skin against yours?"

Cyborg was wary. In truth he'd gotten used to being this half-man, half-machine 'monster'. Now, he was being given a second chance at life. A hologram that made him _look_ normal wasn't the same as feeling normal but he'd coped with it.

"When can we start?" asked Cyborg.

"When Fixit arrives, we'll start," said Pluto.

* * *

"Are you ready, Cyborg?" asked Fixit. He'd arrived at Pluto's request to assist in the procedure.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Cyborg. He was in the chamber and had on his serious face.

"OK, Cy," Pluto said from his place on the console. "We'll have to shut you down."

"Shut me down?" Cyborg asked, shocked. "Why?"

"Because, there are risks with this procedure," Pluto explained as he hooked his visor to the computer console and used his technopathic abilities to control it. "You may go into neural shock so we have to take it slow."

Cyborg trusted Pluto and Fixit, but he was still doubtful about this whole thing. Shut himself down? That would leave him vulnerable. But…he reminded himself of Sarah and nodded, "OK. I'm shutting myself down. Be sure to turn me back on."

Pluto gave his friend a thumb's up. "Will do." Cyborg closed his human eye as the red bionic eye dimmed. "Fixit, I want you to monitor Cy's status for me, OK?"

"I promise," Fixit nodded as he watched the chamber doors close.

Pluto's visor showed him the data as he commanded, "Begin procedure…"

* * *

Cyborg opened his eyes to see both Fixit and Pluto looking down on him. "Huh?" Cyborg asked. "Is it done?" He raised a hand to rub his tired eyes but then realised that instead of metal, it was skin! "Huh?"

Pluto grinned as he showed Cyborg a mirror. "Welcome back, Victor Stone." On the reflection, instead of mixture of skin, metal and circuitry, was the handsome face of an African American male in his early twenties. He was still bald, though and Cyborg actually had two human eyes.

Cyborg…Victor sat up from the cot he was on and touched his face. It felt…it felt real! His lips curled into a smile as he showed his teeth, looking at himself at all angles. "This…this is…" Victor managed to stutter.

"You, the old you," Pluto smiled and was suddenly swept in a hug.

"Thank you, dawg! Thank you! Thank you!" Victor shouted.

"Vic, I know you're happy," said Pluto, "And you know I'm invulnerable, but I can still feel pain!" Victor let go of his friend.

"Man, sorry," Victor chuckled. "I can't wait to show the others."

"You might wanna put some clothes on," Pluto pointed and Victor could see that he was covered by a blanket from the waist down. He lifted it up and blushed before putting it down.

"You even…" Victor began.

"The full body skin suit covers ALL the parts, Victor," said Pluto. Fixit wheeled over a tray with clothes, the same ones Victor's alias, Stone, had worn. "Now, get dressed. I'm going to call the others and surprise them."

* * *

"Sometimes I wonder why I even bother coming to these 'unveilings'," Shadow sighed as he was with the other Titans in the living room. "I mean I should've learnt by now that anything Pluto wants to show us will end in disaster."

"Well, his inventions haven't totally sucked," said Raven reasonably. "The TR-Chamber for one is great and well he did help fix up and upgrade the Tower mainframe and equipment."

"I know, but he has done a lot of unintentional damage with his inventions so my faith in him is severely lacking."

Pluto came through the door and grinned.

"What is this about, mutt?" asked Shadow.

"Oh, just wanting to show you something." He cleared his throat, "Presenting, the new and improved...VICTOR STONE!" The door to the living room opened and Victor walked in. All jaws dropped and eyes widened.

"Hi guys," Victor grinned. "I'm me again."


	50. Kamen Rider Dyno

**KAMEN RIDER DYNO FORMS AND FINISHERS

* * *

  
**

Ryuji smirked and then slung the belt around his waist which made a 'click' sound as it was fastened on. He pressed the white button on the right side, turning the emblem in the buckle white around the golden 'X'.

"Henshin!" Ryuji called out as he swiped the Dyno Pass over his belt buckle.

"**TYRANO FORM!**"

The black and white Plat Form armor formed over his body out of several energy shards before the energy formed additional armor that floated over his body. The chest armor connected and then the shoulder armor. Finally, the visor slid over his face and snapped on.

The chest armor was white with a vertical line of sharp gold teeth running down the middle. The shoulder armors were both shaped like tyrannosaurus-rex heads, white with red lower jaws and golden teeth. The visor looked like a pair of jaws with golden teeth in between.

The head on his right shoulder then slid along his arm before stopping at the fist. The jaws opened and a red sword blade slid out from it.

* * *

"**FULL CHARGE!**" the belt announced as Dyno tossed the Pass over his shoulder. The red blade of his Tyrano-Katana glowed bright red before he rushed at the disoriented Imagin. He then made two swipes across its body, one from its right shoulder to its left hip and the second one from its left shoulder to right hip. A glowing golden 'X' was now on it before it was sent flying by a kick and it exploded in mid-air. The attack was known as 'Tyrant Slash'.

* * *

He pressed the blue button on his belt before waving the Dyno Pass over the blue emblem on his belt buckle. "Henshin!" Ryuji called out.

"**TRICERA FORM!**"

His Plat Form armor was the first to form as always, the black bodysuit with matching chest armor but this time the gauntlets and boots were blue. Additional blue armor snapped onto his chest as the shoulder armor connected. Finally, a green visor with a pair of golden horns on the sides and one in the centre attached to his helmet.

The shoulder armor on his left was rounded while the one on his right was shaped like a triceratops' head.

* * *

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Energy travelled along Dyno's body and then focused itself onto the Tricera-Buster on his right fist, the horns glowing and the barrel in the jaw being charged up. He then made a mad dash towards the Imagin and threw his armed fist hard into its head.

**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!!! **

The Shield Buster attacked immediately destroyed the Imagin with a single blow as it exploded in a blazing inferno. Dyno turned on his heels and walked away from the fire.

* * *

After waving the pass over the red emblem on his belt buckle, Ryuji called out, "Henshin!" as he ran towards the edge of the roof.

"**MAMMOTH FORM!**"

Kamen Rider Dyno leapt off the roof and plummeted to the ground as his armor formed over his body. When he landed, he made a crater beneath his feet. As he stood up, he cracked his neck from side to side. He wore red gauntlets and boots with a red chestplate that had golden spikes jutting up from it. His red shoulder armors also had spikes on them. In addition, a red visor with a golden trim, two horns and vertical slits was now equipped to his helmet.

* * *

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Golden energy arched over his body as the shoulder and chest spikes glowed along with his horns. He then locked his eyes onto the enemy Imagin and charged straight at it. An ice cold aura spread from his body and hit the Imagin, freezing it in ice.

Dyno launched himself to kick right through the Imagin and smashed it to pieces before skidding to a halt. He stood up straight, the Ice Age Stampede having done its job, before he walked away from the battlefield.


	51. Ben 10 to Vampire

Ben grimaced as he watched Kuyou swat Kurumu away like a fly. He had to admit that the kitsune was tough. He reminded the young man about some of the monsters Dr. Animo created or the times he had to fight Vilgax by himself. Of all the times the Omitrix had to time out, it had to be during the fight with the psychopathic student police officer.

"You brought this on yourselves," Kuyou growled as he glared at Ben. "You stood against us and you paid the price, Gaijin."

"Hey, I'm a firm believer in the declaration of civil rights, pal!" Ben smirked, despite the fact he was scared. Experience facing real criminal masterminds like Animo, Vilgax, Charmcaster, etc, made him pretty used to villains. "You know; free speech?"

"Such things have no meaning to me," Kuyou snorted as he stalked forward towards Ben. "I am the pinnacle of order here and I will see that order enforced!"

"You're just a schoolyard thug!" Ben retorted, backing away slightly from the flaming Kuyou. "You don't care about order! You care about doing everything your way! You're just a bully!"

"SILENCE!" Kuyou roared as he threw a fireball at the irritating American.

Ben leaped to the side, avoiding being fried. He quickly turned to face Kuyou again, who was looking ready to throw another blast of fire. Before Ben was about to move, he received a tone from the Omnitrix, stating that it was charged up again.

"Sweet!" Ben grinned. He knew just the alien to use too. "Hey Kuyou! You think you're big man on campus? I'll show you bigger! WAY bigger!"

Ben then took a running start and leaped over the rail of the roof. The girls cried out in shock as Kuyou smirked at the American's insanity. As Ben fell, he grabbed the Omnitrix and activated it, bringing up the holographic images of the aliens he had access to.

"Going Way Big!" Ben smirked as he pressed the face of the Omnitrix down.

Kuyou spied a flash of green over the edge of the roof. He didn't worry himself about it though. Whatever form the gaijin used couldn't compare to him.

He was wrong.

A mass of silver and red rose up, towering over the school, making it look like a doll house in comparison. The girls all gaped at what they were looking at and even Kuyou was finding himself at a loss for words. This being was mainly silver with red accents around his head, torso, and arms. His eyes were large and yellow and the symbol that Ben wore on his 'limiter' was on the centre of his chest.

"It's Ultraman!" Kurumu cried as she pointed at the towering alien.

"Nah, I'm Way Big!" the towering alien smirked. He looked down at Kuyou with a frown. "And you're going to be toe jam for me!"

"Don't mock me!" Kuyou roared before he threw several fireballs at the gigantic alien.

"Ow!" Way Big growled as the fireballs splattered against him. "That hurt you jerk!"

Bringing his hands up, Way Big slammed his hands together with Kuyou in the middle. The kitsune cried in pain for a moment before Way Big gripped him in one hand. Gripping the corrupt student police officer, Way Big brought him up to face level.

"If I ever hear you doing crap like this again, I'll do way worse than just swatting you!" Way Big growled.

Turning towards the ocean, Way Big reared back his arm and threw Kuyou with a bit of his strength. Kuyou streaked through the air like a meteorite.

"Going, going, GONE!" Way Big laughed as he watched Kuyou splash down into the water. "And the crowd goes wild! Home run for Tennyson!"

Way Big turned to see his friends getting up. Smiling, he leaned down so he could be at face level with them, "Are you guys okay?"

"Yes," Moka nodded in surprise. She knew Ben had access to some strange alien forms, but never anything like this!

"That's great," Way Big grinned. "So, I've got a little while in this form. Any requests?"

"I wanna see what it's like up high!" Yukari shouted with a waving arm.

"You got it," Way Big grinned as he set his hand down on the roof. His friends all clambered onto the humongous hand. "All aboard the Way Big sightseeing tour!"


	52. Ben 10 Meets the Girls

"Ooooooh!" Kurumu growled. "If I can't take you from Moka, then I'm going to make sure she can't have you either!"

"Hey, hang on a sec!" Ben gulped as he backed away from the angry bluenette. She was reminding him too much of Gwen when she got ticked off.

To Ben's shock, Kurumu sprouted a pair of bat-like wings from her back while a tail with a spade on the tip slipped out from under her skirt. Her nails had even lengthened and looked like they could cut up a lot of things. Namely Ben himself!

"Now I'm mad!" Kurumu the succubus growled.

"I really should stop being surprised by things like this," Ben gulped.

"Come here!" Kurumu growled as she lunged at Ben.

"Woah!" Ben cried as he ducked underneath the blow. Several deep gouges appeared in the wall where Kurumu had struck.

Rolling to the side, Ben pulled back his sleeve and activated the Omnitrix, "Okay, you wanna fly? Let's fly!"

Pulling up the alien of his choice, Ben pressed the face to begin the change. Ben's entire body shifted and mutated. His entire head was encased in a black carapace as four tentacle-like eyes popped out from the sides of his head. His arms grew spindly as another set grew and his legs changed with them. His torso was covered in white carapace as a black abdomen grew out from his tailbone. A pair of orange wings sprouted from his back while the symbol of the Omnitrix appeared on his face.

"Stinkfly!" the alien insect grinned as he buzzed in the air.

**Omnitrix Encyclopedia**

**Stinkfly A.K.A. ****Lepidopterran**

_These aliens hail from a swamp-like world__. They have the ability to see in four different directions and have the ability to shoot high pressure liquids from those eyes. The liquid can range from a flammable fluid to an immobilizing jelly. Their claws and stinger make for a good melee weapon. A weakness they have is their inability to swim and if water touches their wings, they lose the ability to fly. An odd annoyance to this species is the foul body odor they excrete, hence Ben's name for it._

"Ewww!" Kurumu gagged as she held her nose. "Please tell me that's not your true form!"

"It isn't!" Stinkfly snapped. "It's just one of the only ones I have that can fly without effort!"

"Good," Kurumu smirked. "I wouldn't want to ruin the image I have of you. Now prepare to get swatted!"

"No way!" Stinkfly frowned as he began buzzing higher. "You gotta catch me first!"

Picking up speed, Stinkfly crashed through the infirmary window. Kurumu growled angrily before she took flight and followed. Both fliers were in the sky and one was diving at the other, hoping to disembowel him.

"Neener neener neener!" Stinkfly laughed as he stuck his tongue out at Kurumu.

"Get back here!" Kurumu hissed as she lunged for him again.

The angry succubus lunged at Stikfly again, aiming to slice off his wings. A wobbly eye turned to see if she was on his tail and he wasn't disappointed to see Kurumu. Within inches of hitting Stinkfly's body, the alien insect buzzed into the air, avoiding the attack.

"Take this!" Stinkfly buzzed before shooting streams of green slime out of his eyes.

Kurumu was hit with the green slime which pushed her down towards the ground. She hit a tree, but the slime solidified into a jelly. The succubus struggled with the substance, but it was proving uncuttable by her nails.

"Gross!" she gagged. She turned up to glare at the one who did this to her, instead, she saw Stinkfly flying above her with his stinger aimed at her neck. "Eep!"

"Now, are you going to back off?" Stinklfy asked with a frown.

"Ulp," Kurumu gulped. "Um…yes."

"Good," Stinkfy nodded. "Now hold still."

Using his six pinchers, he began to shred the jelly which was holding her in place. After a few moments, the slime was gone and Kurumu was free. Buzzing back a little, Stinkfly's body flashed green before shifting back into Ben.

"I'm flattered you want to flirt with me and all," Ben frowned. "But I don't appreciate being used as a toy against my friend."

"Sorry," Kurumu frowned sadly.

Ben sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "It's no problem. Just try not to get carried away again, will ya?"

"Sure," Kurumu smiled weakly.

"Cool," Ben nodded with a grin. "Well, see you around."

Ben waved and walked away. Kurumu watched him go for a moment before a soft smile took her face. She also adopted a soft blush on her cheeks.

* * *

"Get out of our way!" Lizardman One growled at the group of two girls and one boy who were defending the little witch who so richly deserved punishment by them.

"Fat chance," Ben frowned. "I'm not going to let some punks pick on a little girl, even if she's a witch."

"Ben?" asked Yukari with some surprise. He was coming to her defense even after all the things she had done?

"And what do you think you can do about it?" Lizardman One hissed.

"Anything I can!" Ben frowned as he revealed the Omnitrix. Activating it, he scrolled to the image of an old favorite that he liked to use. Pressing down the face, his change began.

Ben's body immediately swelled like a balloon. His entire body turned white as his head was pulled into his torso. Yellow plating appeared on his back while his arms and legs turned trunk-like. His mouth filled with short but sharp teeth. His eyes turned completely yellow and it was obvious his muscles became quite advanced. On his forehead was the mark of the Omnitrix.

"Cannonbolt!" the new alien bellowed as he flexed his arms.

**Omnitrix Encyclopedia**

**Cannonbolt A.K.A. Arburian Pelarota**

_This alien hails from the planet Arubia. Although the planet was destroyed by a cosmic entity in the past, Ben's form is possibly the last one. Its body is covered with near unbreakable plating which can resist heat, laser, and even acid. They can coil themselves into a ball and roll themselves into their opponents. However, they aren't the fastest species in the universe and cannot turn quickly, giving fast opponents an advantage in agility._

"Sugoi!" Yukari gasped as she took in the sight of Cannonbolt.

"What the-?!" one of the lizardmen gasped in shock. "Just what the hell are you?!"

"Your worst nightmare," Cannonbolt smirked. "And you are my scaly new bowling pins!"

Rolling himself into a ball, Cannonbolt began to spin rapidly. Kicking up dust, Cannonbolt fired at the lizardmen at a rapid pace. None of them could move quickly enough before being bowled down like bowling pins. They cried in pain as they were knocked to the sides and over the ground. Spinning to a stop, Cannonbolt got back on his feet as he turned to face the recovering lizardmen.

"Had enough?" he smirked.

"Not even close!" the leader of the lizardmen growled as he and his buddies got back to their feet. "I dare you to try that again!"

"You asked for it!" Cannonbolt laughed before he started stomping towards the three lizardmen.

* * *

"I can't let you leave," Mizore spoke softly as the lake froze over with a thick sheet of ice. Ice claws covered her hands while her hair seemed to turn to ice as well. "I suppose you can tell I'm a yuki-onna now. I will make you mine.

"Now, let's talk about this!" Ben cried before he lost all feelings in his feet. Grimacing, he looked down to see that his feet were encased in ice. "Oh man,"

"It will only hurt for a little while," Mizore smiled gently. "Then we can be together."

"I'd rather not be a popsicle!" Ben hissed before he reached for the Omnitrix. Shifting through the alien forms, he found another old favorite.

Pressing the face down, Ben's entire body was covered in red stone. The creases in between glowed brightly with heat. His face was turned to red stone with yellow flames rising from it. His hands swelled to a bigger size, meant for battle. In the centre of his chest was the symbol of the Omnitrix.

"Heatblast!" the fiery alien roared as he thawed out of the ice that tried to cover him.

**Omnitrix Encyclopedia**

**Heatblast A.K.A. Pyronite**

_These people hail from the star Pyros. They are a magma-based life form that is capable of manipulating fire and temperatures to do whatever they want. They can even fly using thermal energy to propel them along. However, they are riddled with weaknesses. They are extremely vulnerable to water and other such fire extinguishing materials. They are also unable to lower their body temperature which makes it impossible to touch almost everything outside of their home planet._

"Too hot," Mizore mumbled as she shielded her face from the heat radiating off her target.

"And it's about to get a whole lot hotter!" Heatblast growled as he flared, making his fire even larger and causing the ice to crack all over the lake.

"Nnn!" Mizore gasped, backing away from the heat. "Stop it."

Waving her hand, Mizore sent waves of ice at the flaming Pyronite, hoping to extinguish his fire. Heatblast wasn't having any of that. Pointing his hands, he fired two continuous streams of fire. The two opposing elemental forces hit each other, creating a huge cloud of steam.

"Too hot, too hot," Mizore trembled as she recoiled from the steam.

"Seems a little on the cool side to me," Heatblast commented as he walked through the cloud of steam. Mizore trembled and tried to shield herself from the heat radiating from the alien in front of her. "Oh, sorry."

Heatblast stepped back and allowed himself to revert back to Ben. Mizore gave a soft sigh of relief, happy to be free from the flames that threatened to harm her so. Still, the heat had weakened her somewhat.

"Okay, if you wanted my attention you could have just said so," Ben sighed. "You didn't have to try and flash freeze me."

"I wanted to keep you," Mizore spoke softly. "I guess I can't."

"Great. Another girl crushing on me," Ben sighed to himself. "Gwen is not going to let me hear the end of this."


	53. Ben 10 Strength and Speed

"Hey! Ugly!" Ben snapped. Saizou looked up from where he was attempting to take advantage of Moka. "Get you hands off Moka!"

"Hmph!" Saizou snorted. "And what is some gaijin going to do about it? I heard western monsters are so weak anyway."

"Yeah right," Ben frowned. "Last warning. Let Moka go."

"Make me!" Saizou snorted.

"No, Ben!" Moka cried, struggling against Saizou's powerful grip. "Run, Ben!"

"Not my style," Ben frowned. He held up his arm and pulled his sleeve back. A strange green bracelet with a black and green insignia on it was revealed to the light. Ben pressed something on it and the face popped up with a holographic image with four arms in the insignia.

"Going hero!" Ben called before he pressed the insignia.

Ben's body grew to match Saizou's orc size, maybe an extra head or two in size. His skin turned dark red and his torso was covered in a white and black shirt. Hs pants turned black with bare two-toed red feet. He had two pairs of arms and both looked like they could smash things without much effort. His head was red and hairless with two pairs of yellow eyes. His upper left shoulder had the same symbol as on his watch on it

"Fourarms!" the new Ben Tennyson roared as he smashed his fists together.

**Omnitrix Encyclopedia**

**Fourarms A.K.A. Tetramand**

_These people come from the desert planet Khoros. It is a dystopian society which creates powerful warriors. They have the ability to create concussive blasts just by clapping their hands together. They are massive, which makes the completion of delicate or tasks in small places hard or impossible. Still, they are reliable fighters and they love to do what they do. In his younger days, Ben used this form the most since it suited his old fighting style: forward and without thinking._

"What the HELL?!" Saizou shouted in shock.

Moka gaped in complete amazement at what she was looking at. She couldn't believe that Ben was capable of changing his form like that. He had confessed that he was completely human, but how could a human do what she had just seen? She didn't think humans could change into giant four armed creatures.

"Ahhh," Fourarms grinned as he flexed his arms. "Just like riding a bike! I never forget!"

"Hmph!" Saizou grunted, turning away from Moka. "So you aren't the wuss I took you for. Don't know what the hell you are, but I'm not going to allow you to mess with my fun!"

With a roar, Saizou charged with his muscled arms raised. Fourarms gripped his fists and charged with preparation to fight back. Saizou attacked first with his muscled fist. Fourarms retorted by grabbing the attack with his upper arms before punching Saizou in the gut with his lower fists. Sazou grunted and lost his breath before Fourarms pushed him back, gaining ground.

"Give up yet?" asked Fourarms with a smirk.

"No…way!" Saizou snapped before he unleashed a powerful uppercut into Fourarms' chin, knocking the alien back. The angry orc continued his attack by tackling Fourarms and smashing him into several tombstones and a tree.

"Agh!" the Tetramand groaned as he shook the stars out of his head. "Okay! Time to get serious!"

"Ben!" the voice of Moka cried before the girl in question dashed to his side.

"Huh? Moka?" Fourarms blinked. "Hey, you gotta get back! This is dangerous stuff!"

"I don't care!" Moka cried. "I just don't want you to get hurt!"

"Comes with the hero territory," Fourarms grunted as he began to get up. "Besides, I'm used to it."

As he was getting up, Fourarms' upper left arm missed its grip. Instead of grabbing a tombstone to help get up, he grabbed Moka's rosario. Oblivious to it, he pulled and with a loud metallic sound, the rosario came off cleanly.

"Huh?" Fourarms blinked as he looked at the cross in his hand. "Uh-oh."

* * *

"If I can't make Moka my girl by trickery," Gin growled. "I'll just have to do it by force!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ben frowned as he lunged for the upperclassman. His hands gripped air as Gin suddenly vanished.

"You're a little slow, Ben," Gin laughed from atop the roof exit/entrance. "I'm already way over here."

The full moon came into view and Gin's entire body began to change. His face elongated as fur covered his entire body. His ears turned canine as his mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. A tail slipped out from his pants as his legs lengthened and took a more canine appearance.

"A werewolf?!" Kurumu gasped. "No way!"

"They say they're as strong as vampires!" cried Yukari. "We have to get out of here."

Gin smirked before he lunged again. His body was a blue before he came to a stop in front of the group with his claws raised.

"Just give me Moka and nobody has to get hurt," Gin grinned with his wolfish teeth. "I don't see what's so hard about this."

"Right," Ben frowned. He held up the Omnitrix and began scrolling through the alien forms he had. "You think you're pretty fast do ya? Let me show you some real speed!"

Ben pressed down on the face of the Omnitrix and allowed the change to overtake him. His body thinned down while his skin turned blue. His hands turned to black talons while his body was covered with a black bodysuit with an angular head and helmet. A long blue tail jutted from his back while his feet turned reptilian with spheres in them. The Omnitrix symbol was centered in his chest.

"XLR8!" the new form of Ben Tennyson hissed, glaring at Gin with his yellow reptilian eyes.

**Omnitrix Encyclopedia**

**XLR8 A.K.A. Kineceleran**

_This species comes from the accelerated planet of Kinec. These are probably some of the fastest people in the universe. They can easily go up to speeds of 500 km per hour. Fast enough to run up walls or across water if they so desire. Ben has actually created tornadoes with his XLR8 form. It is rumored that magnets give Kinecelerans problems to the point where they can't balance. This rumor hasn't been proven yet._

"Doesn't look too impressive," Gin snorted.

"Oh, you'll see," XLR8 smirked before a black visor with an blue X on the front covered his face.

Gin snorted again before he lunged, expecting XLR8 to be an easy target. To his shock, XLR8 managed not only to avoid the strike, but return a counterblow with his tail, smashing it into his snout.

"Ow!" Gin cried as he stumbled backwards. Looking forward, his eyes widened as he saw the blue alien charging at him with a speed that exceeded a werewolf!

POW!!

Gin was slugged across the face with a rapid punch from XLR8. The stunned werewolf skidded across the roof and came to a stop. Groaning, he got back to his feet with a snarl.

"You want to make this a test of speed? Fine!" he snapped. Using every bit of power his body allowed, Gin charged at the black opponent.

"Not bad," XLR8 nodded at the oncoming werewolf. "Could be better though."

With that, XLR8 sped out of Gin's sight. The angry werewolf skidded to a stop on the ground, trying to find where he had gone. He never looked up, so it was understandable that it was a surprise when XLR8 came crashing down on his head, putting it into the stone.

"When you're fast enough to go up walls," XLR8 smirked. "Nowhere is impossible to get to."

"Ugh…"gin moaned before he lost consciousness.


	54. Orochi

The wedding had started off alright at first but now…like the rest of Ranma's life it was utter chaos. Shampoo and Ukyo were throwing bombs everywhere, Kuno was attacking him, Kodachi was attacking Akane, and plus it was free-for-all for the water from the Cursed Spring of Drowned Man with Genma, Ryouga and Mousse in it.

Ranma was trying to keep things under control but with limited success. Ranma had finally found his infinite patience at an end. All his life he'd been made to suffer because of things beyond his control. He'd realised that his father never really cared for him when he'd thrown him into the pit of cats. He could've died in the name of training! He remembered the hissing and scratching as well as him screaming in pain. He couldn't do anything about it.

No more! Ranma's temper began to snap as his eyes suddenly glowed bright blue before he roared, "ENOUGH!" The ki he was releasing was intense but that was normal for him. What wasn't normal were the strong markings on his face right before his body…changed.

It wasn't a change because of his curse, but something else…

Ranma could feel his entire body morph as grey organic armor covered him from head to toe. His teeth turned into fangs as he felt his neck getting longer. Also, he could feel something coiling around his arms and legs.

The fighting ceased when they saw this and Akane screamed. Gone was Ranma and in his place…was the Orochi Orphenoch.

He was serpentine in appearance with a snake's head in the centre of his chest and snakes coiled around his arms and legs. His feet looked like snake heads and hanging from behind his head like hair were even more snakes. His entire body was a mixture of grey and white.

Kuno proclaimed, "So, the demon reveals himself! I shall smite thee!" He rushed at the transformed Ranma, which was a bad idea in itself. He swung down his sword…

CLANG!

The blade, however, was caught between Ranma's now claw-like fingers as he turned his head to look at Kuno. "_Kuno…you've been a pain in my ass for a long time. I'm tired of your stupidity and delusions! WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE YOU SHUT UP?!_" The snakes hanging from behind his head suddenly reacted to his anger. They struck forward and then wrapped around Kuno's wrists and throat before one of them shoved itself into Kuno's mouth and down his throat. Everyone watched horrified because as soon as Ranma removed the snake, Kuno's body trembled before crumbling into dust. Ranma jerked away from the collapsing body, almost as frightened as everyone else in the room, if not more so.

"_What the hell?!_" Ranma gasped as he backed away. What the heck had happened? He didn't order the snakes to do that. His horror only grew when the full implications of what happened. "_Oh my god…_"

No one was sure who screamed first. It was assumed that it was one of the girls, but it might have been one of the fathers knowing how whiney they were. Ranma looked around, still numb to the fact that his body had changed. The rivals were staring while the fiancées could only stare. Kodachi seemed to be on the brink of complete insanity…well, deeper insanity, at the sight of her brother or at least what remained of him.

Ranma felt himself beginning to panic. He had killed again! First Saffron and now Kuno! Unlike the phoenix king, Kuno wasn't going to get back up again.

"_No…no, no, no…NOOOOOOOOO!"_ Ranma bellowed, the snakes around his limbs hissing in empathic despair. Dashing to the side, Ranma crashed through the room. It didn't seem he had even noticed that he had crashed through the solid wall. The collected guests could only stare in fear and surprise at what had happened.

LATER…..

"Saotome!" Soun bawled. "What happened to your son!? He has to be human to join the schools!"

"I don't know!" Genma insisted. "He's never done this before!"

"You're lying!" Nodoka hissed as she drew her sword. "You know why my manly son turned into that beast! Tell me!"

Once the devastation had passed, the guests had arrived expecting a wedding, but got a ruined dojo instead. Nabiki had taken every money gift from the guests and kept it to repair the dojo. Akane had been traumatized and wasn't talking while the fiancées seemed to have lost that spark that kept them in the competition that they set up between themselves. Kodachi had to be hauled away by the police as they took statements from everyone. For once they actually got involved when they heard someone died. The rivals were mixed about the situation. On one hand, the girls they loved/lusted after were most definitely free, but on the other hand, Ranma had turned into a true monster. It was hard to tell what was better.

Kasumi seemed to be doing the best, but the trembling in her hands showed even she was shocked by the events. She was so sure this was going to be the day where her little brother and her little sister were going to get married. Instead, the rivals and fiancées attacked en masse and Ranma had turned into a monster and killed one of them.

'There's a reason why my son has turned into a monster and I know you must be involved!" she held the sword under Genma's chin. "Talk!"

Now Genma was in a pickle and his son wasn't around for him to put the blame on. Of course, he really did not know how his son suddenly turned into a monster, and a powerful one at that. There was nothing he could say to fix this because someone had actually died now and it wasn't a god that could resurrect himself. Kuno may have been a pain but he had still been human but now he was just a pile of dust after Ranma, or whatever he'd turned into, had been done with him.

"Grandmother," Shampoo asked Cologne. "What was that thing Airen become? Was it demon?"


	55. Zero No GekiRanger

"Stop it! There's no way a commoner can beat a noble," said Louise, trying to talk Jan out of fighting Guiche.

"Don't look down on me," Jan grinned while wiping off the blood on his lip. "I can take it." He got up and rubbed out the wrinkles in his shirt. His Geki had been messed up during the summoning but now he could feel his Tiger Geki returning. Now it was pay back time.

Guiche had his Bronze Golem ready to attack and the emerald knight struck forward with a fist. The other students of the Tristian Academy were expecting Jan to get pummeled but instead Louise's familiar was able to dodge and then. Guiche commanded his golem to attack but the summoned creature was unable to land a hit on Jan. Louise was stunned by her familiar's agility.

"Stand still!" commanded Guiche.

"OK!" grinned Jan as he stood a few feet away from the charging bronze golem. He then called out his Geki and struck, "Gekiwaza! Hou Hou Dan!"

Much to everyone's amazement, Guiche and Louise's especially, a red aura projection flew out from Jan and became a red tiger. It ripped the bronze golem apart with its claws and let out a roar before vanishing.

"What!?" exclaimed Guiche. "Impossible! A commoner can't use magic!"

"That wasn't magic," Jan explained. "That was my Geki. But if you want to see another trick, look at this!" He spread his arms to the side, "Tagire! Power of the Beasts!" He punched his right fist into his left palm. "Beast On!" He pressed the fingers of his left palm onto the panels on top of his right knuckle. His entire body flashed. When the flash died down, the commoner had changed.

"Infinite power flows in my body. 'Unbreakable Body,' GekiRed!"

Jan was donned in a red bodysuit that was styled like a tiger with a red helmet that had a black visor. It was styled like a tiger along with the rest of his outfit. His hands were still donned in those strange gauntlets he always wore. The students were all gaping at what they were seeing Louise the Zero's familiar was really capable of.

"Who cares what you can do! You're still a commoner to me and Louise is still a zero!" Guiche frowned as he summoned more golems.

"Don't say bad stuff about Pinku!" GekiRed frowned.

"Stop calling me that!" Louise shouted angrily. "Call me Mistress! How many times do I have to say it?!"

GekiRed ignored her in favor of facing the golems. Going into a stance, he charged straight at the golems with all the might his red tiger Geki gave him. However, Guiche summoned more golems to attack Jan and the red GekiRanger decided to even the odds.

"GekiSabre!" called out GekiRed as he summoned a pair of swords into his hands. Using his swords, he sliced at the golems around him. This stunned Guiche but he wasn't going to let a commoner humiliate him. With a wave of his rose, he summoned a dozen more golems.

"Gekiwaza!" called out GekiRed as his aura turned blue. He combined both swords into one larger and sharper blade. "Nami Nami Zan!" Surging forward, he struck at the remaining golems and sliced them to pieces with his sword. When he reached Guiche, he held the tip of the combined GekiSabre at his opponent's throat. In fear and shock, Guiche dropped on his rear.

"I…give up," Guiche said pathetically.

* * *

The fight between Jan and Guiche was the only thing anyone could talk about. They didn't know how he managed to do what he did, but Jan was somehow able to do magic just the same. Well, he called it Geki, but all the students figured that was what they called magic where he came from. Still, using a weapon with his power was something unheard of.

"I order you to tell me where you learned that stuff!" Louise barked as Jan yet again ate at the table with the apprentices, as if he was equal to them. No one seemed to be able to convince him how things worked so they gave up. Let punishment befall on his head if he wouldn't listen.

"I told you!" Jan huffed. "I learned from Neko!"

"Cat's don't teach people mystic arts!" Louise snapped.

"It's GekiJyuKen! Not magic!" Jan retorted.

"I want to know where you learned it!"

"Pinku needs to learn how to listen," Jan sighed.

"And stop calling me that!" Louise cried, near desperation. Though she felt a little smug that she got a powerful familiar in Jan, it was frustrating that he was so stubborn. He kept calling his type of magic Geki and she wanted to know where he learnt it. He kept talking about a cat teaching him his magic. The reason she'd asked was because she wanted to learn too but she wasn't going to say it.

"Does Pinku want to learn GekiJyuKen?" Jan asked curiously.

A commoner teaching a noble? That was unheard of and also degrading to her status. Still, he'd offered though. It was only polite to accept. "What makes you think I can?"

"Anyone can do GekiJyuKen!" Jan said cheerfully. "I can teach you the basics too."

"OK, fine," sighed Louise. "But I am still the master here."

"OK, Pinku!"

"And stop calling me that!"

* * *


	56. NEW GEAR

PTERA-GLIDER

A portal opened above Ifrit and something bird-like flew out of it. It let out a loud reptilian shriek as it swooped in closer to reveal itself.

It was a robotic pterodactyl.

"Nani?" Ifrit wondered what it was. It then lowered itself to rest at his feet.

"I think it wants you to ride it," said Kotonoha.

"Oh, alright," said Ifrit as he stepped onto the robot's back, his feet on the back of the wings. Clamps snapped on and secured the Rider to it. "Huh?"

Letting out another screech, the robotic flying dinosaur took to the skies as it carried its new passenger. "Wargh!" screamed out Ifrit.

The Raven Imagin, meanwhile, was in the air and shooting its feathers like arrows at everything around it. "Yes, burn! Burn!"

"Yamerro, teme!!!" Ifrit roared as he flew straight at the Imagin.

"Huh!?" the Raven Imagin gawked as the Rider came flying at him riding upon a flying glider. Ifrit flew past the Imagin and the wings of his glider slashed at it. "WAH!" the Imagin yelled out in pain.

"OK, I'm starting to get the hang of this," smirked Ifrit as he remained balanced upon his new vehicle. It wasn't like the Dyno-Breaker but it was no different from a skateboard or surfboard. Unfortunately, he hadn't ridden such things in his life. The robotic pterodactyl let out a shriek. "OK, let's see what else you can do!"

Hidden panels under the wings slid open and out came missiles which were fired. They homed in on the Imagin and exploded on impact. The explosion tossed the Imagin out of the air and sent it slamming into the wall.

The Imagin growled and fired its feathers at the Rider who managed to dodge using his glider. "Alright, I need to get in close!"

The glider seemed to understand and the clamps snapped open, releasing Ifrit. It then flew out from under the Rider before attaching to Ifrit's back and spreading out its wings. "Heh, cool!" Ifrit chuckled in appreciation.

He flew at the Imagin and threw a punch which rammed into its gut, knocking the wind out of it. He then grabbed it by the shoulders and slammed his knee into the flying Imagin's gut before he drew back his fist and threw it against its beak, bending it. The Imagin cried out in pain as Ifrit continued to pummel it without mercy.

* * *

DYNO CROSS-ROD

"Ryuji-kun! Here!" called Kotonoha as she tossed the item to Ifrit who caught it. The Dyno Cross-Rod was gripped tightly in his hand. The weapon had a basket hilt with a long black and yellow rod attached to it. At the base of the black and yellow rod was a golden 'X', the symbol of the DynoLiner.

Ifrit looked up to see the truck-like Gigandeath charging at him, its engine roaring like a primordial beast. "One shot," muttered the Rider as he got out his Pass. "Let's see what this thing can do!" He swiped the Dyno Pass over the belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"Once more!"

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"Third time's the charm!"

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

With the Dyno Pass swiped thrice across the belt buckle, the Triple Full Charge transferred energy from the belt into the Dyno Cross-Rod. The 'X' and the rod glowed with golden energy as red lightning crackled around the rod itself.

"This is your stop! HYAH!" shouted Ifrit as he performed a horizontal swipe with his weapon, sending out a horizontal bar of light that stopped the Gigandeath in its tracks. The bar of light acted like a crossing gate. The wheels of the Gigandeath spun around and around, kicking up dust, but even with its power, it could not break through.

"Tyrano! Tricera! ATTACK!" ordered Ifrit as he pointed the Dyno Cross-Rod at the Gigandeath. Both dinosaur-like trains burst forth from a portal, linked up with the Tyrano in the lead. The Tyrano roared as the Tricera bellowed, their bodies engulfed in blue flames before they rammed into the Gigandeath from the side, causing it to fall over onto its side.

"OK, Mammoth, finish it!" shouted Ifrit as his DynoLiner Mammoth appeared, speeding up towards the Gigandeath. Ifrit leapt onto its trunk and then it tossed him forward. "ORE NO HISSATSU WAZA! DYNO CROSS SLASH!!!"

When he was in range, he performed a cross slash, slicing the Gigandeath into four pieces before the Mammoth rammed through it, destroying it in a tremendous explosion.

**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!**

Ifrit landed upon the Mammoth with the Tyrano and Tricera racing alongside the steam engine.


	57. Ai Yori Aoshi: KAMEN RIDER RONIN

ZK Chromedragozoid: I was inspired to write this once I finished watching Ai Yori Aoshi. I just couldn't help myself. Pls, enjoy this preview. Once I rewatch the series I can make a better version, OK?

* * *

The young man was in his early twenties, probably a college student, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Standing before him was a creature. Its body was covered in chains and metal balls. It had muscles that looked like they were either dead flesh or metal plated. Its face was covered in an obsidian black mask that had white teeth and beady yellow eyes. Chains came from the mask and were bolted into the skin of the head. Unafraid, the young man took out a strange dagger and it was revealed that he was wearing a strange belt with a circular buckle and a crescent moon on it.

With a cry of, "Henshin!" the young man slid the blade of the ceremonial dagger into a slot on the right side of the buckle, causing the crescent moon to glow and release a brilliant shine.

The image of the young man could be seen, but it was all black. Around the white orb, silver sections of armor appeared in the air. All the pieces looked like they belonged on the body of a samurai. Even more brilliant, the pieces appeared to be made of silver that was almost reflective, but as bright as the moon. As the light began to die down, the armor began attaching to the figure in the orb.

As the light cleared, the true form of the figure could be seen. He was covered by a black bodysuit which left no flesh to be seen. The torso was covered with silver armor that had wolf designs on the sides. His shoulders were covered with silver wolf heads while his forearms were covered with silver gauntlets which covered his hands. Around his waist was his belt which he had been wearing before. His legs were covered with silver boots that depicted crescent moons near the knees. His face was shielded by a helmet that had a samurai design to it. His eye pieces were perfectly rounded and a deep sapphire blue. His mouthplate was plain, but looked like it had wolf fangs etched on the sides.

The strange creature growled angrily as it eyed the new form of its opponent. It felt an ancient power coming from this human. A power that it did not like at all.

"I am the outcast who wields the blade of the moon and shall cut down all evil," the man spoke. "Ore wa Ronin! Kenzan!"

* * *

**AI YORI AOSHI: KAMEN RIDER RONIN**

* * *

"Aoi-chan! Aoi-chan!" Kaoru cried, watching as the pretty young woman slowly came to consciousness. "Aoi-chan! Are you okay?"

"Kaoru…sama?" Aoi breathed as she slowly began to get up. As she got to her feet, her eyes widened and she gasped in fear. "Kaoru-sama! Where is that monster? How did you change into that armor? What is going on?!"

"Aoi-chan, calm down!" Kaoru spoke, silencing his hopeful fiancée. "It's okay. There's no monster and I didn't change into armor. Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"

"No!" Aoi cried. "I know it wasn't a dream! I know what I saw!"

"Aoi…" Kaoru grimaced. How was he going to get out of this? He was sure that he was in the clear when Aoi fainted. That way he could claim that all she had seen was a simple dream. She obviously wasn't buying it.

"Kaoru-sama!" Aoi cried out. She was getting more hysterical. "What was that monster? How were you able to defeat it?" Tears were beginning to leak into her eyes.

"Uh…that's…a long story," Kaoru sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. Looking back at the ashes which used to be a Spirit, he then looked back at Aoi. "Could we talk about this back in the apartment?"

"Of course," Aoi nodded. "But I wish to know what is going on!"

"And I'll tell you!" Kaotu insisted. "I promise!"

Relocating back to Kaoru's room, Aoi sat at his table with a cup of green tea in front of her. She was visibly shaking, but trying very hard not to let what she saw get to her. She wanted to get answers and going into hysteria probably wouldn't help her get them.

"It…happened three months ago," Kaoru began.

-FLASHBACK-

_Kaoru was heading back home after his classes at school ended for the day. He had to stay behind to ask some questions of the teacher, but he didn't think he was running too late. Still, he had forgotten that the days were shorter this time of year. The sun was already setting and he wanted to get back quickly._

"_Man," he sighed. "It's getting cold way too fast."_

_Little did he know that the cold was soon to be the last thing on his mind._

_BOOM!_

"_Wagh!" Kaoru cried as the wall ahead of him seemed to explode._

_Dashing away from the explosion site, Kaoru looked to see just what the heck had happened. What he saw was a dirty metallic figure rising from an indent in the wall opposite of the one that had somehow blown up._

_The figure was donned in a black bodysuit which had silver armor on it with a wolf motif. He had dust covering his body, indicating that he indeed had been the one who that had been sent hurling through the wall in the first place._

"_Hhhssssssss!" a downright evil noise hissed from the hole in the wall._

_Daring to look, Kaoru fought down the urge to wet himself. He was looking at a monster! It looked like it had a humanoid form, but it also looked like it was a living cache of firearms! Its torso was a black color, but the bronze pullets that were poking out made it look dangerous. Its arms weren't actually arms, but a sick mesh between flesh and assault rifle. Its legs were robotic looking, but there was the odd bit of flesh poking out. Its feet were pure metal with only two toes a foot. Its face was the oddest. It was covered by a mask with holes for a mouth and a yellow slit for eyes. It looked like it had survived a gun fight since there were dents and black scorch marks all over it._

"_Ugh," the silver warrior groaned as he pulled himself out of the wall "It will take more than that to get rid of me!"_

"_Hraaaaahh!" the monster shrieked before it aimed its arms at the warrior._

_Kaoru covered his ears as the gun arms unleaded their salvo at the silver target. Amazingly, the silver warrior managed to dash to the side, avoiding the damage. Racing closer to the creature, the silver warrior reached to his belt and grabbed what looked like a dagger's hilt. Yanking it, there was a bright flash before the warrior held up a gorgeously polished katana that was as silver as his armor._

"_HIYAAHHH!" the man roared as he slashed at the monster._

_A wet slicing noise echoed in the air before the monster roared in pain. Kaoru's face went pale as the arm of the monster went flying through the air. Black fluid oozed like tar from the wound as the monster backpedaled into the street. The silver warrior came to a stop as he stared at the creature._

"_You die today, beast," the silver warrior spoke as he raised his sword again._

_The monster shuddered as it tried to keep away from the silver warrior. It seemed to be looking around for some kind of escape, anything to save its life. Kaoru thought his heart stopped when its visor landed on him._

"_Skreee!" the monster screeched as it took aim at him._

"_AHHHH!!" Kaoru cried in terror._

"_NO!" the silver warrior roared._

_RATTA-TATTA-TATTA_

_Kaoru closed his eyes, expecting to be dead. He could hear the sound of bullets firing and the sensation of warm blood falling on his body. Strangely, he couldn't feel any pain of the bullets entering his body. Daring to look, he found that he was indeed covered in blood, but none of it was his. Looking up, his eyes widened as he saw the blood was running out of the holes in the silver warrior's armour._

"_Huh?!" Kaoru gasped._

"_So…this is…my last fight," the silver warrior groaned. "In that case…Tsukuyomi…would you…fight by my side…one last time?"_

_A silver light sparkled in his free hand. It shone for a moment before a round white gemstone appeared in his hand. It looked to be made of crystal and had a kanji for 'Moon' in the very centre._

_Bringing the stone to the hilt of his sword, the silver warrior opened a chamber in the hilt. He then popped the stone inside before shutting it again. The blade of the sword began to glow brightly before it flashed. The blade had vanished, but in its place was a large blade which wouldn't be out of place in Final Fantasy 7. The blade had deep grooves carved in it, but those quickly filled with white light._

_Taking his enlarged blade, the silver warrior spun it counter-clockwise in a large circle. A light shone from the tip of the blade, making the circle appear in the air. The silver warrior then gripped his blade in both hands as his blue eyepieces began to glow white. Positioning himself to strike, his armor began to glow like his eyes._

"_TSUKUYOMI!"_

_The silver warrior became a blur of silver light as he dashed forward. His sword was raised high and ready to strike. The monster fired more rounds at the warrior, but the projectiles were being steered away from the incoming strike. Kaoru could only blink before the silver warrior had moved past and swiped downward with his blade._

"_RAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the monster shrieked. A straight line of white energy split it right down the middle. Before Kaoru's shocked and terrified eyes, the monster exploded in a haze of white light. For a moment, Kaoru couldn't see, but the white light quickly compacted itself into the kanji for 'Seal' before fading from sight._

"_Woah," Kaoru gaped before his eyes landed on the silver warrior, who was laying in a pool of blood on the ground. "Hey! Are you okay?"_

_He dashed over to the silver warrior and lifted him up, despite the blood coating his hands._

"_Hey! Wake up!" Kaoru shouted. "You gotta get up!"_

"_I won't be making another step," the silver warrior wheezed. "Those bullets shot my torso into pulp. I'm not going to live."_

"_No!" Kaoru cried. "You can't die! You saved my life! I have to repay you somehow!"_

_The silver warrior turned his gaze into Kaoru's eyes. His breathing was becoming even shallower. Gripping his katana, he raised it up. Kaoru gasped as he reached up to the handle of the blade._

"_Boy," he wheezed. "What you saw was called a Spirit. A beast born of an evil soul compiled with negative emotions. They live to kill everything in their path. It was my duty to destroy them wherever I find them."_

"_But…but what do you want me to do?" Kaoru asked, incredibly confused._

"_I want you…to take my place," the warrior gasped._

"_Huh?!" Kaoru gaped. Was this guy serious? Kaoru was no way a fighter. He was just a college student with practically no family who was struggling to live. There was no way he could fight monsters!_

"_You are the…only one I can ask," the man breathed, his breath getting shallower._

"_I," Kaoru gulped before he took the sword. "I accept."_

"_Thank…you," the silver warrior gasped before he slumped back._

_Kaoru shivered at the sight of the newly dead body. Gently placing the man on the ground again, he gasped when the armor began to glow. Stepping back, he watched as the body became pure white energy. Kaoru watched, mesmerized, as the white energy rose into the air and flew off into the night, guided by the bright moon._

"_I will do this," Kaoru spoke. "I swear."_

-END FLASHBACK-

"And that is how it began," Kaoru sighed. "Ever since then I've been fighting Spirits. I just never realized how many of them there are."

"Kaoru-sama," Aoi breathed softly. The story sounded both tragic and amazing. "So…your predecessor entrusted you with this duty?"

"It didn't look like he had much of a choice," Kaoru confessed. "It's my fault he died so it was the least I could do."

"Kaoru-sama…" She felt sympathetic for him. He blamed himself for the warrior's death.

"It wasn't easy when I first started out since I only had the dagger," Kaoru said and then he showed the blade to Aoi. "I didn't have anybody to guide me so I learnt with every fight since then." He chuckled but there was no humour in it. "By all means I should be dead by now." He felt her hands on his. "Aoi-chan?"

"Kaoru-sama, you've been suffering a lot, haven't you?" she asked him. "You've fought these Spirits and managed to survive. Despite the dangers, you never give up in order to protect people."

"The one who gave me this power gave his life to protect me," Kaoru said logically. "It's the honorable thing to do."

More and more, Aoi was falling even more deeply in love with the boy in front of her. So what if he wasn't a member of the Hanabishi clan anymore? It didn't matter to her. She would love him even if he was just a commoner.

"So, tell me about your first battle and victory," she requested. "I wish to learn more about you as you learn about me."

For some reason, Kaoru couldn't refuse. "Alright…"

"But, let me tend to your injuries," she offered.

"Injuries?" Kaoru blinked. Aoi pointed at his shoulder where the Chain Spirit had struck him as he took a blow aimed at Aoi. A spot of blood was visible and it was slowly getting bigger. "Oh, gomen. Sometimes I don't even notice that I got hurt until a while after I finish a fight."

"It still looks serious, Kaoru-sama!" Aoi cried. "Get this shirt off so I can treat it!"

Kaoru gulped, but before he could protest, Aoi already had his shirt off and thrown to the side. She had dashed to the cupboards and was searching for some first aid. As she was doing so, Kaoru looked at the wound. It looked like it went in a fair distance, but not too deep to be deadly.

"Found it!" Aoi called as she turned with a smile. As she took in Kaoru's shirtless form, she paled and gasped. "Kaoru-sama!"

Kaoru knew what Aoi was so shocked about. Besides the wound on his shoulder, there were round and jagged scars on his torso. They were pale, but visible. These scars didn't bother Kaoru. He was proud to have them. They were his badges of honor as he overcame the evil Spirits and saved lives. His shame was the scars on his back.

"I've gotten into a few scrapes, Aoi-chan," he told her. "These scars are proof of the battles I've been in."

"Oh," she nodded and then knelt down to tend to his most recent injury. "This may sting a little."

"I have a large tolerance for pain," he told her. She started to clean the wound and he winced a little.

"Gomen," she apologized.

"It's ok," he told her. "Just keep going."

As she continued, she asked, "So…how many Spirits have you defeated?"

"In the last three months? I've lost count, really. But I will always remember my first battle."

"What was that like?" she asked as she applied some antiseptic.

"It was a week after I got the dagger and well I wasn't sure what to do with it…"

FLASHBACK…

_Kaoru was feeling depressed for most of the week since his amazing experience. He was awake for a whole night wondering if what he had experienced was real. His memories said it was, and the sword he kept said the same, even if it changed into a small silver dagger for some reason. Still, none of that was driven home until the news the next morning said that there was some kind of incident in the area last night and police believed a murder was involved. When Kaoru saw the battle area on the television, he thought his heart had stopped._

_Eventually, looking for some kind of sign on what he should do, Kaoru journeyed to the local shrine, hoping some divine guidance could help him. It was really the only way he could ask for help. It wasn't like there were any experts out there who knew what was going on._

_Ascending the stone stairs, Kaoru stepped up to the shrine. It was about midday so no one was at the shrine at the moment. Not even the temple keepers, which was a little odd, but Kaoru disregarded it. His problem needed some attention. Tossing some change into the offering box, Kaoru rang the bell and placed his hands together._

"_Kami-sama," Kaoru spoke. "I wish for…guidance I suppose. I have been placed in a situation I see no clear way of getting out of. I wish I knew what to do."_

_Taking his hands apart, he suddenly remembered something and placed them back together, "Oh, and I hope the silver warrior can find peace in the next life for the valiant deeds he did in this one."_

_Satisfied with what he had come to do, Kaoru slipped his hands into his pockets and began to head away from the shrine. He had made his plea to the gods and hopefully, he would get an answer._

"_Help me!" a voice cried in terror._

_Stopping suddenly and turning to the source of the sound, Kaoru saw one of the two groundskeepers running from where the memorials were placed with his shirt torn and blood leaking from his shoulder._

"_Hey!" Kaoru cried as he ran up to the man. "What's going on? What happened?"_

"_A monster!" the man cried in hysteria. "A monster came out of the ground! It just came up and started attacking me! I'm lucky to be alive!"_

_A loud shriek came from the memorial stones, causing the man to scream and run away. Looking to the stones, Kaoru's jaw dropped when he saw the monster in question._

_It had a humanoid appearance, but that was all it had on common with humans. Its body looked like it was covered with a layer of dirt and was nothing but skin and bones. Its hands were missing and instead it had large rusted shovel heads for hands. Roots and dead leaves hung from its back while a chipped memorial stone was in the centre of its chest. Its feet were covered in dirty rock that scraped across the cobblestone. While he wasn't sure, Kaoru could swear he saw shovel heads running down its back like a stegosaurus would with plates. Its face was odd. It was covered with a blood red mask that had black tears running down from the black eyeholes. Its mouth looked like it was on a hinge and could open up at any moment._

"_Not another one!" Kaoru cried out. "RUN AWAY!!"_

"_HROOOO!" the Shovel Spirit groaned before it rolled into a ball. Suddenly spinning, the Spirit rolled right past Kaoru and stopped in front of him before unrolling himself. Turning to face the terrified young man the Shovel Spirit reached up and made a slitting motion near its neck before pointing at Kaoru._

"_Oh man," Kaoru gulped. There was no mistaking its intentions. It wanted to kill him!_

_Backing away from the Shovel Spirit, Kaoru felt something in his pocket grow hot. Fumbling in his pocket in the hopes that the hot object would help him, Kaoru pulled out the silver dagger._

"_What is this?" he gasped._

_The blade of the dagger began to glow brightly and Kaoru felt something happening. An orb of light floated from the dagger and rested on the middle of his waist. To his surprise, the orb changed into an oddly decorated buckle with a slit in the right side. Kaoru blinked in confusion at what happened, but cried out in shock when a black belt wrapped around his waist, securing the object._

"_What…what?" Kaoru gaped, growing even more terrified._

_As if it had a mind of its own, the dagger jerked from Kaoru's hand and hovered in the air. A cold sweat broke out on his face as he eyed the point which was aimed right at him. He screamed loudly when the hovering weapon lunged at him. However, instead of digging into his flesh, the dagger slipped into the slot on the right side of the belt._

_Kaoru felt himself engulfed in a large orb of light. He could feel something covering his body before orbs of light surrounded the largest orb. To his surprise, the orbs turned out to be pieces of silver armor. Armor that he recalled the silver warrior to had worn. The armor flew towards his body and placed itself on him appropriately before the orb surrounding him finally vanished._

"_What…what happened to me?" Kaoru gasped as he grabbed his head, feeling the helmet covering it. "Why am I wearing this?"_

_The Shovel Spirit tilted its head to the side, curious and confused, before it let loose a roar and lunged at the newly armored Kaoru. The young man rolled out of the way, still perplexed as to why he had the armor when he recalled the silver warrior's last words._

"_He wanted me to take his place…" Kaoru remembered. He was alive to continue the man's work and he was going to do it…even if he wasn't sure what exactly he had to do._

_The Shovel Spirit slammed its shovel hands down on Kaoru and he leapt into the air. He'd jumped higher than any normal human so he guessed that the armor gave him more than just protection. He decided to see if it increased his strength._

_WHAM!_

_Kaoru drove a kick right into the Shovel Spirit's masked face and sent it skidding backwards with incredible force. He landed in a crouch, feeling a little winded but also excited._

_The Shovel Spirit got back to its feet and lunged at Kaoru, striking at him with its shark shovel hands. He dodged each of the strikes fluidly and without breaking a sweat. He grew cocky and hurled a punch at its chest but it blocked him with one of the shovels and then swung upwards, slashing him in the chest. Sparks flew as Kaoru flew threw the air and slammed against a tree. He groaned and placed a hand where the shovel had struck._

"_Shit…" he cursed. He'd gotten cocky and nearly paid for it with his life. "I need a weapon."_

_Remembering the dagger in his belt, he grabbed the handle as he stood up, "A dagger is better than nothing at all."_

_Pulling on the handle, he felt the blade come out as swiftly as it had gone in. What happened differently was that the blade had begun to shine as it was pulled out. When Kaoru had finally gotten it free, it wasn't a dagger anymore. It was full-length katana!_

"_Woah!" Kaoru gasped._

"_Hyooooo!" the Shovel Spirit moaned, catching Kaoru's attention again._

_Gripping the sword tightly, Kaoru charged at the Shovel Spirit with his weapon raised for a strike. As he got closer, the Shovel Spirit began attacking with its shovel hands again. Kaoru kept back a little, since he didn't want to get hit again. The problem was that he couldn't see much of an opening for an attack. If the Shovel Spirit kept going, he was going to back Kaoru into a corner._

"_Come on, come on!" Kaoru grimaced as he gripped his sword. "Come on!"_

_Almost as in answer to his prayers, the Shovel Spirit raised its arm for an overhead strike, leaving its torso open for an attack. Lunging forward, Kaoru stabbed his sword forward, letting the metal dig into the Shovel Spirit's flesh._

"_HYREEEEEE!!" the wounded Spirit screeched._

_Kaoru was pretty sure he got it in the heart, but the way it was trill thrashing and screeching made him doubt that. Pushing forward, the Shovel Spirit stumbled backwards to avoid having the sword burrow deeper into its flesh. Kaoru kept the pressure on, hoping to run it through and end it._

_Both warriors finally stopped when Kaoru finally pushed the Shovel Spirit up against a tree. There was a squelching noise before Kaoru stumbled forward, his blade being buried up to the hilt in the Spirit's body. The Spirit in question shrieked and bellowed in pain. It hadn't even considering attacking Kaoru because of the pain._

_Kaoru was breathing heavily, but he knew he had a job to finish. Gripping the handle of his sword, he pulled it out of the Spirit, much to its painful chagrin. The black blood didn't even seem to stick to the blade as it dripped off. The Shovel Spirit attempted to stem the bleeding, but Kaoru was already planning his attack._

"_Just go AWAY!" Kaoru cried as he unleashed a horizontal slash which cut into the Spirit's midsection._

_Ashe finished the arc of his slash, the Shovel Spirit stopped moving. At first Kaoru thought he had missed, but a creaking noise alerted him otherwise. Looking up, his eyes bulged as the moderately sized tree which the spirit had been pressed against fell to the ground in a large crash. After another moment, the Shovel Spirit began to unleash a line of silver light from its midsection. As the top half of the Spirit began to finally fall off, it exploded in a haze of white light. The light then converged on itself to make the kanji for 'Seal' and then faded away. There was no trace of the Spirit left behind._

_Stumbling backwards, Kaoru dropped to his knees and dropped his sword. As it came to a rest on the ground, it flashed white and became a dagger again. The same happened to his armor, letting Kaoru return to normal. However, there was a line of red appearing on his shirt, indicating an injury._

"_Oh man," Kaoru groaned tiredly._

-END FLASHBACK-

"And that was my first battle," Kaoru sighed before he winced from another tug at his tight bandages.

"Gomen," Aoi apologized, seeing the discomfort she was causing her love.

"Don't be," Kaoru smiled. "You're helping me heal."

Aoi smiled happily with a small flush on her face, "Still, that was very brave of you Kaoru-sama. Not everyone would face such a monster."

Kaoru gulped when he saw the way she was looking at him. She'd been love struck before but now it had gone up a level after he'd told her about one of his past exploits. A blush crept onto his cheeks as he gazed into her eyes. "Aoi-chan…"

"Kaoru-sama," Aoi sighed.

Both young adults gazed into each others' eyes with various emotions. For Aoi, it was her love already growing deeper at learning so much about the man she intended to marry. For Kaoru, it was shock at how much this woman seemed to care about him. The shock was mixed with some fear, never having a girl care about him like this before.

"Aoi-chan," Kaoru gulped. "I…I…"

Attempting to get up, Kaoru knew he needed to get some air or else he might end up actually kissing Aoi on the first night they met. While the thought itself wasn't anywhere near undesirable, he didn't want to take advantage of the love struck girl. Unfortunately, he forgot that she was still holding the bandages that were wrapped around his shoulder. Sadly, Aoi in her love-struck daze, forgot that she was holding onto said bandages.

"OOOOOWW!" Kaoru cried as the bandages stuck to his wound were suddenly tugged free. Quickly losing his balance to pain, he began to fall forward.

"Oh!" Aoi gasped before her fiancé's heavy weight came crashing down on her.

Kaoru groaned as he felt the tabbing pain in his shoulder return. It seemed like his luck was always on a roller coaster like this. His only consolation wad that he had landed on something soft.

'_What did I land on?_' Kaoru pondered as he placed his hands on either side of his head and pressed slightly.

MOOSH, MOOSH

Lifting himself up, Kaoru thought his heart stopped again. He found himself looking at Aoi's crimson face while his hands were planted firmly on her breast. Naturally, she began to have a reaction at the sudden invasion of her personal space.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Aoi screamed. All of a sudden, the door was thrown open and a mauve haired woman entered with a panicked expression on her face.

"AOI-SAMA!" she shouted as she looked all around the room before she gawked at the spectacle happening in the centre of the room. A shirtless man was on top of her Aoi-sama and molesting her. The woman's face instantly transformed into a portrait of feminine fury. "YOU BEAST!"

"Chotto! Chotto!" Kaoru exclaimed, trying to explain himself, but he was kicked right across the room.

"Aoi-sama!" the woman cried as she helped Aoi up. "Are you alright?"

Kaoru groaned as he rubbed his head fro where it had hit the wall. As if he hadn't been injured enough in one night? First a Spirit and now some gung-ho woman who came out of no where wanted a piece of him. Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed. Granted though, it did look like he was doing something inappropriate to Aoi. What kind of real woman wouldn't react to that?

* * *

-A WEEK LATER-

"So, this is where he lives?" the man said as he looked at the Sakuraba Mansion. He sensed movement and looked through the corner of his eye. It was a Spirit coming at him. "Cheh, damned Spirits."

Suddenly, the Spirit froze. All the while, the man had his hand on his sword's hilt. It didn't look like he'd moved. With a click, it was fully sheathed. The Spirit was suddenly cut in half and collapsed before it faded away, making a symbol of 'Seal' before vanishing completely.

"Kaoru Hanabishi…"

* * *

Ronin was sent skidding across the street on his back when he suddenly stopped at someone's feet. He looked up to see a man with brown hair pulled into a ponytail, a scar on his cheek and piercing blue eyes. "Cheh," the man said disdainfully, "Are you really supposed to be my brother's successor?"

"Huh?" Ronin responded, confused. The man then walked past Ronin and towards the Spirit. "Wait, it's dangerous!"

"Don't presume I am weak, you outsider!" the man snapped as he reached to the sword at his hip. The Spirit came charging but was sent backwards by a single swipe of the man's katana. "Let me show you how you fight Spirits!" He took out a dagger that was similar to Ronin's and a soon a bright light surrounded his waist to create belt like Ronin's as well, but with a sun on it instead. "Henshin!" He slid the blade of the dagger into a slot on the left of the buckle.

A golden sphere circled the man, leaving a black image of himself. Energy rippled off the sphere like fire. Large licks of the fire flew from the sphere, but quickly solidified into pieces of gold armor which had light reflecting like miniature suns themselves. The gold pieces of armor flew back into the sphere and attached themselves to his body. As the orb vanished, the new figure was revealed.

He was donned in a black bodysuit. His torso was gold with a samurai-esque image that had a sun depicted on them. The shoulder plates looked like lion heads, roaring loudly. His forearms depicted fire and gold gauntlets covered his hands. His legs were covered with golden boots that had suns on the knees. The helmet itself had a samurai look with red circular eyes. Fangs were etched on the smooth mouthplate, but a gold mane was depicted near the back of the helmet.

"Sword of the flames that cuts down the darkness! Ore wa Shogun! Kenzan!"

The Spirit roared and lunged at the new arrival. Panicking, Ronin warned, "Watch out!" The golden clad Shogun merely reached to the sword at his hip and unsheathed it before releasing a horizontal arch of energy which flew at the Spirit, ripping it in half. The Spirit froze as a line of white light appeared right down its middle before it exploded, creating the kanji symbol for 'Seal' before it vanished. Ronin was awed by the amount of power the newcomer had displayed. Even he had trouble with the Spirit.

"So, you're supposed to be my brother's replacement?" Shogun said to Ronin.

"Brother?" Ronin's eyes widened under his helmet. "Masaka…You're…Who are you?"

"The one who will take back what you stole from him!" Shogun then took a sudden swipe at Ronin without warning.

"Woah!" Ronin exclaimed as he blocked the blow with his sword, causing sparks to fly as soon as the blade clashed. Ronin then sidestepped another blow aimed for him before he began to retaliate.

"You're untrained!" Shogun sneered as he dodged a strike, "And you have little experience outside of fighting spirits!" he added as he dodged another strike. "Furthermore, you're using that sword wrong!" He then kicked out with his leg and threw Ronin onto his back. The Wolf Warrior of the Moon grunted when the Lion Warrior of the Sun had him pinned down under his foot, the tip of his blade pointed at his throat. "For the sake of my brother's honor, you must die." He took a few steps back and gripped his blade, raising it up to deal the killing blow.

"NO!" Aoi shouted as she threw herself in between Shogun and Ronin. "Don't you dare kill him!"

"Stand aside, woman!" Shogun warned. "This doesn't concern you!"

"Yes it does! Kaoru-sama is fighting to protect others! Your brother would be upset if you did this!"

Shogun growled, "Don't presume that you know my brother, woman."

"I know that he must've been a great man. He was selfless and fought for the protection of others. He would risk his life for others and gave his life to protect Kaoru-sama. To do this would be insulting to his memory."

"Don't you think I know that!? Saito…Saito was my brother. He was the chosen one and was always better than me! When I heard about what happened, I couldn't believe it! This man stole my brother's legacy and I'm taking it back!"

"Please, I beg of you…don't kill Kaoru-sama!" Tears began to flow from her eyes like a river. As Shogun continued to watch, he began to grow uneasy and uncomfortable. Actually, it was more of a weakness. Shogun, despite the fact that he was a serious swordsman, could NEVER stand the sight of a girl crying and he still couldn't get over it.

"Alright! Alright!" Shogun turned away. "Fine, I'll let him live, for now…" the Lion Warrior of the Sun turned away. "But mark my words, woman, that he will one day die for his lack of experience and fighting prowess. I can never let my brother's legacy die just yet." He then walked off, his armor vanishing.

Aoi was relieved and then went to tend to Kaoru once his own armor disappeared.

* * *

Kaoru trudged for the dinner table with his body filled with aches. He had a few new wounds to add to his collection and some aches to go with them. He was already regretting getting up, but if he could eat some of Aoi's cooking, then it would be worth it.

Walking into the dining room, Kaoru stopped when he saw everyone at the dinner table. One of them was Aoi, who was finishing setting places. Another was Miyabi, who looked like she was about to snap at someone at any moment. The third, however, who was sitting next to Miyabi, was none other than the man who had added the wounds and aches to him in the first place.

"What are you doing here!?" Kaoru cried.

"Your landlady, Sakuraba-san, came and found me…" Kenshin explained.

-FLASHBACK-

"_Please," Aoi begged as she was on her knees and bowing. "Train Kaoru-sama!"_

"_And why should I do that?" said Kenshin coldly._

"_Because it is your brother's legacy. As the one with the most experience now, it is your honor and duty to train your brother's successor."_

"_There is no way I will train that thief."_

"_Onegai!" Aoi began to cry, "Please, I don't want him to die! He is the one I care for the most!"_

"_Alright! Alright! Please, just stop crying."_

-END FLASHBACK-

"That is why I'll be staying here from now on. I'm here to train you and make sure you don't get yourself killed." Kenshin's left eyebrow twitched.

Kaoru gulped. Somehow he felt that Kenshin was just going to use the excuse of training to kill him or to try and make him give up. Whichever one comes first.


	58. DearS: WOLVZ

Based on the anime/manga series: DearS and also Kamen Rider Faiz (555). The Rider was featured in a YouTube video. Search for Wolvz, created by maskedriderwolf. I haven't asked his permission, yet, but I will…eventually.

* * *

Miu trembled as her eyes were staring wide-eyed at the mechanical monstrosity standing before her. It appeared to be a humanoid creature with armor resembling a helicopter with missiles equipped to its right arm. Under the light of the moon, it was a bluish white color.

"Subject: DearS," the bio-mechanical creature identified. It aimed its missiles at her, "Prepare for termination."

Miu was deathly afraid and unable to use her powers. What more, she wished she could've fallen in love before she died. Now, she would die without ever falling in love at all. '_Ikuhara…Ren…_' she thought sorrowfully as she shed tears through her closed eyes. '_Goodbye…_'

Click!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

The pink-haired DearS was expecting to be killed right about now after hearing those frightening sounds but then she opened her eyes to see smoke coming out from the monster's head and sparks crackling as it staggered back from her. Miu's hearing then caught on the sound of a motorcycle engine, growling and she turned to see where it was coming from. What she saw was a blinding light and the rider of the vehicle was bathed in light so she could only see his silhouette.

"Looks like another one of you bastards are here tonight," the rider, a man, said disdainfully, as he shut off the headlights of his bike before dismounting said vehicle. He wore a black leather jacket, a blue shirt, blue jeans and brown hiking boots. On his hands were black riding gloves. He reached up to remove his helmet and tossed it away, revealing a head of blond hair and eyes covered by riding goggles. What Miu could see that looked out on place on his outfit was the metal belt with the large empty slot in the rectangular buckle like something was supposed to fit in it. He turned his attention towards Miu. '_A DearS. Great, two aliens…Still, she is kinda cute…_' The young man shook his head and revealed his cell phone. It was silver with a circular emblem in the centre of the cover that had a blue prong-like pattern on it.

The bio-mechanical helicopter creature focused its visor covered eyes upon the rider and snarled like an animal. "You, interloper, must be destroyed."

"You first," said the man as he looked at his phone. Miu wondered if the man was trying to make an emergency call. It would be the kind of thing to do at a time like this. He dialed 3-1-5 before pressing 'Enter'.

"**Standing By**," the phone uttered as he flipped it close. Miu blinked in confusion. Wasn't he going to make a call?

"Henshin!" the man called out as he slammed the phone into the slot of his belt and pushed it down so that it was lying on its side.

"**Complete,**" the phone announced once more as glowing blue lines of light streamed out from the cylinders flanking the phone and then went over his body which turned into a blue silhouette before a blinding blue flash was released, forcing Miu to shield her eyes. When the flash died down, Miu dared to look and gasped.

The man was now wearing a suit of white armor with broad shoulders that was worn over a black bodysuit, both decorated by the blue streams. The chest area was silver. Covering his arms and legs were metal armbands and his fingers were covered in armor. His helmet was oddly designed, with the same large yellow circle and the blue prongs on it like on the phone to look like eyes and with points at the top to look like ears. His large yellow eyes and the blue streams of his suit glowed brightly in the night as he eyed the creature.

The creature charged at the white armored warrior who flicked both wrists and popped his neck before charging right back. It tried to take his head off with one of its claws but the warrior ducked and then dealt a hard punch into its abdomen before following up with an uppercut and then using a front kick to send it falling onto its rear. The creature aimed and fired its missiles but the warrior leapt over the missiles. However, the missiles kept following him and smashed into his back, exploding and causing him to cry out in pain. Miu gasped, "No!"

The man fell flat on his face, the back of his armor smoking as the bio-mech stalked towards him. It removed the large rotor blade from its back and held it in one hand. It then raised it up, the sharp blades spinning as it said, "Target: Eliminate."

"Eliminate this!" the warrior growled as he pushed himself up with his hands and then threw himself into the air before dealing a double-footed kick into the monster's face, cracking its visor. It dropped its rotor blade and the warrior got back to his feet, much to Miu's happiness. "And, furthermore, the name isn't 'target'. My name is Wolvz!"

"Wolvz…" murmured Miu as she now knew her savior's name. She then continued to watch the fight as Wolvz reached to his back and removed an item that resembled a flashlight or a telescope. He removed the emblem on his phone, which was revealed to be a key card, before sliding it into a special slot on the object.

"**Ready**," the mechanical voice spoke and the item extended. Wolvz then raised up his right leg and fitted the telescopic flashlight onto the band on his leg before opening up his phone and pressing Enter once more. "**Exceed Charge.**"

A blue light traveled from the belt, down his leg and finally into the device as Wolvz lowered his leg. His large yellow eyes leered at the monster before he took a leap into the air. He kicked out his right leg and fired a blue cone-like structure which impaled the helicopter creature and stunned it.

Wolvz then dove into the cone and it spun like a drill, going right through the creature with Wolvz in it. Wolvz then vanished and reappeared behind the creature as the energy drill vanished. He stood up and flicked his wrists before popping his neck and as soon as he did the creature collapsed and exploded into oblivion. Miu watched in awe at the intimidating figure who had just defeated the creature. His name…was Wolvz.

He walked towards Miu who was still rooted to the spot and took out the phone from his belt. He pressed the 'End Call' button and then the suit vanished in a flash of blue light. He extended a hand to Miu who gingerly took it and he helped pull her up to her feet. However, she stumbled forward by accident and ended up falling into his chest, her head against his heart. Her cheeks began to turn pink as her heart thumped. The man, however, pulled away and held her shoulders gently, asking, "Are you alright? You're a DearS, right? Part of the Home-Stay program?" Miu nodded. "What's your name?"

"I'm Miu."

"Well, Miu, let me take you home," he offered. Miu wasn't sure how, but she felt that she could trust this stranger. After all, he had saved her life from that strange creature, whatever it was. She followed him onto the bike where he gave her a spare helmet. "OK, Miu, I hope you've ridden a bike before," he said with good nature before strapping on his own helmet. "If you feel scared, hold on tight."

"OK," Miu nodded. He revved up the engine, causing her to jump in shock and wrap her arms around his waist. She blushed at the sudden closeness but didn't make a move to pull away but instead leaned in further. He kicked off the stand and drove away with her towards the house of her host family, whom she affectionately called 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa'.

Along the way, Miu wondered about who this man was. He identified himself as Wolvz. Could he be a DearS like her with such an unusual name? And what about that suit and that creature? She wanted to know so much about her savior but she doubt that she would be seeing him again after this. That made her feel a little sad. Still, she could at least tell her friends about the warrior who'd saved her from the monster, provided they believe her. she barely believed it herself and she'd lived it.

She gazed up at him and sighed as she enjoyed the ride. '_What an exhilarating experience_,' Miu mused.


	59. KAMEN RIDER SHOWA

**

* * *

**

June 1984

Hinamizawa was a peaceful little village with a population of roughly 2000 people. Of course this village hid a deep dark secret. For four years, during the night of the Watanagashi Festival, one person had died and one person had gone missing each year. This was known as the Curse of Oyashiro-sama.

The story itself would've focused on the following characters: Keichii Maebara, Rena Ryuugu, Satoko Houjou, Rika Furede, Hanyuu Furude, Mion and Shion Sonozaki. However, that would not be for our story would focus on a new character who would likely change Hinamizawa forever.

* * *

It was in the dead of night when it happened and there was heavy downpour of rain accompanied by flashes of lightning and booming thunder. The ground was muddy and two figures could be seen standing in the pouring rain.

One figure looked human, but only in shape. Due to the darkness his appearance was obscured but the flashes of lightning were able to allow his form to be seen, but only briefly. He was clad in black and white with large green eyes and looked to be wearing a suit of armor that covered him from head to toe.

The opposing figure, however, was not human in any shape and form. It was large and hulking, with the stance of a huge ape. Its arms and hands looked large enough to crush anything within their grip. It didn't seem to have a head. Rather, there was a large eye in its chest and a large gaping mouth with sharp teeth in its stomach.

The beast howled and lunged at the armoured figure. He leapt backwards to avoid the beast crashing into him. It swiped at him with its beefy arms but he still managed to dodge. However, he mistimed one o hi dodges and was smashed against a tree. Groaning, the armoured figure looked up to see the beast charging.

"I just need one good hit," he muttered as the creature got close. It picked up clumps of muddy and hurled them at the figure. While non-life threatening, the mud that got in his face did blind him. He tried to wipe off the mud but felt a hard impact in his gut that sent him flying. He landed with a thud on the muddy ground before pushing himself back to his feet. "Damn it…"

The creature then leapt up and came down to smash the armoured figure to the ground. He rolled out of the way just in time before being turned into a pancake and flipped to his feet. Kicking with his foot, he sent some mud in the creature's direction and covered its eye with mud. The monster yelled out as it tried to get the mud out but the armoured figure was not going to allow the thing to live any longer.

"Rider Jump!" the figure announced as he leapt into the air. He then performed several flips and then dropped down on the creature with his arm drawn back, the fist glowing with green energy. "RIDER PUNCH!" he shouted and smashed his fist into the creature. The creature stumbled back in shock and the fell backwards before fading away. The figure landed and flicked his wrist. Suddenly, he fell to his knees and cursed, "Damn…" before he lost unconsciousness in the rain.

* * *

"Dad, he's waking up."

"OK, Rena. Just keep him warm, alright?"

He groaned as his eyes slowly fluttered open and he found himself looking at a girl with chin length brown hair, blue eyes, and a halo of light around her head. It was actually the light from the ceiling above her but it still looked radiant.

"Am I in Heaven, coz I see an angel…" the boy uttered, causing the girl to blush.

"Oh…" the girl was speechless. Nobody had ever called her an angel before.

The young boy, a teenager, sat up in the futon and sneezed. The girl gave him a tissue and he blew into it. "Arigato."

"I'm glad to see you awake," spoke an older man with glasses as he came into the room. He slowly got down on his knees. "We were worried."

"Thank you," the boy spoke. "Where am I and how did I get here?"

"You're in our house in Hinamizawa," the man said. He introduced himself as Mr. Ryuguu. "And the one who found you is my daughter, Rena."

"I was on my way home when I found you lying in the rain," spoke Rena.

The boy blinked. "You carried me home, alone?" She must be strong.

"Well, it's not very hard," Rena stated, blushing modestly.

"So, what were you doing out in the rain?" asked Mr. Ryuugu.

"Um…" the boy's eyes darted around. "I don't remember…" He looked down at himself and saw that he was bandaged. "Where are my clothes?"

"When I brought you back, we took off your clothes found a lot of bruises on you," said Rena, blushing. "And we tried to look for any identification but we couldn't find anything."

"We think you might've been mugged," said Mr. Ryuugu. "And then beaten up."

"I guess," the boy said. He had trouble remembering anything for some reason.

"What's your name?" asked Rena.

"It's…It's…" the boy tried to recall until a name came to mind. "Shinichi Sanban."

"Well, Sanban-kun, welcome to Hinamizawa," said Mr. Ryuguu. "We'll call the authorities to see if they can help you, but for now you are welcomed to stay with us."

"Thank you," said Shinichi gratefully.

* * *

Mr. Ryuugu called the police to try and help Shinichi find any family he could contact, but they couldn't find anyone matching Shinichi's description, and without any identification, they really didn't have anything to go by except for his name. He only remembered his name and some minor details, but the rest of his past was a mystery. With nowhere else to go, Rena and Mr. Ryuugu took Shinichi in.

Shinichi stayed with the Ryuugus and slowly became part of their family. He wasn't a freeloader, however, and helped out around the house as much as he could. He would clean and even cook sometimes. Mr. Ryuugu did have to buy Shinichi new clothes since his old ones were ruined from the mugging, but he was happy to do so for the young amnesiac.

Shinichi mostly stayed in the house and rarely ventured outside, except at night. When Rena asked him why, he just told him that he loved the peace and quiet which was accompanied by the soft chirping of crickets.

Shinichi also learnt that Rena had a strange obsession for things she perceived as cute and wanting to take them home. Shinichi asked if she had brought HIM home because he was cute, which she responded by blushing and then smacking him.

Shinichi also went to school with Rena and had befriended her group of friends as well. At first he felt strange by sitting in a classroom with kids of different ages and grade levels, but he got accustomed to it quickly.

And, today was just another day in Shinichi's new life in Hinamizawa.

* * *

"Hey, Shin-chan!" Mion greeted loudly as she slapped Shinichi in the back. He yelped in pain as he was thrown forwards.

"Dammit, Mion!" Shinichi cried. "Do you have to do that everyday?" He frowned.

"Aw, I just like messing with ya," the girl laughed.

"Good morning, Shinichi-san," greeted Shion, Mion's identical twin sister. Unlike her sister, Shion wasn't a tomboy. However, since both looked identical, they sometimes liked to mess with people by switching places and it was impossible to tell the apart when they did.

"Good morning, Shion," Shinichi greeted back.

Rena giggled and then waved at Keichii Maebara as he walked over. "Keichii-kun, let's go to school together!"

* * *

At school, they met up with the three younger members of their group. They were Rika, Hanyuu and Satoko.

As soon as Keichii walked through the door, Shinichi warned, "Watch your step."

Keichii caught the warning too late and tripped on a wire, activating several traps aimed at him.

CRASH!

BAM!

BOOM!

SPLASH!

At the end of it, Keichii was covered in flour, had water poured over him that made the flour wet, and covered in feathers. "So…To…Ko!!!" Keichii seethed.

"Haha!" the blonde prankster laughed. "Once again, Keichii-san got caught in one of my traps!"

Everyone else couldn't help but laugh as Keichii stomped out of the classroom to get himself cleaned up.

For school, Shinichi wore something similar to Keichii, save for that he wore a scarf around his neck and a sleeveless black vest. When Rena asked him about the scarf, he just shrugged and told her that it was something he wanted to wear.

In appearance, he was fairly average looking with indigo hair and matching eyes. His hair was cut short and parted in the middle. There as a scar above his left eyebrow but it was hidden by his bangs. Oddly, it was shaped like an 'XIII'.

* * *

The final bell rang and all the students returned home, save for the Gaming Club. Shinichi wasn't an official member, but joined in the fun and games nonetheless.

"OK, today we officially welcome Shinichi Sanban into the Club!" announced Mion.

"Huh?" blinked Shinichi. "Me?"

"Well, you do hang out with us a lot," said Satoko.

"And I won't be only guy here anymore," added Keichii.

"All in favour?" asked Mion. Everyone raised their hands. "All opposed?" They dropped their hands. "Welcome, Shin-chan!"

"Hey, don't I have a say in this? Crap," frowned Shinichi. Outsiders wouldn't need to play the Punishment Game, but now that he was now officially a member, he would become a target if he lost. He'd seen Keichii lose a few times before and didn't want to end up cosplaying as a maid or something even more humiliating. He felt Rika tugging his sleeve and looked over to her.

"Nipah," she let out with a bright smile.

"OK, I'm in," said Shinichi with a sigh. "What are we gonna do today?"

"How about Old Geezer?" suggested Mion.

"Excuse me, but I think those cards can't be used, since you can all correctly guess what's on them," pointed out Shinichi.

"So, what do you suggest?" asked Shion.

"How about a NEW deck?" said Shinichi as he slipped a deck of cards from his vest pocket. Mion blanched. New cards meant no markings to differentiate them. That meant the senior club members didn't have any sort of advantage. "Unless you're scared…"

"Hah, no way!" Mion accepted the challenge. "Bring it on!"

"Mi-chan is fired up," giggled Rena.

* * *

Everyone was out of cards and it all came down to a confrontation between Mion and Shinichi. It was Shinichi's turn to pick. If he picked wrong, then Mion would win when she picked his card. He just needed one more pair to win.

"Heh, heh, heh," snickered Mion. "Which one is it, Shin-chan?"

Shinichi glowered and then glanced up at Mion's blue eyes. With a smirk, he then picked the right card and paired it up with his own. "I'm done."

"WHAT!?' shouted out Mion.

"You lost, Mion," chuckled Keichii. "Now Shinichi can make you do anything he wants."

Mion grumbled and then blanched as she saw Shinichi snickering. "OK, what do you want me to do?"

"The Watanagashi festival is coming up, right?" asked Shinichi. He'd heard about it from the locals and it sounded fun.

"Yeah, and we're gonna go together," said Mion.

"Well…" Shinichi crossed his arms thoughtfully as he rocked back and forth on his seat. "Hm…"

"Hurry up already!" Mion said impatiently.

"I want you, Mion…to kiss Shion, on the lips, at the festival," Shinichi challenged.

"WHAT!?" the twins shrieked.

"Nice one!" snickered Keichii.

"Twin sisters kissing…" Rena imagined it with starry eyes. "So cute…OMOCHIKAERI (I wanna take it home)!!!"

"With tongue," finished Shinichi. Shion and Mion blushed crimson.

"You are one sick and twisted bastard, Shin-chan," said Mion with a growl.

"Hey, if I'd lost you would've come up with something even more humiliating," Shinichi said with a shrug. "I'll bring a camera to take a picture for posterity." He winked.

* * *

For the following days reaching up to the festival, Shinichi was feeling a little anxious. He had a feeling like something bad was going to happen. He didn't dare tell this to Rena and Mr. Ryuugu since he didn't want to worry them. Maybe he was just being paranoid…

But…he just felt sick to his stomach for some reason as the days counted down to the night of the festival. He could sense that, deep down, something horrible was going to happen.

He dashed those worries away as he adjusted his camera. It was an old one Mr. Ryuugu had given to Shinichi. It hadn't worked in years but the boy had been able to fix it. On the night of the festival he was going to take a picture of Shion and Mion kissing.

"Hm…twincest…" grinned Shinichi perversely. "Oh, I can't wait." While Rena liked cute things, Shinichi liked perverted things. Mostly, he could be caught staring at Shion and Mion's breasts. Rika would always be the one to catch him doing such a thing.

* * *

It was the night of the festival and Shinichi joined Rena as they went to meet up their friends. Rena was wearing her cute white dress with the matching hat. As for Shinichi, he was wearing a sleevelss red hoodie with a grasshopped on it, denim shorts that came down to his knees and some comfortable sneakers. Hanging from his neck was the camera.

This was the first festival he'd ever been to as far as he knew. Most of the memories of his past were gone but he was making new ones with hi camera. He himself was taking pictures of the festival grounds as they all played the games and ate the food being sold there.

"OK, Shin-chan!" announced Mion as she stood at the shooting gallery. "Take your best shot!"

Shinichi picked up the rifle and took aim at all the prizes lined up in front of him. "Hm…which one…?" He noted cute little doll that Rena may like and also a teddy bear. There were some smaller prizes too. "Which…?" He squinted.

Suddenly, a flash of images invaded his mind causing him to drop the rifle and clutch his head. His friends were shouting to him but their voices were muted as he fell to his knees.

_Dark figures prowling around and surrounding a figure with large green eyes. The figure attacked in a flurry of movements, showing no mercy to the figures. He used a brutal pattern of punches and kicks to subdue those surrounding him. Then, he was facing a large figure…_

"Shinichi-kun!" Rena cried out as Shinichi caught her voice. "Are you okay?"

He teenager rose up to his feet and flashed a smile to Rena, in an attempt to relieve her. "I'm fine. I just had a headache."

"Hey, maybe you should sit down and-" Mion suggested but was cut off.

"And miss you twins smooching? Nuh-uh!" Shinichi wagged his finger. "You're not going to get away THAT easily." He gave a devious smirk and wink. "One way or another I'm gonna catch you two kiss."

"Lousy blackmailer…" growled Mion. "I hate you."

"Aw…don't be like that," said Shinichi, mocking sadness.

"I liked you better when we first met," said Mion.

Shinichi frowned. Back then he'd felt lost and confused, opening up only to Rena. It was because of his friends that he developed a more cheerful personality…even if it was completely obnoxious to some.

"Well, people change," said Shinichi with a huff. He licked his lips. "So…anybody up for some cotton candy?"

"Oh, no!" Mion interrupted. "You gotta win a-"

BANG!

"We have a winner!" the man at the shooting gallery announced as he handed Shinichi a teddy bear. Mion gawked as Shinichi had taken the shot without looking.

"You were saying?" smiled Shinichi.

"Lucky bastard," muttered Mion. Shinichi then handed her the teddy bear. "Huh?"

"Hey, you look better with a smile anyway," said Shinichi as he raised up his camera. "May I?"

"OK, sure," nodded Mion. He took a picture of her.

"Shinichi and Mion are such good friends," observed Shion.

"Yeah, they are," agreed Keichii.

"Aw…so cute…" Rena giggled.

Rika and Hanyuu, however, were wearing serious expressions on their faces. Shinichi's sudden headache must've meant something, but what?

* * *

Dark figures were approaching the village, moaning nonsense as they marched like zombies. What were they and what did they want? Nothing good, that was for sure.

* * *

Shinichi took pictures of Rika as she performed her dance at the shrine. To see such a young girl play the park of the shrine priestess was amazing, and her performance was simply breathtaking. It was hard to imagine that she was so young and yet so competent. Well, after the death of her parents maybe she had to take up some responsibilities, this being one of them.

"Rika-chan is amazing, isn't she?" asked Rena.

"Yes, she is," nodded Shinichi. "Of course, something even more amazing is gonna happen tonight…" He leered at the twins and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Shion and Mion blushed. Mion herself was just wishing she could wipe that smile off Shinichi's face. It was so annoying.

* * *

With balls of cotton in hand, the entire village went to the village to send the cotton balls drifting down. Seeing all the floating balls of cotton drifting down stream gave Shinichi a feeling of peace. It was like any sins he might've committed in the past, which he didn't remember, had been sent away.

"OK, girls, pucker up!" said Shinichi to the twins. He raised up his camera. "And make it a nice, long and wet smooch."

"Oh, shut up, you perv!" Mion snapped. She faced Shion who was blushing nervously.

"Oi! Oi!" encouraged Keichii. "Hurry it up!"

"I'm gonna do it, okay!?" snapped Mion. She leaned in close to her sister, closing the gap between them, as their friends leaned in close. Shinichi got ready to take a picture when all of a sudden…

"MONSTERS!"

That snapped Shinichi's attention away from the twins who seemed relieved before panic overtook them. Dark figures were approaching them and despite their silhouettes in the dark, they weren't human. They looked like skeletons covered in human skin and had sharp fingertips and toes. They had sunken eyes and their mouths were wide open as they moaned.

A few unlucky villagers were attacked and killed by the things who tore open their throats with their claws and teeth. Many villagers fled but not all.

Shinichi was rooted to the spot as he stared at them. One word came to mind, "Darklings…" Gripping his camera, he went to confront the things despite his friends' protests.

"Shin-chan!" shouted Mion.

"You guys go! I'll hold them off!" shouted back Shinichi. He aimed his camera at them and flashed them with the light. They all howled. "Light hurts them." How did he know that?

Rena was being dragged away but she was reluctant to leave Shinichi behind. She wrenched her hand away from Keichii's and ran towards Shinichi. "RENA!" shouted Keichii.

"Come on!" encouraged Mion. "We gotta go help."

Shinichi continued to flash the Darklings with his camera. It didn't hurt them all that much, just slowed them down. He then heard a familiar shout, "Shinichi-kun!" He whipped his head around.

"Rena! Baka, get away!" he snapped. This moment of distraction allowed one of the Darklings to slap his camera away.

The Darklings surrounded Mion, Keichii and Rena.

Seeing them, about to attack his friends, made Shinichi yell out, "LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!"

_Shinichi saw himself, standing in a circle of Darklings. He was dressed differently, sporting a black jacket and blue jeans. Next to him was a bike. "Darklings, be sent back to the darkness." He placed his hands in front of his waist where a strange belt was wrapped around it. He then called out, "Henshin!"_

Shinichi did the same and shouted out, "HENSHIN!" and his entire body exploded in bright light that caused the Darklings to scream out in terror and back away from the group. Keichii, Mion and Rena stared.

Once the bright glow died down, they finally saw him in full form.

He was completely clad in a suit of armor that was colored black and white. The torso armor was black with a white chest. White gauntlets adored his forearms as black boots adorned his legs. Black armor plating covered the sides of his arms and legs. The number 13 was stamped on his left shoulder.

His head was completely concealed under a black helmet with a white strip of metal running down the middle. A pair of insect antennae poked out from his forehead in a 'V'. There was a silver mouthplate with segmented stripes on the helmet. Finally, to complete the insect-like look were a pair of large green eyes.

Around his waist was a belt with a green crystal in the buckle. Within the crystal was XIII, the Roman numeral for '13'

The dark figures, Darklings, shifted their attention from the three teens and towards the armoured man. He charged at them as they clumsily tried to attack him. His fists flew through the air as he smashed them into the Darklings, striking them violently in the chest and head. He swung his legs and kicked them away brutally. It seemed awfully violent, but there was no room for mercy when it came to Darklings.

He backhanded one Darkling but then they all tackled and started to dog-pile him. Rena yelled out, "Shinichi-kun!"

The Darklings were then sent flying as the armoured Shinichi tossed them off him and he threw his arms into the air. He then ran at the scrambling Darklings and leapt high up with a shout out, "RIDER JUMP!" before coming back down with his feet out shouting, "RIDER KICK!"

The kick slammed into one of the Darklings and into the rest of its comrades. However, the kick had contained Shinichi's power and it was transferred into the Darkling. Once it touched the others, the energy in his kick transferred. All the Darklings glowed before they vanished into nothingness.

Shinichi turned around and looked to his friends. He would need to explain this, but not today. A lot of people had died tonight. With a snap of his fingers, his green eyes glowed bright as he called out, "Return to the Past, NOW!"

At his command, his armor glowed and a pillar of light formed. The pillar expanded, engulfing anything and everything. The last thing everyone saw was a bright white flash.

* * *

Shinichi found himself back to that morning, walking home with his friends as they discussed what they would do at the festival. Shinichi smiled, relieved. He'd gone back in time before the Darklings attacked and it was likely that they would not be a problem anymore.

He had remembered who he was when the Darklings showed up. He was from another world and time, and had been given a great gift. He inherited the powers of 13 legendary heroes who fought against evil for good, righteousness and justice.

He was Kamen Rider Showa.

Time had reset itself to several hours before the festival. It gave Shinichi a chance to enjoy the festival again without trouble. Of course, there was one thing he needed to do. He strode forward to Mion and Shion. "Hey, Mion!"

"Yeah?" the girl questioned.

SLAP!

Shinichi had smacked Mion in the back and she fell forward towards Shion who caught her. Both sisters fell to the ground and their lips touched.

CLICK!

FLASH!

"And I got my picture!" grinned Shinichi. "Can't way to develop this." He then felt an aura of death and looked to see Mion and Shion glaring. "Um…"

"Shi…Ni…Chi!!!" the twins screamed.

"Gotta run!" Shinichi saluted before running off with two angry twins chasing after him. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he had time to make an inappropriate comment, "Hey, I got two girls chasing me! And their twins! I'm lucky! Hope they follow me to bed!"

"GET BACK HERE, YOU PERVERT!" Mion and Shion screamed in unison as Shinichi laughed.

"That Shinichi," chuckled Keichii. "He just loves making Mion mad."

"He could make a good prankster," stated Satoko.

"And he's so cute too," gushed Rena.

Rika and Hanyuu were watching Shinichi oddly, though. Of course they were aware of what'd happened and Shinichi was no doubt the centre of it.

'_Who are you, Shinichi?_' the two girls thought.

"MION, I GOT HIM!" shouted Shion.

"GOOD, NOW HOLD HIM DOWN!" Mion replied.

"ARGH! MERCY!!!" screamed Shinichi.

"GRAB HIS CAMERA TOO!"

"NO!!! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

* * *

**HIGURASHI: KAMEN RIDER SHOWA**


	60. Super StrikeLiner

* * *

The creature that appeared in the Imagin's place had to be the ugliest thing ever seen. It stood on two legs with a blocky torso and no arms. The feet were clawed. Swinging wildly around were mechanical necks that were tipped with wicked looking drills. It was starting to make its way towards the King's Terminal, ready to tear the train station apart with its drills and sheer power.

Ifrit looked grim as he saw the Gigandeath emerge. "Damn, that has got to be the ugliest Gigandeath I've ever seen."

"Ryuji," spoke Wraith who gave his kohai a look that spoke volume. "Let's go."

"Right behind you," said Ifrit as he followed after his senior. They both leapt up high and entered their trains. Ifrit took hold of the DynoLiner's controls as Wraith did the same inside the ChronoLiner. As soon as he activated the ChronoLiner, it transformed into Wraith Mode.

"Ikuze!" shouted Ifrit as he dashed forward on his train.

* * *

"If separate we can't beat it, then maybe together we can," said Ifrit. "Warren, remember that other combination we tried out?"

"Yes," nodded Wraith, remembering what Ifrit meant. "I do."

"Then let's do it!"

"OK, kiddo," replied Wraith. "Let's go with your plan."

"Ikuze!" shouted Ifrit. Ifrit entered the command sequence before shouting out, "DynoLiner and ChronoLiner CHO GATTAI!"

"CHO GATTAI!" repeated Wraith as he too entered the command sequence.

The DynoLiner and ChronoLiner sped along each other before breaking apart into their separate cars. With the Mammoth in the lead, the Bomber-3 and Missile-2 linked up to Cannon's sides. Clamps on the front of the Cannon-1 and the back of the Mammoth connected, bringing them together. The Tyrano roared at the Mammoth's left before connecting itself to the side of the steam engine while the Tricera bellowed and connected itself to the right side. The Jet-4, while not part of the combination, released the jet inside it which connected to the top of the Mammoth.

The four Rescue Cars came out of their individual portals and combined with the Liners. The Fire-5 jumped up and set itself upon Bomber-3 as the Submarine-8 joined atop the Missile-2. The Digger-7 and Gyro-6 also combined, with the drill tank coming up in front of the Mammoth and joined together by clamps. The helicopter-like car hovered down and then attached itself upon the top of the Cannon-1.

"Dyno-Chrono Formation!" called out Ifrit. "SUPER STRIKELINER!" Mammoth trumpeted, Tyrano roared and Tricera bellowed.

* * *

"Sugoi," said Kotonoha in amazement as she watched the screens with Siera and Rina.

"Wow, they combined," said Rina.

"Ryuji! Sensei! Gambatte!" Siera cheered.

* * *

"TYRANO! TRICERA!" roared Ifrit as he sent his two saurian trains at the mechanical monstrosity. "TAKE A BITE!" The two trains roared and bellowed as they jumped up and snapped their jaws down on two of the neck. The Mecha Gigandeath thrashed around, but it was futile as both trains held on firmly.

"Launch Fire-5 and Submarine-8!" shouted Wraith as he released the combination too, sending both Rescue Cars flying like missiles with their own artillery firing upon the giant Mecha Gigandeath. The two train cars exploded impressively on impact, causing heavy damage upon the mechanical monstrosity. Two of the drills were destroyed and yet the Tricera and Tyrano still held firm to the damaged limbs.

Once the two Rescue Cars were launched the ChronoLiner Missile-2 and Bomber-3 were able to release their own ammunition, pelting the robo-monster with missiles and bombs as it raced around it. The thing tried to strike back with its lone undamaged drill but then the Gyro-6 was launched and the rotor blades cut through the segment which held the drill-bit in place. The limb, however, swung down and crushed the Gyro-6 beneath it, destroying the helicopter completely.

"Ryuji! Finish it!" called Wraith.

"Roger! LET'S END IT!!!" roared Ifrit as he sent the combined trains flying with the Digger-6's drill spinning rapidly. "THE FINISHER!!!" They smashed right through, the drill burrowing deeply into the bi-pedaled mechanical beast's torso.

Back at the King's Terminal, all eyes were on the monitors. Kotonoha, Siera and Rina were all praying hard for Ifrit.

The entire robo-beast exploded into nothing but scrap metal as it sent the trains flying away. The DynoLiner Mammoth, Tyrano and Tricera all skidded along the desert ground on their sides. Though heavily damaged, they seemed fine for the most part. The ChronoLiner Cannon-1 was, however, the only other train car that survived.

The screens at the King's Terminal came on, showing static but then Ifrit and Wraith's faces were displayed. Ryuji could only grin as he removed his helmet and gave a thumbs up. Even Warren was grinning from ear to ear in his damaged cockpit as he did a V sign.

Announcing simultaneously, both pilots shouted, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!"

"YATTA!!!" Kotonoha, Siera and Rina cheered.


	61. CROSS DAYS: VORTEX

Yuuki didn't know what was going on. One minute he was on his way to the post office to get his package returned and suddenly the sky turned blood red and everything moving just froze like statues. Even the people were standing in a state of suspended animation and he saw an ice cream falling off its cone when a girl dropped it.

"What is going on!?" Yuuki started to freak out. He was a logical individual by nature but he was finding his logic challenged. First by the Kamen Riders and the monsters they fought, but he quickly adapted, and now this.

Suddenly, Yuuki saw a wall being blasted open and much to his surprise a familiar and famous figure was rolling across the ground before landing on his back. "Ifrit!?" It was one of the Kamen Riders. Actually, it was the first Rider that had appeared. It was Kamen Rider Ifrit (Sabre Form).

"Kuso…" Ifrit cursed as he got up to his feet. "Gross, I'm covered in snot." Indeed. His entire body was covered in what looked like mucus. Stalking towards him was a humanoid demon with one large eye set in the middle of its face, a large nose in its chest and a large mouth in its stomach with razor sharp teeth. Instead of fingers it had knives and forks. It was colored in black and drool was dripping from the large mouth in its stomach.

The monster, a Horror, laughed and snaked its tongue out to give Ifrit a raspberry. Growling in anger, Ifrit roared and charged at the Horror. The Horror opened its mouth and stretched out its tongue to wrap around Ifrit. The Rider struggled against the moist appendage, disgusted by the moist wrappings. His feet dragged along the ground as he was being pulled.

Suddenly, the package in Yuuki's hands started to beep and beeping louder and louder. He put down the box and opened it up to take out the strange white item which looked like an oversized belt buckle with a circular window in the centre that was surrounded by symbols he didn't recognize. There were also handles at the sides of the white object. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He then recalled the instructions in the manual. "Could it be…?" He had thought that the item might be a joke but right now he had a feeling that it was not a joke at all. In the box was also a book-like item that had a clip. He'd opened it up and saw blank data cards.

He picked up the 'book' and saw the data cards again. This time they were filling with images and he recognized some of them. There were pictures of Kamen Riders. He recognized Wraith and Ifrit, but not the rest. Still, it had to mean something.

"OK, Yuuki," he told himself. "Time to make your dream come true." Yuuki placed the white object, which turned out to be a belt buckle as a black belt strap wrapped around his waist and fastened it on. He then opened the 'book' and pulled out a card which was in a special compartment. The image depicted a Kamen Rider in red with black vertical stripes all over his helmet and green eyes.

The belt buckle turned 90 degrees clockwise and revealed a slot. Recalling the instruction, Yuuki slid the card inside the slot and pushed the handles on the side. He then called out, as the instruction explained, "Henshin!"

"**MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!**"

The images of ten armored figures began to overlap Yuuki before covering him in armor. At first it was all black with white eyes but then it began to fill with color.

Ifrit managed to shatter the tongue using his ice powers and smashed his fist hard into the Horror's face. It was at that moment did he notice the newcomer. "NANI!?"

It was Yuuki, or rather Vortex, that he saw. Vortex's suit was a mixture of black, white and red. His legs and arms were covered in armor that was white on the inward side and red on the outer side. The two colors were divided by a thick black line that ran the length of his limbs, and his hands were now covered by black leather gloves. His upper body was decked in the same red-colored armor with a black X in the centre outlined in white. On his left shoulder was the number '10'. His head was encased in a helmet that was the same red color as his armor with black, vertical lines and a set of large, green eyes. Two longer lines looked like antennae. Hanging from his right hip was the book-like card holder.

"Sugoi," Yuuki/Vortex looked himself over. "I'm a Kamen Rider now." He looked ahead and clenched his fists. He then charged forward.

Ifrit wasn't aware that another Rider was in this world, not to mention one he didn't recognize. Still, this was his turf and he didn't want any unwelcome interlopers. "Oi, newbie! Scram!"

Vortex didn't hear Ifrit and started to pummel the Horror with his fists like a boxer before sending it to the ground with a vicious backhand. He reached down and opened up the 'book' and drew out a card that depicted Ifrit's image on it. The buckle turned up and Vortex slipped the card inside before pushing the handles to reset it into place.

"**MASKED RIDE: IFRIT!**" the belt announced.

"Masked WHAT!?" Ifrit let out and in front of him the new Rider had just changed into an exact image of his old Ifrit Form. "Oh, I don't believe this!"

Vortex/Ifrit had no time to admire himself. He then drew out another card that depicted a gun and a sword. Once his buckle was set, he slipped it in and pushed the handles.

"**ATTACK RIDE: COLD SNAP!**"

The weapons depicted on the card appeared in his hands and as if guided by instinct he aimed the Sub-Zero Shooter and a blast of ice cold and freezing frost energy streamed out and slammed into the Horror, encasing the hapless creature in ice. Finally, he charged forward and performed a cross slash with the Ifrit Dao, cutting the Horror up into four pieces. Instantly, the frozen Horror exploded as its icy prison shattered.

As soon as the Horror was destroyed, the crimson stasis field dropped and everything was back to normal, including Yuuki and Ryuji as their suits vanished along with the Stasis Field. Both boys, still wearing their belts, now gawked at each other.

"Ashikaga!?" Ryuji just couldn't believe it. It was that bookworm from the school library who was always making eyes at his Kotonoha.

"Hasuma!?" Yuuki couldn't believe it either. Kamen Rider Ifrit was in fact Kotonoha Katsura's boyfriend, the infamous delinquent known as Ryuji Hasuma.

Just what had the glasses wearing boy gotten himself into?

Not too far away, a man with a long pointed nose and top hat smirked as he witnessed the silent exchange of shocked reactions. "Oh…this is going to be interesting," he snickered before he vanished in the blink of an eye.


	62. Cross Days: V1

The day started innocently enough for Yuuki Ashikaga. It was the middle of his second term of his second year of high school. He was still in Class 2-1, still short, and still a nerd.

Well, that was a stereotype, but he wasn't as tall as many of average guys in his school, a member of the book club, helped out at the library, and at home he logged onto MMORPG's to play.

Yup, he was a nerd, and one in love.

As he stood at the counter in the library, his gaze went towards Kotonoha Katsura who was reading a book. Over her eyes she wore a pair of reading glasses that just enhanced her natural beauty. He could only watch as she came in, read, check out books and returned. The only words they exchanged were when she came to do some library business. Yuuki sighed. She was way out of his league before when she was single but now she had a boyfriend. It still surprised him though since said boyfriend wasn't someone anyone expected.

Sitting beside her was none other than Ryuji Hasuma, her boyfriend and fellow classmate. While rumors about him being a thug running with a gang outside of school flew around campus and he was known to be a delinquent as well, Yuuki knew better. The fights he got into were all in self defense. The KLLA, SSSS and LLRB all attacked him and he was merely defending himself. They outnumbered him so he was in the right to beat them up in order to protect himself. Still, he did go overboard. Ambulances were beginning to beat their times in getting to the school to pick up the members who needed it.

One time he actually saw him lose was when he fought Kenzaki Tsukuba. That fight had been intense and was unlike anything he'd seen outside a computer screen. Their moves were simply out of this world and unbelievable.

Still, Yuuki wondered how Kotonoha, who was sweet and gentle, could hook up with a guy like Ryuji, but then again opposites did attract and both were dramatically opposites. But, Yuuki had no right to question their relationship. She loved her boyfriend and wasn't going to break up with him anytime soon.

Still, Yuuki did still think that under different circumstances he and Kotonoha could become an item. If only he had been more assertive and voiced out his feelings sooner. Well, he couldn't cry over spilt milk anymore. He just had to move on.

Once he was done with his duties in the library, Yuuki went home. His sister, Chie, had basketball practice. On the women's team was another Hasuma. Kat Hasuma. Despite being a little eccentric since she had a habit of groping the other girls in the locker room, she was a capable member of the team. Of course, sometimes she would disappear for days before turning up mysteriously again. What did she do during those times of disappearances?

It was obvious she and Ryuji were brother and sister. They both loved to fight as much as the other. Sometimes she would join in when all those groupies came together.

Yuuki, himself, despite his admiration for Kotonoha, was never going to join them. Their methods were just driving their 'idols' away from them.

Once he was in his room, Yuuki logged onto his favorite MMORPG and began to fly. Half an hour into the game his avatar was approached by an odd avatar resembling a man wearing a top hat. Yuuki blinked. He hadn't read of such a character in the game before. A chat box opened seconds later, inviting Yuuki to chat.

Top Hat: Would you like to make your wish come true?

Yuuki then typed a reply.

Yuki-Oh21: What kind of wish?

Top Hat: To be the most powerful hero in the world.

Yuuki thought it was part of the game and this guy was offering him something so he typed in another reply.

Yuki-Oh21: Sure. If it will help me level up.

Top Hat: Oh, it will. :)

And then the screen went blank.

"HEY!" Yuuki exclaimed. He checked his computer. "Darn it, what now? Is it broken?"

Then, the doorbell rang.

Yuuki sighed. He would check his computer later. There was someone at the door.

Yuuki made his way to the door and opened it up. In front of him was a delivery person wearing an all green uniform with a top hat logo over his right breast pocket, though Yuuki didn't notice. He wore a cap that was worn low to cover his eyes with a shadow. Yuuki did see his long and pointed nose. In his hands was a package.

"Package for Ashikaga-san," the delivery person said.

"Oh, OK," Yuuki said. A package? Did his sister order something? Maybe his parents did?

"Please, sign here," the man said as he took out a form. Yuuki searched his pockets. The family stamp was locked in his parents' room so he had to make due. He took out a pen and signed his name.

"Thank you," the man tipped his hat and turned to leave. Yuuki blinked as the delivery person walked off.

Yuuki closed the door before bringing the package up to his room. He carefully tore open the wrapping paper and then saw a white cardboard box. Curiously, he lifted up the flaps and peered inside. There was a note that said 'Make Your Dream Come True' but he ignored it as he searched the contents of the box.

Buried within Styrofoam and covered in bubble wrap was a white object. It was wide, with a circular window in the centre surrounded by a silver ring and black horizontal stripes on the sides. There was also a pair of handles on the sides of the buckle with three circular lights on each. Also, he found what looked like a book with a nozzle sticking out from one end of the spine and a black handle attached to the bottom. There was a black stripe that extended from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. In the centre of the stripe was a red 'V'.

He opened the book-like object and saw that it didn't hold any pages. Instead, on the right side was a stack of blank data within a slot for them. Holstered within the left side inside a special slot was a card that wasn't blank. He drew it out and gazed at the card, which depicted a headshot of an armored man in a red suit with black vertical lines running over his helmet and green eyes. "Huh? Kamen Rider Vortex?" he read. He inspected the blank cards. They didn't tell him much, though. They were, after all, blanks. They just had a barcode on top and had red borders with black backs.

"What are these?" Yuuki asked himself. He then saw an instruction manual. It was a booklet with the V on the front. He then flipped through the pages, skimming through the words before sighing. "Great, a toy. I don't think Nee-san would want something like this nor would my parents. And I don't remember asking for this either." He carefully wrapped up both items in bubble wrap and put them into the box again. He closed the box and picked it up. "Looks like it's off to the post office."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Still dressed in his school clothes, Yuuki was carrying the box to the post office. Luckily he still had the address which had been on the wrapping paper so he knew where to return it to. "Whoever wants this must really be waiting."

All of a sudden, the world changed for Yuuki. The sky suddenly turned blood red and everything froze. Everything, but him.

"Huh!?" He was shocked and looked around. He could see a bird frozen in midair and in front of him a dragonfly was flying past his face, also frozen. "What's going on?"

Yuuki didn't know what was going on. One minute he was on his way to the post office to get his package returned and suddenly the sky turned blood red and everything moving just froze like statues. Even the people were standing in a state of suspended animation and he saw an ice cream falling off its cone when a girl dropped it.

"What is going on!?" Yuuki started to freak out. He was a logical individual by nature but he was finding his logic challenged. First by the Kamen Riders and the monsters they fought, but he quickly adapted, and now this.

Suddenly, Yuuki saw a wall being blasted open and much to his surprise a familiar and famous figure was rolling across the ground before landing on his back. "Ifrit!?" It was one of the Kamen Riders. Actually, it was the first Rider that had appeared. It was Kamen Rider Ifrit (Sabre Form).

"Kuso…" Ifrit cursed as he got up to his feet. "Gross, I'm covered in snot." Indeed. His entire body was covered in what looked like mucus. Stalking towards him was a humanoid demon with one large eye set in the middle of its face, a large nose in its chest and a large mouth in its stomach with razor sharp teeth. Instead of fingers it had knives and forks. It was colored in black and drool was dripping from the large mouth in its stomach.

The monster, a Nytemare, laughed and snaked its tongue out to give Ifrit a raspberry. Growling in anger, Ifrit roared and charged at the Nytemare. The Nytemare opened its mouth and stretched out its tongue to wrap around Ifrit. The Rider struggled against the moist appendage, disgusted by the moist wrappings. His feet dragged along the ground as he was being pulled.

Suddenly, the package in Yuuki's hands started to beep and beeping louder and louder. He put down the box and opened it up to take out the strange white item which looked like an oversized belt buckle with a circular window in the centre that was surrounded by symbols he didn't recognize. There were also handles at the sides of the white object. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He then recalled the instructions in the manual. "Could it be…?" He had thought that the item might be a joke but right now he had a feeling that it was not a joke at all. In the box was also a book-like item that had a clip. He'd opened it up and saw blank data cards.

He picked up the 'book' and saw the data cards again. This time they were filling with images and he recognized some of them. There were headshot pictures of Kamen Riders. He recognized Wraith and Ifrit, but not the rest. Still, it had to mean something.

"OK, Yuuki," he told himself, "Time to make your dream come true." Yuuki placed the white object, which turned out to be a belt buckle as a black belt strap wrapped around his waist and fastened it on. He then opened the 'book' and pulled out a card which was in a special compartment. The image depicted a Kamen Rider in red with black vertical stripes all over his helmet and green eyes.

The belt buckle turned a quarter clockwise and revealed a slot. Recalling the instruction, Yuuki slid the card inside the slot and pushed the handles on the side. He then called out, as the instruction explained, "Henshin!"

"**MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!**"

The images of ten armored figures began to overlap over Yuuki before covering him in armor. At first the suit was all black with white eyes but then it began to fill with color.

Ifrit managed to shatter the tongue using his ice powers and smashed his fist hard into the Nytemare's face. It was at that moment did he notice the newcomer. "NANI!?"

It was Yuuki, or rather Vortex, that he saw. Vortex's suit was a mixture of black, white and red. His legs and arms were covered in armor that was white on the inward side and red on the outer side. The two colors were divided by a thick black line that ran the length of his limbs, and his hands were now covered by black leather gloves. His upper body was decked in the same red-colored armor with a black X in the centre outlined in white. On his left shoulder was the number '10'. His head was encased in a helmet that was the same red color as his armor with black, vertical lines and a set of large, green eyes. Two longer lines looked like antennae. Hanging from his right hip was the book-like card holder.

"Sugoi," Yuuki/Vortex looked himself over. "I'm a Kamen Rider now." He looked ahead and clenched his fists. He then charged forward.

Ifrit wasn't aware that another Rider was in this world, not to mention one he didn't recognize. Still, this was his turf and he didn't want any unwelcome interlopers. "Oi, newbie! Scram!"

Vortex didn't hear Ifrit and started to pummel the Nytemare with his fists like a boxer before sending it to the ground with a vicious backhand. He reached down and opened up the 'book' and drew out a card that depicted Ifrit's image on it. The buckle turned up and Vortex slipped the card inside before pushing the handles to reset it into place.

"**MASKED RIDE: IFRIT!**" the belt announced.

"Masked WHAT!?" Ifrit let out and in front of him the new Rider had just changed into an exact image of his old Ifrit Form. "Oh, I don't believe this!"

Vortex/Ifrit had no time to admire himself. He then drew out another card that depicted a gun and a sword. Once his buckle was set, he slipped it in and pushed the handles.

"**ATTACK RIDE: COLD SNAP!**"

The weapons depicted on the card appeared in his hands and as if guided by instinct he aimed the Sub-Zero Shooter and a blast of ice cold and freezing frost energy streamed out and slammed into the Nytemare, encasing the hapless creature in ice. Finally, he charged forward and performed a cross slash with the Ifrit Dao, cutting the Nytemare up into four pieces. Instantly, the frozen Nytemare exploded as its icy prison shattered.

As soon as the Nytemare was destroyed, the crimson stasis field dropped and everything was back to normal, including Yuuki and Ryuji as their suits vanished along with the Stasis Field. Both boys, still wearing their belts, now gawked at each other.

"Ashikaga!?" Ryuji just couldn't believe it. It was that bookworm from the school library who was always making eyes at his Kotonoha.

"Hasuma!?" Yuuki couldn't believe it either. Kamen Rider Ifrit was in fact Kotonoha Katsura's boyfriend, the infamous delinquent known as Ryuji Hasuma.

Just what had the glasses wearing boy gotten himself into?

Not too far away, a man with a long pointed nose and top hat smirked as he witnessed the silent exchange of shocked reactions. "Oh…this is going to be interesting," he snickered before he vanished in the blink of an eye.

"You are coming with me," said Ryuji in a harsh tone.


	63. Cross Days: V2

Yuuki was a guy who thought he could do well under pressure. Heck, he had just become a Kamen Rider and defeated a monster by himself. He didn't freak out then and he was still remaining calm. Of course, being held by the scruff of your shirt and dragged through the streets tended to rattle anyone's nerves.

"Um…Hasuma-san?" Yuuki asked uncertainly.

"Shut it," Ryuji frowned. "We're going to go talk to someone. You had better have some answers."

"Uh…" Yuuki gulped. Ryuji was mad. People tended to get their bones broken when that happened.

Ryuji continued to drag Yuuki to an apartment building. He was slightly confused when Ryuji continued to drag him inside. They both traveled upstairs and straight to one of the apartments. He knocked on the door and it was opened by Vash. Ryuji just continued to drag Yuuki into the apartment with Vash watching. Once Ryuji arrived at a door, he slammed it open to reveal Warren-sensei sitting at his desk with some papers.

"Hello to you too, Ryuji," Warren blinked as he eyed the pissed off Hasuma dragging his schoolmate along. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes. Meet the newest Kamen Rider," Ryuji huffed as he pushed Yuuki forward.

"Ashikaga-san?" Warren blinked. He recognized the boy from class 2-1.

"Show him," ordered Ryuji.

Yuuki obeyed and held out the Vortex Driver belt to Warren with the Vortex Book. Warren took the items and began to inspect them. Yuuki wondered why Ryuji had brought him here to their history teacher's house and then he realized why. There was only one conclusion and it surprised him too.

"Sensei? Are you a Kamen Rider too?" Yuuki asked in surprise.

"In a way, yeah, I am," answered Warren. No reason to lie at this point with Ryuji brining Yuuki here for an interrogation of sorts. He began to study the belt buckle and found something. Behind the buckle there was a logo stamped on it resembling a top hat. "Interesting…"

Ryuji peered over and saw the logo. "A top hat?" blinked Ryuji as he stared. "Wait…no way."

"Crap, it's that Elder," groaned Warren.

"Elder?" questioned Yuuki.

"OK, Ashikaga, did you meet any guy wearing a top hat with a long pointed nose?" asked Ryuji.

"N-no…" stuttered Yuuki. "Wait, the guy that delivered that package looked kinda like that. He didn't wear a top hat, though."

"Yo!" Kenzaki had arrived to see the exchange. "OK, I got your call. What's up?"

"Topper," Warren and Ryuji answered.

"That asshole Topper again," groaned Kenzaki. "What did he do now?"

"Tsukuba-san, are you a Rider too?" asked Yuuki.

"OK, who's he and what's he doing here?" Kenzaki pointed at Yuuki.

"The newest Rider on the block," answered Ryuji.

Kenzaki looked Yuuki up and down and snorted, "He doesn't look much."

"So, who's Topper?" questioned Yuuki. He tried to ignore the crushing blow to his ego.

"You know those annoying door-to-door salesman? He's like a devil version of those. He sells you something, grants wishes, but always with a price," explained Ryuji.

"And although he claims the price to be equal to what you're buying, it normally ends up costing you more in the long run," added Warren.

"Of course, the question is what you had to give in exchange," said Ryuji.

"Can you tell us how you got the belt?" asked Warren.

Yuuki then explained how he got the package and when he looked inside he found the belt, book, cards and an instruction manual in the box. Along it was a note that said 'Make Your Dream Come True'. He also told them how he was on his way to the post office to have it returned when the Stasis Field formed.

"Um…" began Yuuki. "I may not know this Topper, but if he gave me the means to fight these monsters, I don' think he's a bad person."

"Apparently, you don't know him like we do," sneered Ryuji.

"He claims to be neutral…but then again sometimes neutral can be worse than being evil," said Kenzaki.

"And once you sign a contract with him, he owns you," added Ryuji.

"But I don't remember signing a contract," argued Yuuki.

"You had to sign something when it was delivered, right?" asked Kenzaki.

"I…did. Oh no…" gasped Yuuki. "Is there a way to break the contract?"

"Besides killing him, no way that I know of," shrugged Warren.

"I had to fight him for 5 minutes to break the contract he had with Neko," answered Kenzaki.

"But…I also think that I don't want to give this up. I used the power for the first time and it…it was…exhilarating," said Yuuki.

"Being a Rider ain't glamorous, no matter how the magazines paint it out to be," pointed out Ryuji.

"So, why do you all do it?" asked Yuuki.

"Profit," answered Kenzaki. He was still a bounty hunter after all.

"The same, but also to protect Koto-chan and her family. Not to mention the friends I got here," answered Ryuji.

"Eh, I only get involved when these two screw up. But I use it to protect those precious to me," shrugged Warren. Kenzaki and Ryuji glared at the mention of 'screw up'.

"So, you're the newbie. That means we're your sempai," smirked Ryuji.

"But you're still my kohai Ryuji, so don't let it go to your head," argued Warren.

"Cheh, like I'd admit that," scoffed Ryuji.

"Sugoi. I can't wait to tell my sister!" exclaimed Yuuki. That made the three Riders glare at him, causing the boy to shiver. "N-Nani? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You're not allowed to tell anyone," ordered Kenzaki.

"It's a rule. You gotta keep your identity a secret. You can't trust anybody with it. Tell him why, Warren," said Ryuji.

"We all have people we need to protect. People without powers. If our identities got out, those people would be put in danger because of it," explained Warren.

"I see…" nodded Yuuki.

"I just keep it a secret because I don't wanna be hassled," began Ryuji, "But Warren's reason is good too."

"Wait a second. If you're a Rider, that means you're gonna get a bike," pointed out Kenzaki.

"A bike? As in a motorbike?" asked Yuuki.

"What else would it be? A mountain bike?" snickered Ryuji.

"But, if my parents or sister see it, they're going to ask where I got it from!" complained Yuuki.

"Heck, just tell them you entered a contest on the internet or something," said Ryuji.

"But I'd learn how to ride it if I were you," suggested Kenzaki.

"Anyway, can I ask what that monster I saved Hasuma from was?" asked Yuuki.

Warren and Kenzaki stare at Ryuji who blushed and screwed his eyes shut in embarrassment. A newbie saved him. It was embarrassing.

"You got saved by the newb?" laughed Kenzaki.

"No!" snapped Ryuji. "He finished it off before I could." He then turned to Yuuki. "I didn't need help, especially from a newbie."

"Yuuki, thank you for saving my kohai," said Warren.

"Oi! Listen to me! He DID NOT save me!" roared Ryuji. Ryuji knew that they will NOT let him live this down. "Hey! Listen! The newbie ripped me off!"

"Ripped you off?" scoffed Kenzaki. "Mad because he took your kill from you?"

"He copied me!" shouted Ryuji.

"Copied you?" asked Warren.

"Yes, I have these cards depicting Kamen Riders," answered Yuuki. He dug them out of his pocket and showed them to Warren. They were blank now, though.

"There's nothing on these cards," stated Kenzaki.

Warren took one card and examined it. For a brief moment he saw his Rider form's image on it before it became blank again. "Hm…this could be interesting," muttered Warren.

"Great…another copycat," groaned Ryuji.

"I vote Ryuji becomes Yuuki's mentor," said Warren.

"I second!" voted Kenzaki.

"Nani!? Why me!?" shouted Ryuji.

"Because I'm your mentor and you have to do what I say," said Warren, a smug smile on his face.

"Since when are you MY mentor!?" argued Ryuji.

"Since I started calling you kohai," answered Warren. "Or would you rather spend every weekend of the term doing extra homework."

"You wouldn't…" gasped Ryuji.

"I'm a teacher. I would. I'll ask Rae to assign you extra work too," threatened Warren.

"I'd rather babysit Kenzaki's brats!" shouted Ryuji.

"Oi! Don't talk about my kids like that!" roared Kenzaki.

"They bit me! And the girl wouldn't stop crying! I had to get Kokoro-chan and Koto-chan to help!" complained Ryuji.

"They bit you because you were bothering them! And Maya-chan was crying cause you scared her!" countered Kenzaki.

"Whatever. But if I'm gonna be training the newbie, YOU both are gonna help me," ordered Ryuji.

"Sorry, I have stuff I need to do," shrugged Warren

"I have my kids to look after. You're on your own," said Kenzaki.

Ryuji grumbled. His mood hadn't improved after Yuuki had defeated the Nytemare. Then, he realized, he'd be training the 'newbie' and grinned. "Oi, Newbie, let's go," ordered Ryuji.

"H-hai, sempai!" obeyed Yuuki.

"Sempai?" grinned Ryuji. "Hm…I like the sound of that. Let's go. We got work to do and lots of it."

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Yuuki headed home later that night. He was sore all over. Ryuji had tossed him around like a rag doll. Obviously, the other Rider was sore for having his kill taken from him.

"Itai…" Yuuki sat down on a bench. He had bruises under his clothes.

"Not enjoying your new life?" Yuuki heard. He jumped to his feet. He then looked over in front of him to see a strangely clothed man.

"Are you…Topper-san?" asked Yuuki to the man who now stood opposite him. Everything had stopped moving, like time itself had frozen still. The man before him had mismatched eyes, wore an overcoat despite the warm weather, and a top hat resembling the logo on the package.

"I go by many names, but in this form that is my name," Topper said cryptically.

"Were you the one who gave me that belt buckle and the cards?" Yuuki asked, wanting answers.

"Yes, I was," answered Topper without hesitation or reluctance. He had no reason to lie at all for this. One didn't lie when there was profit to be gained unless that lie brought greater profit.

"Why?" Yuuki asked.

Topper smiled and quoted, "'I wish I was just like the Kamen Riders, and then maybe she would notice me'." He reminded, "Isn't that what you wanted?"

Yuuki recalled thinking about it, once a long time ago, but never expected anyone to know. But, from what he heard from Ryuji, Kenzaki and Warren, Topper was one person who had a myriad of abilities and used them for amusement.

"I never meant it," Yuuki said, trying to make an excuse.

"Didn't you?" Topper replied. "Are you sure it wasn't what you wanted? You didn't want to be a hero?"

"Well…I…" Yuuki stammered.

"On those MMORPG's, what character do you play? Personally, I like to be a merchant or maybe a travelling one if the game will let me," said Topper. He knew all about Yuuki's likes and dislikes. In fact, he knew EVERYTHING about Yuuki and that was no exaggeration.

"I play a warrior," answered Yuuki. Why was he telling Topper this?

"A warrior? Like a hero? Kill the monster, save the damsel, and all that stuff?" Topper smiled again and tipped his hat. "You know that MMORPG's are an outlet for people to play as what they really want in real life, correct?"

"Yes, but, still…" Yuuki began as he tried to think of an answer. None came.

"Mr. Ashikaga…" Topper paused. "Or, may I call you Yuuki? Yuuki, I've granted your wish and you signed the contract."

"I don't recall a contract," Yuuki denied. He remembered signing for the package, but he didn't remember anything that looked like an actual contract.

"At the door when you signed for the package," Topper reminded. "You signed, right there, on the dotted line."

Yuuki's eyes widened. That was the contract!? He'd suspected it when Kenzaki told him but now it was confirmed. He'd signed an actual contract with Topper without even knowing it.

"I was told that you never give anything for free. Is that true?" Yuuki questioned.

"I'm a businessman," Topper stated. "Everything has a price."

"What is mine?" asked Yuuki.

"You'll fight for me, from now on until the end of your career as a Rider," said Topper ominously. "You'll be my champion. You'll work for me and follow my every instruction. That is the price you pay."

"But we never made an official deal!" Yuuki shouted in protest.

"True, very true," Topped nodded. "But it's either that or selling me your eternal soul."

"What's the difference?" Yuuki asked. Topper wanted him as his slave until his life ended.

"At least if you just worked for me you have a chance of going to Heaven."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's an option."

"So, I have no choice?"

"Provided someone challenges me for your contract, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon. But, just think about this. You can be a hero, and protect those you care for."

"But…I…" Yuuki fell silent.

"Despite what you think, you're more than capable of getting the job done," Topper continued. "When I grant a wish, I make sure that the one I am assisting is capable of coming through on their end. If they choose to pay up or not is something else entirely. Still, my point is that I know you are capable of fighting, surviving, and winning."

Yuuki gulped.

"Besides," Topper grinned. "You did pretty well for your first time out. I mean, you took down a Nytemare and managed to rescue Ifrit. Not bad for a newbie."

"Ah…well," Yuuki gulped.

"So just relax, Vortex," Topper grinned. "All you have to do is what Riders do; Fight evil and protect people."

"I'll…try," responded Yuuki.

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"Ashikaga-san…is a Rider?" Kotonoha was in a state of disbelief after listening to Ryuji's story.

"Sugoi," said Kokoro in amazement. "Another Rider!"

"Yup," Ryuji nodded. They were sitting down for dinner and Ryuji had told her everything that had happened today. "He is."

"Oh, I do hope he'll be okay. Did he get hurt?" Kotonoha asked with concern.

Ryuji frowned and muttered, "He got lucky." Saving him? Yeah right! Yuuki just copied his form. Indirectly, Ifrit had saved Yuuki.

"So, what will he do now?" asked Kotonoha. She had spoken with Yuuki. The boy seemed nice, too nice for something like this.

"He'll have to train," answered Ryuji. "And I'm stuck with him because of Warren and Kenzaki."

Kotonoha blinked. "You mean you're training him?"

"And Ryuji was a bit rough with the boy," said Loki.

"I had to, because whatever he'll be fighting will be much rougher," stated Ryuji.

Kotonoha observed that Ryuji seemed…agitated.

"How did he become a Rider?" Kotonoha asked. Ryuji bristled. "Ryuji-kun? Are you alright?" asked Kotonoha.

"I'm fine," answered Ryuji. "I just…don't want to talk about it anymore tonight."

"Alright." Kotonoha knew how to coax him for answers later. She just had to scratch that special spot under and he would be putty in her hands.

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"I'm back," said Yuuki as he came through the door. He saw his elder sister, Chie, standing at the entrance with her arms crossed. "Nee-san…"

"Where have you been?" Chie asked. She was taller than Yuuki, with the same hair color as he but longer and going down in waves past her shoulders. "I was worried sick. When I came home you weren't here." She was worried for her brother. He would get beaten up for no reason and picked on for being weak. It was all because of her that he wasn't a target like he had been in junior high, not to mention his friendship with Kyouchi.

"I'm fine, Nee-san," answered Yuuki as he limped past her.

"Why are you limping?" she asked.

"Um…" Yuuki hesitated.

"And why do you look like someone beat you up?" she asked.

Yuuki fell silent. Technically he'd been beaten up, but it was training.

"I fell," Yuuki lied. Now Chie knew something was up. He used to use the same lie back when they were in elementary school and junior high when he got bullied.

She walked past and blocked him. He stopped when she put her hands on his shoulders. "Yuuki, you can tell me anything," said Chie tenderly. "You can trust me."

'I can't tell you, Nee-san,' thought Yuuki. 'Not about something like this.' He couldn't tell her he was a Rider now. "Nee-san, I'm tired and hungry. I'm going to take a bath."

Chie frowned. "Alright…" She watched as Yuuki went up the stairs. With a sigh she went into the dining room where a friend was waiting. Chie informed, "He just got back."

"Oh, I was worried." She was Roka Kitsuregawa, Chie's underclassmen and a student in class 2-2. She was also a member of the women's basketball team. She liked Yuuki, a lot. She just thought he was cute. Roka had dark hair that framed her face wore her hair in a low ponytail. She also stood at his height, making it easy for them to see eye-to-eye, literally. It was surprising how she could fit the height requirement for the team but she was fast and good at passing. "Will he be joining us?"

"He's taking a bath right now so we have to wait."

In the bathroom, Yuuki inspected himself in the mirror. He had ugly bruises all over his body from Ryuji. "He was serious," Yuuki mumbled. "Guess he was very annoyed with me." It was probably something to do with something Topper did. He would ask about it when they met again at school. Right now he needed to take a bath, and maybe get dressed without his sister seeing his bruises.

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Neko and Kenzaki were in the GaroLiner and he'd just told her about the new Rider.

"And it was Topper that gave him the gear?" questioned Neko.

"Who else uses a top hat as a logo?" retorted Kenzaki. "I don't trust Topper so this can't be good."

"Well, it seems like his style," acknowledged Neko. "But…Yuuki Ashikaga isn't a bad person. He's that bookworm that's always at the library, right?"

"Yeah, he is, and in my opinion he's not cut out to be a Rider," stated Kenzaki.

"But Ryuji-chan is going to be training him," spoke Neko, and then she realized what would happen. "Oh, he's so dead."

"I agree. Ryuji is territorial and he doesn't welcome newbies," Kenzaki commented. He recalled when he and Ryuji had first met. "Not to mention Ashikaga stole his kill."

Neko's ears then picked up a sound. "Looks like Maya-chan and Gou-chan are awake and hungry." She stood up. "I need to go." As Kenzaki watched Neko leave, he smiled. He'd married a wonderful young woman and she was a wonderful mother. How did he deserve someone like her? After all that had happened, it felt good to be with Neko.

"I'm so lucky," said Kenzaki.

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The next morning, Yuuki was headed to school early because he had to help arrange some books and clean up the library. That was when he saw what was parked in the driveway. He froze when he saw the motorbike and his eyes went wide.

The bike itself was a sport's bike that sported a mainly red point job with black and white accents. On the front was a 'V' which was the same one on the Vortex Book. The headlights were green. On the side of the gas tank was a black X with a red 10 stamped on the side. It looked to be built for speed and combat and looked big enough for two people.

"Oh…why me?" Yuuki groaned as he went over to the motorcycle. There was a note on it with a top hat stamped on the corner. He picked it up and read it.

'Just thought you'd like you own ride, Kamen Rider Vortex,' the note read. Yuuki slipped it into his book bag. Where was he supposed to hide this thing? Also, how was he supposed to ride it? He'd never ridden a bike before in his life.

"Hey, Yuuki, what's the hold…up?" Chie began and her eyes fell on the bike. "What is that?"

"A bike?" answered Yuuki uncertainly. She stomped over.

"I know it's a bike, but what is it doing here?" she asked.

"I won it on a contest…on the internet," answered Yuuki weakly.

Chie rubbed hr temples. "Goodness…well, maybe we can sell it since we both know you can't drive it and I don't have a license."

"I could learn," mumbled Yuuki.

"What was that?" asked Chie.

"Nothing, let's just go," said Yuuki. He really couldn't deal with this right now.


	64. Cross Days: V3

For the next several weeks, Chie noticed some changes in her younger brother's behavior. Not only that, he also started to hang out more with Ryuji and his friends. Chie, at first, thought of Ryuji as a delinquent but when she got to know Kat, she found out that Ryuji wasn't as bad as he was painted out to be. He was just misunderstood.

When Ryuji first started schooling here, he scared a lot of people. Even the upperclassmen were intimidated by him. The only friends he had were the other transfers who'd transferred out of the school but left Ryuji to stay. She wondered where they'd gone to.

Also, Ryuji was dating Kotonoha Katsura, who was quite popular in school. She was beautiful and intelligent but she wasn't popular in her first year. But, since dating Ryuji, she became confident and attracted A LOT of male attention. The KLLA just seemed so larger than life, like something from a ridiculous manga. But, they also tried to attack Ryuji and outnumber him. Chie had seen it many times and still couldn't believe Ryuji himself could defeat that many assailants without breaking a sweat.

Then, more people showed up. Warren, who'd posed as a student was revealed to be married (to Rachel), with kids (**Alex** and Tessa), and had a mistress (Teresa). But he was still a respected member of the faculty, teaching both World History and Japanese History. Though his lifestyle was questionable, but since neither his wife nor mistress minded, nobody else did. Of course, there were a few members of faculty who didn't approve of his lifestyle but they couldn't really make a complaint. He never did anything wrong as far as she saw and was a capable teacher and educator.

Next were Kenzaki Tsukuba, Neko and Kat Hasuma. One was just as scary as Ryuji and the other two were Ryuji's sisters, but both were drastically different despite their similar appearance.

Those were among the people who'd come to attend Sakakino High as a student or teacher.

Yuuki was also changing. At first he got pushed around but always ended up getting saved by his friend Kyouchi. Now, he got saved by Ryuji whose gaze got the bullies to back off. She was grateful for that, but she also wondered why he was protecting Yuuki when they weren't even friends.

Then, he would always come back late and looked hurt, but he never told her why. She suspected Ryuji was somehow responsible but Yuuki wasn't talking.

She wasn't the only one worried. Roka was too. She liked Yuuki. He was kind, honest and sincere, but those traits were being threatened by his continuous interaction with Ryuji Hasuma. This had to stop. She wanted her brother back and didn't want him corrupted by Ryuji. She didn't want her little brother ending up in fights because of Ryuji.

One day, after school, she spied on the two. They were standing at the gate of the school. She herself had hid behind a tree and watched. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could still see them.

Ryuji spoke, "Alright, Newb, let's go."

"Hai, sempai," obeyed Yuuki. Ryuji would never get tired of that.

Ryuji whipped out his Dyno Belt and slung it around his waist to fasten it on. As for Yuuki, he took out the Vortex Driver and placed it on his waist, allowing the belt strap to wrap around and then secure it onto him. He had a card held between his index finger and thumb. In Ryuji's hand was the Dyno Pass.

Ryuji pressed the black button on his belt, allowing it to release a roar, as Vortex pulled the handles on the sides of the buckle and the buckle twisted upwards 90 degrees clockwise.

"Henshin!" Ryuji and Yuuki called.

Chie continued to watch in shock as the two boys transformed.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

"**MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!**"

Right before her eyes her brother and Ryuji turned into the armored warriors known as Kamen Riders.

"No…no way!" she gasped.

"Let's ride," said Ifrit as his Machine Dyno-Breaker sped up in front of him, followed by the Machine Vortexer. They both mounted their vehicles and sped off. Chie ran to the gate and watched them both speed away.

"Yuuki and I are going to have a long talk about this," she swore to herself.

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The two Riders arrived at the stasis field, which looked like a big red dome to them. It went unnoticed by normal people but they were anything but normal. They picked up speed and dashed through the barrier. Everything inside, as usual, was bathed in red light and frozen in time. Already, many people had perished and erased from existence, but now their mission was to make sure the Horrors couldn't continue.

Ifrit leapt off his bike and flung himself into the air. His hands were engulfed in blue flames that then shot into the air like meteors. Each fireball exploded against a Horror and hey became frozen solid.

Vortex himself was speeding across the ground, shooting at the Horrors with his Vortex Book in Gun Mode. In this mode the black handle under the book-like object was pulled back a bit to become a gun's grip and the nozzle at the end of the spine became a gun barrel.

With their combined help, both Riders were able to defeat the Horrors, but then there was still one thing they had to take care of. Only Nytemares could create stasis fields and if the stasis field was still up, so was the Horror.

Suddenly, several black spikes shot out from the ground under Vortex and threw him and the bike through the air. The bike skidded across the ground as Vortex tumbled along the ground.

"Found it!" Vortex called.

The Nytemare exploded out of the ground. It was a humanoid with spikes covering its entire body and beady red eyes. It then fired the spikes at Vortex who dodge rolled out of the way.

"Hyah!!!" Ifrit cried out as he charged with the Liner Cross-Rod. He swung his weapon at the Nytemare who blocked with its arms. It then struck its spike covered fists against Ifrit's chest and sent him staggering backwards.

"Sempai!" Vortex cried. He then got out a card and his belt buckle twisted upwards. He slid the card in and pushed the handles to reset his belt buckle.

"**MASKED RIDE: ONI!**"

Violet flames engulfed his entire body and when they dispersed he was in the form of Kamen Rider Oni. Reaching behind his back, he removed the Drum Clubs named Hibiki and gripped them tightly. He then charged at the Nytemare and smashed the clubs against it.

Ifrit himself watched as his junior fought. He had to admit that Yuuki was doing well for someone who'd become a Rider not too long ago.

Violet smashed his foot into the spike covered Nytemare and then twirled both clubs around. His belt buckle twisted up and ejected the card as it shot out of it. His body became covered in digital pixels and he was restored into his original Kamen Rider form. This gave the Nytemare enough time to perform a counter attack. Several spikes flew into Vortex and sparks exploded off his body.

Now it was time for Ifrit to act. He slipped his Dyno Pass into the Liner Cross-Rod's chamber and then closed it.

"**FULL POWER CHARGE!**"

With a loud shout, Ifrit rushed at the Nytemare and slashed its body through the Nytemare staggered backwards. Vortex then picked up the Vortex Book and converted it to Sword Mode by pulling the black handle upwards until it was parallel with the black stripe which ran across the book's surface, which caused a blade to fold out from the other end.

Vortex quickly slid a card into his belt buckle and reset it.

"**ATTACK RIDE: VORTEX SLASH!**"

The energy from the belt charged up his sword. He then leapt up and performed a downward slash that sliced the Nytemare in half. With a cry of anguish, the Nytemare exploded and with its destruction the stasis field began to vanish, fixing all the damage caused by the fight. Unfortunately, those who'd perished within the stasis field were gone from existence forever.

Ifrit and Vortex then sped away. The new Rider was heading home. He needed to lie down for a bit.

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When Yuuki entered his house, he saw his sister standing at the entrance with a hard expression and her arms crossed. "Oh, sorry I'm late," Yuuki apologized. "I was just…studying at a friend's house."

"Oh, really?" remarked Chie. "Which friend?"

"Oh, a friend from school," added Yuuki lamely.

"Would this friend be Ryuji Hasuma?" questioned Chie. Yuuki's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"Well, yes…he had some trouble with-"

"Fighting a monster," Chie finished.

"Fighting a monster?" Yuuki weakly chuckled. "Are you kidding, Nee-san? Why would he do something like that? It's not like he's a superhero or something." Yuuki then quickly slapped his hand over his mouth. He was blabbing.

"Oh, I think he is a superhero," said Chie. Yuuki began to sweat. "And so are you…Kamen Rider Vortex."

Now Yuuki was in trouble. His mind reeled at the accusation. How did she find out? How could she find out? Yuuki knew he was busted, but he wasn't allowed to tell anyone! He had to cover this up somehow.

"H-huh?!" Yuuki gaped. "Me? Vortex? Come on Nee-san! That's crazy!"

"Oh? You know what's crazy?" Chie frowned, tears beginning to show in her eyes. "I thought my little brother would be honest with me. The one who I love so much and who I've looked out for during these years. My own little brother who is LYING right to his older sister's face! I thought I told you that you could tell me anything! Why did I have to follow you to find this out? Why!? Didn't you trust me!?"

"I just couldn't tell you!" Yuuki shot back, finding his voice.

"Why not!? I could've handled it!" Chie shouted.

"Not this! Come on, Nee-san! If I told you would you be able to believe me?"

"If you provided me proof, I would!"

"I just couldn't tell you!"

"Why not!?"

"I needed to protect you!" Yuuki's exclamation caused her to pause. "I didn't want you to worry. If you knew, you'd try to stop me. I wanted to be stronger to protect the Nee-san who's always taken care of me."

"But I'm supposed to look after you!" Chie cried. "You're my little brother! I'm supposed to protect you!"

"Not from Nytemares!" Yuuki cried out. "Those monsters are born killers! Not many people can stop them!"

"Then let the other Kamen Riders deal with it!" Chie insisted. "You could die Yuuki! You aren't a fighter! This isn't like you!"

"I have to!" Yuuki argued. "I have the ability to stop them! I can't just turn my back on the people who might die if I don't help!"

Chie had never seen her brother act so defiant before. It made him seem taller in her eyes but he was her little brother first. He wasn't supposed to be a superhero. He was just supposed to be a good student, get good grades in school, and find a girlfriend. Chie already had Roka come over many times so she and Yuuki could make a connection but Yuuki always came home late and was too tired. Sure, Roka and Yuuki talked at school but they were growing too distant because of the lies and secrets.

Chie was going to put a stop to this once and for all.


	65. Cross Days: V4

The next day at school, Chie stood waiting at the school gate with her hands to her hips. She was tapping her foot against the ground. She'd sent Yuuki to his class and was just waiting for Ryuji to show up. She checked her watch, muttering, "Any minute now…" She peered over to her left and right and then saw Ryuji come up. "Perfect." With Ryuji were Kotonoha, Siera and Rina. Ryuushin was walking with them as well. "Of course he has his groupies."

Ryuji came up to the gate with the girls and Ryuushin and then saw the older girl staring at him. He stared back. He knew that look. It was a look that said she really wanted to talk to him.

"Girls, I'll be right up," he said politely to Kotonoha, Rina and Siera. They nodded and walked past Chie who didn't even bat an eye as they walked past. Ryuushin grunted in response as he walked past as well.

"Ashikaga-sempai," said Ryuji politely. "Good morning."

"Save the pleasantries, Hasuma," snapped Chie as she crossed her arms. "Not in the mood."

"So, what is this about? If it's nothing then I'd like to get to class before the bell rings," said Ryuji.

"I know you're a Kamen Rider, Ifrit," Chie informed. Ryuji's eyes widened a little bit in surprise. "Yuuki told me everything."

"So, you found out," Ryuji reasoned.

"I saw you and Yuuki speed out of the school after transforming," said Chie.

Ryuji accused, "So, you were spying."

"It's what any concerned sister would do when her little brother is hanging out with the wrong crowd," Chie explained.

"Wrong crowd? Me?" Ryuji asked rhetorically.

"You get into fights and are a known delinquent," Chie stated. "Not the type of people I want my brother hanging around with. Same goes for Tsukuba."

"I see, and yet you're on the same team as my sister, Kat," Ryuji retorted.

"She's not a delinquent like you," Chie countered.

"No, but I know her better than you do and she's done a lot of bad stuff," said Ryuji. Of course, he wasn't a saint either but he wanted t defend himself, not condemn himself.

"I want him to stop being a Rider. He's getting hurt," said Chie.

"Sorry, but he made the choice," Ryuji argued. "I can't make him stop."

Chie threatened, "If you don't, I'll tell everyone your secret."

Ryuji narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

"I'm trying to keep my brother safe," she argued.

"Not a smart idea," said Ryuji as he raised his phone to her face. Chie stared.

"What are you going to do? Talk me to death?" mocked Chie.

"I can erase your memories. I can make it hours, days, months or years," warned Ryuji.

"You're bluffing," Chie challenged. However, she was internally shaken by the threat.

"Am I?" Ryuji smirked as he waved it around. "Want to test it out? I'm a Rider. I got access to advanced tech." He flipped his phone open. "Trust me; I'm willing to do anything to make sure my secret stays a secret."

Chie scowled. It was possible that Ryuji was bluffing with his phone being able to erase memories, but could she risk it. Putting on a face of defiance, she said, "You're bluffing."

Ryuji then swiftly converted his phone into Phone Blaster Mode and then aimed to his right. A shot was fired and it hit a tree, piercing through and making a hole. Chie's eyes widened at the smoking hole where the shot had gone through and then turned to see Ryuji blowing off the smoke of the barrel of his gun.

"It can be a gun too. It's not hard to have it erase memories," Ryuji said.

Chie backed away from Ryuji. "Look, I just want to keep my brother safe."

"Then, let him choose if he wants to stop. It's not up to me or you. It's up to him," Ryuji informed. He flipped his phone close, pocketed it, and then walked towards the building, leaving Chie standing at the gate until the bell rang.

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**Later that night…**

When Kenzaki arrived at the school's rooftop that night, he saw Yuuki waiting for him. "Ashikaga? Why did you call me up here?" He noticed that Yuuki looked a little nervous. "Ashikaga?"

"Gomen, Tsukuba-san," said Yuuki apologetically, "But I have to ask you to no longer look for information on Topper-san."

Kenzaki fell silent but then smirked. He replied, "So, you're his errand boy now? Was it part of the deal?"

"It is. Please, Tsukuba-san, you need to stop this," pleaded Yuuki.

"I can't. Topper has to be stopped from messing with people's lives," said Kenzaki.

Yuuki sighed. He didn't want to do this, but the contract Topper held had him in a tight grip. "Then, I'm sorry for this." Yuuki tossed off his coat and revealed that he'd been wearing the Vortex Driver around his waist. The buckle was twisted up and ready for card insertion. Held within his hand was the Vortex Rider Card.

Kenzaki slung his Garoh Belt around his waist and fastened it on. Gripped tightly in his hand was the Garoh Pass.

"Henshin," Yuuki called as he slid in the card.

"Henshin!" Kenzaki called as he pushed the button.

Yuuki pushed the handles on the sides of his buckle as Kenzaki swiped his pass over his belt buckle.

"**MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!**"

"**HUNTER FORM!**"

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Ryuji drove onto school grounds with his Dyno-Breaker and hit the brakes before kicking down the stand. He dismounted from his vehicle and tossed off his helmet before running into the building. "Crap! Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!!!"

As a precaution, Ryuji had put a bug on Yuuki's cell phone. From it he found out that Yuuki had sent a message to Kenzaki. It was no doubt a challenge to a fight between Riders.

Ryuji ran up the stairs which led to the roof and then kicked open the door. What he saw were Garoh and Vortex, with their blades clashing and sending a rain of sparks falling to the floor as their weapons connected. He got his own belt ready but hesitated. Both were comrades and fellow Riders. Though Kenzaki inherited the power of Garoh, Yuuki was chosen to become Vortex. However, their clash was because of Topper. Yuuki was bound to Topper and Kenzaki held a hatred for Topper that rivaled Ryuji's. Sure, Topper was bad news but you didn't have to get into a fight over him.

Both the GaroGasher Scimitar Mode and the Vortex Book Sword Mode were locked as Vortex and Garoh's eyes met. Their eyes narrowed as they pushed against each other. Vortex was, without a doubt, the most powerful Rider suit ever made but it was only as good as its wearer. Kenzaki had the skill and experience to use the Garoh armor and its weapons, making him just as dangerous.

Ryuji stood rooted at the spot and just watched. He couldn't get involved, not without hurting either of them. This was a matter of personal pride, honor and duty. He couldn't get involved.

"Interesting, isn't it?" spoke Topper as he suddenly made his presence known. He stood next to Ryuji, startling the young man. In his hands was a walking stick and he was leaning forward with his hands atop of it. "Two Riders fighting each other. Both warriors of justice. It's like poetic irony." He smiled in amusement.

Ryuji clenched his fists as he glared at the Infernal Merchant. "You asshole! You set this whole thing up!"

"Language," Topper lightly chided. "But, you're right; I did set them up to fight each other. Your friend has been sniffing around with his nose where it doesn't belong. So, I sent Yuuki to persuade him to stop. And, by persuade, I meant stop him anyway he could. You see, Yuuki has to follow my every instruction as long as I hold his contract, which means he has to do whatever I say. I have my own champion and errand boy, all in one." He chuckled.

"He's just a piece in your sick game of Chess," growled Ryuji.

"Speaking of Chess, I think I have a game schedules with old Wolfy," said Topper nonchalantly. He was grabbed by the scruff of his coat and pulled towards Ryuji. His hat nearly fell off in surprise. "Testy, are we?" That annoying smirk hadn't left his face.

"You'll stop this now, Topper," threatened Ryuji.

"My boy, you shouldn't threaten your betters," said Topper from behind Ryuji suddenly in the blink of an eye. Ryuji was now holding air. He whirled around in anger as Topper casually looked over his shoulder. He twirled his walking stick around and tapped his feet against the floor. "You see, I hold all the cards here so you should be careful around me."

"Not me, Elder," said Warren as he suddenly stood behind Topper. Topper smiled.

"And, Mr. Smith is here too. Why am I not surprised," said Topper, as if he'd predicted it. Nothing surprised him, really. He'd lived too long already to be surprised. People wee just too predictable to him.

Meanwhile, the fight between Garoh and Vortex had intensified. With a front snap kick, Vortex sent Garoh staggering backwards. The Vortex Driver's belt buckle twisted upwards and Vortex already had a card in hand. He slid it inside and pushed the handles in to reset it.

"**MASKED RIDE: GAROH!**"

"Ooh, now we're seeing double!" said Topper. Ryuji and Warren looked over to see Garoh VS Garoh. Well, it was easy to tell which was which since Vortex was still wearing the Vortex Driver and holding the Vortex Book.

The real Garoh growled at this imposter. He'd warned Yuuki before about using this form because he hadn't earned it and yet the young boy was mocking him with it. Angered by the insult against him and his adopted father, Garoh attacked. Vortex copied not only his form but his movements as well. Vortex could predict Garoh's attack pattern perfectly. Blades clashes and sparks flew, but neither was hitting their opponent. They kept parrying their blows and locking blades and the only contact was from their fists and feet.

Garoh was slashed across the chest and sent tumbling. Vortex bent down with his hands on his knees, panting. He was getting exhausted. Once Garoh recovered, Vortex got his second wind. They then continued to battle.

"Topper, stop this, now," said Warren. He wasn't joking.

"Wait for it," informed Topper. "This is when it gets good."

Garoh's blade hit Vortex's wrist causing his look-alike to drop his weapon. Then Garoh kicked the imposter hard in the stomach and Vortex was sent flying and into the guard fence surrounding the rooftop. The belt buckle twisted upwards and shot the card out which became blank. Thus, his body was covered in digital pixels before reverting to his default form.

"He's lost," said Ryuji, smirking at Topper victoriously.

"Not yet," said Topper as he held up a card. "Yuuki, catch!" Topper tossed it at Vortex who caught it. Without hesitation, he slid it into his belt buckle and pressed the handles.

"**MASKED RIDE: ANTI-CROSS!**"

A new transformation overcame Vortex and he emerged in a new suit of armor. This one was black with an upside-down cross acting as the visor. Garoh easily recognized it, having his ass handed to him by it once before. The only difference was that the belt was the same as Vortex's.

"Now you've crossed the line," Garoh growled as he prepared to fight.

Over with Ryuji and Warren, the two Riders were in shock about what they were seeing. Any Rider that Vortex had transformed into in the past was one that they recognized. However, this one was new. They never heard of a Kamen Rider Anti-Cross before.

"Who the hell did he change into now?" asked Ryuji.

"Me," Topper answered with a grin. Both Riders turned their attention to him. "You see, while I offered to help create the Slayer System in Master Amakusa's world, I created a second system should Slayer prove…unwilling, to fulfill his purpose."

"So you mean in case that Akashi asshole decided to kill Devlin and all Fangires good or bad?" asked Ryuji.

"Anti-Cross was the Yin to Slayers Yang," Warren frowned.

"Bingo," Topper snickered. "However, since Akashi has decided to fulfill the purpose as Slayer…or is it that Aono boy now? It's hard to recall."

In truth, Topper was lying. There were failsafe all over the Slayer System to keep the user from misusing it. In truth, it was one of the rules of existence that Topper himself didn't dare break. If he created something in any world, he was forced to create a direct opposite of it. Anti-Cross was the opposite of Slayer. Yin to the Yang. Ironic how Slayer was considered evil when he first appeared and Ichiro pondered bringing out Anti-Cross to stop him.

"The Ultimate Rider," proclaimed Topper proudly. "That is what Vortex is. A warrior able to assume the form of any Rider in the entire Multiverse with just a single card in the belt. Amazing, isn't it?"

"And your own personal errand boy," said Warren with a hint of venom in his voice.

"Yes," said Topper. "I own his contract, I own him. It's as simple as that."

Vortex threw a fist and the impact caused an explosion of sparks from Garoh's chestplate. Another fist smashed into Garoh's helmet and sent him tumbling against the floor. He rolled along the rooftop as his armor deactivated. **"**OK, Ashikaga. Time I showed you what us REAL Kamen Riders can do!" proclaimed Kenzaki. He summoned Tenrou and his Rider Pass and prepared to enter Lunar Form.

Vortex's belt buckle then twisted upwards and shot out the card which then vanished into the thin air. His body became covered in digital pixels and reverted back to his default form. Finally, Vortex's armor deactivated as Yuuki collapsed onto his knees before dropping onto the floor.

"Ashikaga!" cried out Ryuji as he ran towards his junior. He examined his young comrade and was relieved to see Yuuki alive. But, the strain of the Anti-Cross form had caused him to pass out.

"Hey, Kenzaki, are you okay?" asked Warren.

"I'm glad I can't feel any pain," muttered Kenzaki. He picked up his belt which had dropped to the floor and then peered over to where Yuuki was lying, facedown. Ryuji was helping the boy up with one arm around his back and draping Yuuki arm over his shoulders. "And later on that kid's gonna wish that he couldn't either."

Topper sighed. "Boy's still weak. I'll leave him to you." He tapped his walking stick onto the floor before he vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Damn Elders," Warren cursed. "Come on. We better get Yuuki back home."

"His sister's going to kill us," Ryuji sighed. A pair of multicolored portals formed in the sky right before the DynoLiner and GaroLiner flew out of them. The GaroLiner picked up Kenzaki as the DynoLiner picked up Warren, Ryuji and Yuuki.


	66. Cross Days: V5

Chie was having a depressing day so far. Her confrontation with Ryuji earlier that day hadn't gone so well since he wouldn't make Yuuki give up being a Kamen Rider. He even threatened to erase her memories and after the demonstration she witnessed, she believed he was capable. Then Roka and she got to talking, with Roka feeling bad that Yuuki was barely talking to her. It just made Chie more depressed since it looked like the chances of a relationship between Roka and Yuuki were getting worse and worse. Finally, Roka came over to hopefully spend time with Yuuki, but that flopped since he was late again, leaving Roka to go home in more disappointment.

There was actually a valid reason why Chie protested about Yuuki being a Rider. At least, that was what she told herself. It was actually because of a dream she had not too long ago…

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Chie was in a canyon and wearing a torn and dirty white dress. She wasn't sure how she had come to this place and was confused. Suddenly, her confusion turned into panic as an explosion erupted behind her. She screamed out in terror and squatted down while covering her head._

'_What…what's going on!?' she wondered in panic. Suddenly, she heard the howl of motorcycles and the roar of thousands. Once the dust cleared she saw them. Thousands of them wore identical bug-like suits of armor and only a few of them were riding motorcycles. The ones riding motorcycles wore unique suits of armor than most of them who were running. Among the running ones were others in unique suits of armor that made them look more distinctive. One she assumed looked like a bee and then another that looked like a slender figure in black and red._

_She knew what they were. She knew who these people were…_

'_Kamen Riders!'_

_They all ran or sped past her without even blinking in her direction, like she was invisible. Laser fire started to fly as explosions erupted everywhere. Two armies of people in strange armor – Kamen Riders – clashed and fought violently with whatever weapons they had in their disposal. She saw magnificent beasts flying through the air and caught sight of a pair of Chinese dragons that were suddenly shot out of the air. Flying in the sky were also Kamen Riders. They were either equipped with jetpacks or had wings. Some rode on flying machines that seemed like something out of a Sci-Fi movie._

_The war (which she thought was an appropriate term for what was going on) was incredibly brutal. Explosions sent many of them flying and some were knocked off their vehicles to fall onto the ground. There was another loud roar and Chie was stunned to see a dragon that wore castle for armor. Riding atop its head was a figure in red armor and atop the clock tower of the castle was another red figure with more gothic looking armor. They wielded swords but a stray energy blast hit the dragon and caused it to crash into a canyon wall. The two figures riding it had jumped off to safety and then ran past her, ignoring her like everyone else. They continued to fight._

_Looking up into the sky she saw various flying trains shooting out incredible amounts of ammunition but they were too shot out of the sky and crashed before they exploded. Chie shrieked. A warrior that had a wolf theme landed next to her and charged forward. Standing far off in the distance was a figure with a skull-like helmet. He didn't make a move toward the war._

_Then…there was silence. Looking around, she saw all the Riders sprawled on the ground. They were either dead or unconscious but she couldn't be sure. She was just too stunned and scared. Then, she saw a bright crimson light and looked over to see a lone figure standing amongst the defeated Riders. She dared to look closely at the figure and uttered one word:_

"_Vortex."_

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chie was shocked out of her thoughts when she heard the doorbell ring. "I'm coming!" she called as she ran to the door and opened it up. She gasped out in shock.

"Yuuki!" Chie shrieked as she watched Ryuji drag Yuuki into the house. "What did you do!?" she accused. Yuuki was being dragged in by Ryuji Hasuma, the one she held responsible for him becoming a Rider.

Ryuji prepared himself for the screeching to come. Chie made it pretty obvious that she held him responsible for Yuuki's status as a Rider. So logically, she was going to give Ryuji hell for bringing Yuuki home all beaten up and exhausted. She was the annoyingly overprotective type and it just ticked Ryuji off when she would get mad at him even though it wasn't his fault.

"Nothing I did," said Ryuji as he carefully dragged Yuuki up the stairs.

Chie was about to argue when she heard, "Ashikaga-san, calm down." She turned to see Warren at the door.

"Smith-sensei," she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I was at school, doing some late night work, when I saw your brother fighting," said Warren. "So, you know he's a Rider."

"Sensei…how do you…?" Chie began to ask.

"I'm also known as Skull Rider Wraith," Warren informed her. Chie's eyes widened.

"You're a Kamen Rider!" she cried in shock.

"Sort of," said Warren. "May I come inside? I think I can shed some light on this subject unless Yuuki has told you everything."

Chie gazed at the stairs which led to her brother's room and sighed. "Fine. Would you like some tea, sensei?"

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Ryuji gently put Yuuki in his bed and then took some time to examine the room. There was a shelf filled with various books, a computer, and also on the wall were posters of the Kamen Riders.

"Figures…he was a fan," Ryuji sighed. He glanced back at Yuuki. To be honest he actually started to like the kid and considered him one of the few friends he had. To Ryuji, true friends were the people he could trust with his secrets. Yuuki was just some dumb and innocent kid who had his dream come true but now had to suffer the consequences.

"You lucky baka…" If anyone could help Yuuki, it was Warren.

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After several minutes of getting settled in the living room with cups of warm tea in hand, Warren began to explain Yuuki's Rider situation to Chie.

"He made a deal?" Chie questioned.

"Unwittingly, actually," Warren clarified. "He didn't know what he was getting himself into, you see. He just signed without reading at fine print."

"So, in exchange for the Vortex Gear, he has to do whatever this Topper asshole tells him?" Chie looked pissed. Her brother was being taken advantage of.

"Yes," Warren replied with a nod. "But, so far, your brother has become a great asset to our cause."

"Yes, he told me he's been helping you fight these monsters called Nytemares," Chie stated. "So, how can I find this Topper?"

"You can't," Warren shook his head, "And you don't have to worry," said Warren. "I'm about to go take care of that little contract." Warren stood up and made his way to the door. Chie watched as Warren exited her home before she went up the stairs. Midway she bumped into Ryuji.

"How is he?" Chie asked.

"Asleep," Ryuji answered abruptly. "Now, get out of my way. I know I'm not welcomed."

Chie bit her lower lip. She knew Ryuji had no reason to be nice to her, much less trust her, since she'd threatened to expose him, but at least she could talk with him. "I…didn't know about Yuuki's entire circumstances. I didn't know he signed a contract and well…"

"You blamed me," Ryuji finished, "Because I happen to be the Rider he admirers."

"Well, you are almost like those superheroes Yuuki always liked to watch on TV," Chie reasoned. "I thought it was your influence that made him a Rider."

"You could say that, but he was the one that made that choice." Ryuji crossed his arms and stared.

"Yes, Warren-sensei explained to me about this whole mess," Chie answered. Yuuki hadn't told her anything about a contract or deal so she was just quick to judge and put the blame on Ryuji. "I know…Look, I know we don't see eye to eye on this whole Yuuki being a Rider, but we both care about him. That was why I was worried that he was hanging around you too much. Because of your…reputation."

"People do spread rumors about me," Ryuji acknowledged. "I don't really give a damn. They don't know me."

"And neither did I, and I didn't bother to get to know you. Yuuki…he did and he said that deep down you're a kind person. I just didn't believe him. I thought you threatened him to say that."

"I don't threaten people close to me," Ryuji retorted.

"I guess he really is your friend, huh?" Chie asked.

"I've considered him as such," Ryuji admitted. "At first he was just an annoying rookie who just lucked into all this. He had no prior training and suddenly got advanced Rider Gear. He could've gotten himself killed the first time if he wasn't so smart and lucky."

"Yes, Yuuki is smart," Chie said with a smile. "He's just shy."

Ryuji noted that. He also knew Yuuki had a crush on Kotonoha. He wasn't blind. He could see how Yuuki would stare at her from afar in the library way back when and even now Yuuki blushed whenever she was nearby. They'd spoken a couple of times and had become friends. Ryuji didn't feel threatened. It was just a crush. Though Yuuki's reasons for wanting to be a Rider was to impress Kotonoha, Kotonoha was Ryuji's fiancée and that would never change.

"I'm actually trying to set him up with a girl on my team," said Chie. "Roka."

"Kitsuregawa?" Ryuji questioned. Kat knew that girl. She was short, but was fast, and able to throw the ball far. A real asset to the team. Kat had told Ryuji about her. Of course, Kat also added that Roka had some growing to do in the breast department. "Kat's told me about some of her teammates. You're her sempai, right?"

"Yes, and your sister is a huge part of the team," said Chie. "She has a very fiery and passionate competitive spirit. She never lets anything knock her down too long. It's just…"

"She's a perv and likes to grope girls," Ryuji finished. Chie seemed surprised. "Don't be surprised. She's my sister. I know her well enough. Also, I caught her groping my girl so it wouldn't be too farfetched if she had done it to the rest of the girls on the team…including you and Kitsuregawa."

Chie blushed. One time while she was just changing, Kat had just pounced on her from behind and began to molest her breasts. Kat did get scolded for the stunt but it had been harmless. It was common knowledge that Kat was a lesbian and she was proud of it, so a fair number of girls were a bit creeped out whenever Kat started groping breasts and comparing their sizes. "But…she's still a great basketball player. Her reflexes and agility are amazing."

Ryuji smiled. He knew Chie was just trying to make light conversation with him. But things were serious now. "So, how can I find this Topper?" she asked Ryuji.

"You don't," Ryuji replied. "He finds you." That was almost the same answer Warren had given her. "It's a good thing it's the weekend tomorrow. Watch your brother and let him rest. Also, I suggest you take care of some bruises he collected today." Chie got out of the way and let Ryuji walk past her. She turned to see him headed for the door.

"Good night," she heard him say before he walked out the door. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy like the rumors say, but Yuuki was still hurt and it was going to take time for her to trust Ryuji Hasuma who she still held partly responsible for Yuuki becoming a Rider.

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It didn't take long for Warren to find where Topper was at. All he had to do was look for someone wearing a top hat and overcoat with a pointed nose. Though Topper was a shapeshifter, Topper only did so under certain circumstances.

"There you are," Warren said as he saw Topper at a park's bench.

"Ah, good evening, Mr. Smith," greeted Topper casually as he tipped his hat. "What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

"I want the contract," Warren demanded.

"Oh, young Yuuki's contract," Topper replied. "I see. So, you wish to win it so he doesn't have to serve me."

"As long as you hold it, you pull the strings that make him your puppet. Now, are you gonna hand it over, or am I going to have to kick your ass?"

Topper shook his head in disapproval. "Such language, and coming from a teacher no doubt."

"I'm off duty, so I can curse like a sailor if I wanted to," Warren countered.

"I suppose," Topper shrugged. A dark gleam then entered his eyes. "Tell you what. I will offer a fair challenge. We will do battle with each other. Each time one of us scores a hit, it will get us a point. After ten minutes, whoever has the most points wins. Should you win, I will hand over the contract. If I win, I keep young Yuuki as my employee."

"You're on," Warren frowned. "SHATTTER!"

Topper watched the transformation into Wraith with a smirk. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a black belt before wrapping it around his waist. He then produced a knuckle duster with a short blade equipped to it. Bringing it to his hand, he cut himself and let his blood collect on the metal.

"**READY!"**

"Henshin," Topper grinned. He then inserted the bloody blade into the buckle.

"**BLADE IN!"**

"Oh, and one more little wager," said Anti-Cross as he raised a finger.

"What?" Wraith retorted.

"If you should lose, I own you too," stated Anti-Cross.

"So, not only do you get a little kid with a little power, you also get one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse under your thumb? How's that fair?" Wraith retorted.

"Well, it wouldn't be fair if I kept what is already mine in the first place should I win. I should gain something too, and you are one very valuable prize."

"OK, but I'd also like to add in a wager of my own," said Wraith.

"Go ahead," Anti-Cross allowed. This was a business transaction just like any other to him.

"I win, and you leave, for good. You'll get off this world and never set foot on it ever again."

"Hm…interesting…" Anti-Cross tapped his chin. "Alright, Mr. Smith, you have a deal." He clenched his fists. "Now, shall we get down to business?"

"Thought you would never ask."

The two then charged at each other before engaging in brutal combat.


	67. Ginban Kaleidoscope: Slayer Mark 3

A/N: I watched Ginban Kaleidoscope and I thought it was unfair for Pete and Tazusa to be separated like that. Even though he was a ghost and she alive, love made him feel alive and she would always love him. So, I wrote this in response to the ending of the anime as a sort of continuation.

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"OK, I'm ready," said Pete as he stood in front of the pearly gates of Heaven. His 100 days on Earth were up and now he could rest in peace. His only regret was that he would be separated from Tazusa until it was his time. He stepped forward as the gates opened for him. He saw a beautiful bright light, but he hesitated. Why was he hesitating? Wasn't this what he wanted?

"Are you sure you wish to go, Mr. Pumps?" Pete heard and spun around to see a peculiar man, dressed in a green overcoat, with a red bowtie decorated by yellow polka-dots, and a top pat on his head. He had heterochromatic eyes, with one blue eye and the other grey. His nose was also long and pointed. His hair was blond, but not the dirty blond color Pete's was. The top hat wearing man's hair was almost a golden color.

The man sat at a round table with a tea pot and holding a cup in one hand and another hand holding the saucer.

"Who are you?" Pete asked. "Are you God?"

The man chuckled. "No, but I've met Him," the man answered. "Why don't you sit down and we can talk?"

Pete decided he had nothing to lose. He'd waited 100 days, why wait any longer. He walked over and pulled up a chair for himself before sitting down. In the blink of an eye, a filled up cup of tea was now sitting in front of him. "Thanks for the tea," said Pete as he picked up the cup. He took a sip. "Good tea."

"It's my special blend," the man boasted.

"So, if you're not God, are you an angel?" Pete asked. The man laughed again. Now Pete was starting to get annoyed.

"No, Mr. Pumps, I'm not an angel either," the man replied. "I'm Topper, a simple businessman."

A businessman? Up here?

"So…you're a ghost like me?" Pete asked. The man replied with another laugh. "Wrong again, huh?"

"Bingo," the strange man replied. "My associates refer to me as Topper." He tapped his top hat for emphasis.

"I see…"

"And, Mr. Pumps, I'm here to offer you a deal," said Topper.

"What kind of deal?" asked Pete.

"How would you like to be with your beloved figure-skating princess again?" asked Topper. Pete's eyes widened. "I see you're interested."

Pete frowned. "How can I? I'm dead."

"No, you're not," Topper denied. Pete stared. "Take a look." Topper snapped his fingers and the white table suddenly turned into a mirror. Pete looked and saw himself, in the hospital and in a coma.

"W-what?" Pete was shocked.

"You survived the crash," Topper explosion. "The shock itself must've propelled your soul out of your body, it seemed."

"So…I'm alive?" Pete wasn't dead! He wasn't dead!

"Well…alive is a relative term, isn't it?" responded Topper cryptically.

Pete then turned serious, "So, what do you want from me?"

"I guess straight to the point is how you want to play it, huh, Mr. Pumps?" said Topper. He took another sip of his tea and then put the cup upon his saucer. "You see, I'm offering you a chance to be alive again. To be flesh and blood…but, you also must do something for me."

This oddly sounded like the deal the Devil made with someone, like on those movies he watched on TV. The kind where the Devil would come up to someone and offer them a deal. "Are you the Devil?" Pete asked suspiciously.

"If I was, would I be here?" Topper responded with a question of his own.

"OK, so I get my body back, but for a price."

"Smart boy." Topper smiled. "But, first, let me show you what's happening right now." He snapped his finger once again and the image of Pete's body vanished to be replaced by a lovely Japanese girl doing figure-skating practice.

"Tazusa…" Pete identified. It was Tazusa, his beautiful ballerina on ice.

"You want to be with her, and yet you're willing to leave her," said Topper.

"But…it's my time," Pete answered.

"Not anymore. You have a second chance, Mr. Pumps. It's up to you to take it up," said Topper.

"But I need to do something as well, right?" asked Pete.

"Yes, you do."

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It watched her from the shadows. It was hungry. It watched as she danced upon the ice. Pretty, pretty thing that must die. Pity. It must kill so It can win the bet It made with the others.

It waited for the dancing girl to be alone. The other human left her to go somewhere. She was alone now. It was time for It to strike. Stalking towards her, It did not make a sound. When close enough, It jumped and when she saw It, she screamed. Too late. It will kill her.

"Tazusa, watch out!" someone shouted and It was sent crashing onto the ice.

It appeared to be humanoid, but not human. The creature itself had fur covering its arms and legs, but patches of it were missing to reveal scaly skin. Its body was covered by a black bodysuit with spikes along Its back. One shoulder had a spike, the other had a fin. Its head looked like a goat's with sharp teeth and curled up horns. Its claws were sharp.

Tazusa was speechless and in shock. It wasn't because of the monster, but who'd saved her.

"Pete?" she recognised. But how could it be? He was dead and he had gone to Heaven.

"Long time no see, Ms. 10 Billion Dollar Beauty," said Pete with a wink. Tazusa blushed but then watched as Pete stood protectively in front of her.

"Pete, what's going on?" she asked.

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"_Are you kidding me?" asked Pete. Topper had explained to him the entire situation. Pete wasn't sure if he wanted to believe the man in the top hat._

"_The walls between dimensions is breaking," explained Topper. With a snap of his fingers both were transported to the dark void of space. There was Earth…and a million others. "The Multiverse has many worlds within it. Many versions of the same Earth, but with different histories. In one of them you never met Tazusa, and in another one, she was the one who dies when her neck snaps after failing to perform a complex skating manoeuvre."_

_Pete was just stunned and then Topper snapped his finger once more, bringing them back to the front of Heaven's Gates._

"_So, what does this have to do with me?" asked Pete._

"_A race of demons had fled into your world, and are going to harm innocent people," said Topper._

"_Why can't the police, or the army-"_

"_They do not have the power to stop these demons," Topper interrupted. "But, you do…or at least, you will." Topper presented Pete the contract. "Just sign on the dotted line."_

"_I don't have a pen," said Pete. "And I'm not sure…"_

"_If you don't, then you'll be seeing your darling skater here sooner than you think," Topper told him abruptly. Pete paused in shock. With a flick of his wrist, Topper produced a pen. "The choice is yours. You can either wait for her in Heaven, which won't be long, or be together with her now and in life. Your choice. I'm not forcing you."_

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"I'll explain later, but I got some demon slaying to do," said Pete as he slung a strange black belt around his waist. Then, he took something out of his pocket which resembled a hi-tech knuckle duster. He strapped it onto his right fist, his fingers curled around the handle, and pressed it onto his left palm.

"**READY!**"

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_"What's your decision?" Topper asked._

_Pete took the pen and pressed it on top of the dotted line._

_"You can't back out on this deal once you made it," Topper warned. "So, make sure this is what you really want."_

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"Henshin!" Pete called out.

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"_It is," Pete answered without hesitation before he signed the contract. Topper smiled as he watched Pete add his name onto the list of his clients._

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Pete pressed the knuckle-duster against the side of the belt, attaching it to the rest of the item.

"**FIST ON!**"

Pete was bathed in bronze light, forcing Tazusa to cover her eyes.

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"_Well then, welcome aboard…Kamen Rider…_"

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Tazusa opened her eyes and then gawked as Pete was now clad in a suit of white armor that made him look like a knight. The helmet had a golden faceplate shaped like a cross. A black bodysuit was worn under the armor. Also, Pete looked pumped (pardon the pun)

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"…_Slayer," finished Topper._

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With a battle cry, the armoured Canadian ran across the ice and attacked the demon…the Chimera Legendorga.

"Keep yer mitts off my girl, you unholy bastard!!!"

From afar, Topper watched as his newest Rider fought to defend his world.

"Slayer System: Mark III. Next, let's see who to give Mark IV through IX to…" Topper mused.

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KAMEN RIDER SLAYER: MK-3


	68. KAMEN RIDER EVA

**The Power of an EVA in the body of a human…**

"I hate fighting…" spoke Shinji softly.

**Granted by force and unnoticed until the time was right…**

"But to protect everyone I care for…" he continued.

**He will become Earth's last hope against a new threat…the Neo-Angels and the Fallen Ones.**

"I will do it!" A purple belt formed around his waist with a large buckle holding a red round stone in the centre. It looked technological and ancient at the same time. There were runes decorating around the red core stone and then buttons pads on the sides of the belt.

Shinji Ikari then called out, "HENSHIN!" The red core stone flashed as Shinji began to change. The first thing to form was a suit resembling his Plug Suit. However, the difference was in the color as it now matched the colors of his Evangelion. His neural clips formed on his head but then a helmet formed over his head. A horn was mounted on the helmet and the mouthguard that covered the lower half of his face was a lighter shade of purple. His eyes were also yellow.

(OK, just Imagine a combination of Unit-01's armor and a Plug Suit)

Shinji clenched his fists as he stared the Neo-Angel down. It shrieked and struck at Shinji, stretching its arms across the ground and the claws pierced the ground. However, Shinji had leapt upwards and called out, "YOU DIE NOW!" The stone in his belt glowed and instantly he came down on the Neo-Angel and then struck it across the face with a fist. Finally, he grabbed it by the head and pulled it down into his knee, repeatedly. He finished the combo up with an uppercut.

Shinji had to thank Misato for those hand-to-hand combat lessons. They were helping right now.

Shinji then called on the power in his belt, which caused his entire body to glow with a bright red light. With a roar like his Unit-01, he struck forward and smashed his fist into the Neo-Angel's core. The core shattered and the Neo-Angel let out a roar before it exploded.

Shinji then turned away and walked as his armor dissolved and restored him to normal as his belt receded into his body. He then said, "Thank you, mother…"

-KAMEN RIDER EVA-


	69. Kitsune Orphenoch

WHAM!

Tsukune was sent flying by Saizou's fist but instead of a smooth landing, his neck snapped when he hit the ground. His body fell limp as he laid dead near a tombstone.

"TSUKUNE!!!" Moka shouted in horror as she ran towards the boy's body, but it was too late. She knelt by his side, her tears falling. "Tsukune…I'm so sorry…so sorry…" she sobbed as she covered her tearful eyes.

Saizou smirked, "Heh, he was a weakling to the end." He lumbered towards Moka. "Now, Moka…let's have some fun." His longue tongue licked his teeth as he gazed upon Moka. She trembled and was frozen in fear.

Tsukune's non-beating heart suddenly started coming back to life as the boy's eyes snapped wide open, glowing pure white as strange markings flashed upon his skin before fading. Moka gasped as she saw that the boy was alive and gasping for breath. "Tsukune!" she cried happily.

Tsukune looked himself over and then his hand went to his neck. 'I…died, right?' He recalled his neck snapping like a twig but it didn't feel like it at all. Saizou was stumped. He was sure the kid was dead.

"Looks like I get to kill you again, wimp!" Saizou sneered. He lunged at the two and Tsukune grabbed Moka and pulled her out of the way with him. Saizou's hand smashed the tombstone to pieces. He then looked over and saw Tsukune standing protectively in front of Moka, his eyes narrowed.

"Tsukune, you can't!" she told him. He'd already gotten hurt for trying to defend her, she didn't want him to get hurt again.

Something deep inside Tsukune suddenly reacted. It was like it was always there and had been waiting to come out. He smiled to her, "It's okay, Moka-san." She blushed when he saw that smile. "Just…stand back."

Tsukune's eyes were focused on Saizou as the feeling inside him intensified. His heart thumped within his chest as he recalled the feeling of seeing Saizou trying to hurt Moka. He felt his anger and hatred rise and being pointed at the orc before them. Finally, he let out a shout.

"AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" his eyes flashed white as the markings appeared on his skin before his body changed in an instant, shocking both Moka and Saizou.

"What…are you?" Saizou asked as he looked over Tsukune's new appearance.

Tsukune now looked to be wearing organic body armor that was colored grey and fox-like in appearance since his head now had a helmet resembling a fox. A faceplate covered his mouth. Ridges an along his arms and legs. His forearms sported wicked looking blades on them that looked like they could cut through anything. White fur ran along down his spine and ended in a tail. His feet were also bare with claws instead of toenails. Even his fingers had claws on them.

Tsukune was now the Kitsune Orphenoch.


	70. Oni and Vampire

Saizou grinned as he stalked towards Tsukune and Moka. The pink-haired girl shivered as she saw the hungry look in Saizou's eyes. Tsukune had come to rescue her too, despite the fact that he was human. They were friends so that was all that mattered. She didn't care that he was human. However, because of her, she was going to die.

"Moka-san, I'm sorry," he apologized, "I'm sorry for just leaving you like that and for what I said. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I do," said Moka. "You're my first and most precious friend."

"Thank you," Tsukune smiled.

"What a sweet little scene. Too bad I have to kill you now!" roared Saizou. He lunged but then suddenly a small red metallic bird collided with his face, sending the orc staggering backwards. "What!?"

Tsukune smiled. One of his scouts had returned. It swooped down and Tsukune held his hand up for it to perch on his palm. "Good job," he said to the small metallic hawk. Moka gazed upon it.

"What is that thing?" she asked.

"My Disc Animal," said Tsukune.

"Disc Animal?" Moka blinked.

Tsukune looked serious and said, "Moka-san, I wasn't completely honest with you. It's true that I'm human, but I'm also…" He drew a tuning fork with an Oni's face on the handle. He tapped the tuning fork against his watch, "An Oni." He stood up, letting the hawk-like Disc Animal fly off before holding the tuning fork up against his forehead. Vibrations from the tuning fork began to sweep over Tsukune as an Oni's face appeared on his forehead. Then, much to Moka and Saizou's shock, Tsukune's entire body became engulfed in violet flames, burning off his clothes. Also, he began to moan and moan louder and louder before…

"HI-YAH!" Tsukune exclaimed, throwing one arm to the side to disperse the flames and reveal his true form. He was covered in a skin tight suit of body armor that was pitch black. There was also a silver vest with a furry collar worn over the suit. A pair of purple gauntlets with silver trimmings also covered his hands up to his elbows. He also wore matching purple boots that went up to his knees. Around his waist was a belt with a buckle that resembled the front of a Taiko drum. Hanging at his hip were disc-like objects. In holster in the back of his belt were a pair of Taiko drumsticks, topped with Oni heads. Finally, he wore a 'mask' that had no face but it had purple facial markings like the makeup of a kabuki performer. He also had a pair of short silver horns.

Saizou and Moka gawked at Tsukune's new appearance. "AN ONI!?" Saizou shouted.

Tsukune looked to Moka whose mouth was gaping open with shock. "Stay here," he advised. He then went towards Saizou.

Saizou sneered. So the little whelp was a monster with a true form after all. So what if he was an Oni? It didn't matter to Saizou whatsoever. The whelp still looked scrawny and weak anyway.

Saizou threw a fist but then Tsukune caught the fist and twisted on his heels before tossing Saizou hard to the ground with a judo throw. Moka was shocked. Had Tsukune been holding back his true strength?

"Damn you!" Saizou growled as he clawed at Tsukune who stepped back. The orc got back to his feet and then started to claw at Tsukune but the Oni-boy dodged each of the clumsy strikes. It was a good thing that Tsukune was in the forest. This was an Oni's true element and Tsukune had the advantage here.

Tsukune called out, "Kiboujutsu Onidume!" Suddenly, claws sprouted out of his knuckles and he stabbed them into Saizou. The brute grunted in pain before Tsukune used a palm strike to send the monster staggering back. Then, he called out, "Kiboujutsu Onibi!" A mouth formed on his mask and fired a stream of violet flames at Saizou. Saizou let loose a scream as the flames engulfed him. Satisfied, Tsukune made his way back to Moka. His head glowed with light and when the light subsided, his mask was gone.

"Moka-san, are you alright?" Tsukune asked politely. The girl nodded. He offered his hand to help her up and the girl stared up at this human and yet not-so-human boy.

"Tsukune…" said Moka softly.

"Moka-san," he replied, smiling.

"RARGH…!!!" Saizou roared loudly, ruining the moment for both teens. "DAMN YOU!!!" He was a bit singed from the Kiboujutsu Onibi, but he was still alive. Damn, his skin must be tough. He grabbed a large boulder and pulled it up over his had before tossing it at them. "DIE!!!"

"Watch out!" Tsukune shouted as he pushed himself and Moka out of the way. However, one of his hands accidentally grabbed onto Moka's rosario and it snapped off.

All of a sudden, Tsukune and Saizou were shocked by the sudden explosion of Yoki that was coming from none other than Moka herself. Her hair's color began to change from pink to silver as her eyes narrowed and the irises turned to red with narrow slits for pupils. Her skin also became paler. She also became even more developed as her bust-size increased. The Yoki was so immense that the atmosphere changed. Bats flapped around Moka as she stood arrogantly, with one hand on her hip and radiating with power.

This was Moka's true nature. She was a super vampire.

"No way! Those eyes and that intense demonic aura! You're the real deal! An S-Class monster! VAMPIRE!" shouted out Saizou.

Moka-sama ignored Saizou and turned her attention towards the mask-less Oni named Tsukune. "So, an Oni of Pure Sound in this place of all places. How interesting."

Tsukune gulped. Was this really the power hidden within Moka? It was incredibly frightening. "Moka…san?"

"You owe me and my other self answers, boy," she said to Tsukune. "But for now I need to deal with this pest." She eyed Saizou. "What's the matter? Didn't you want a hug and kiss me? Come on. I'm right here."

Saizou growled. So what if this bitch was a vampire? He would not be beaten! He let loose a roar and then lunged at Moka who just yawned. When he got close to strike, all of a sudden Tsukune pulled off his belt buckle and tossed it at Saizou. The belt buckle stuck onto Saizou's chest and expanded into a large Taiko drum. Moka cocked an eyebrow and turned to look at Tsukune who'd just drawn out the drumsticks, known as the Ongekibou Rekka, from the back of his belt. He then got in front of the immobilised Saizou and began his attack.

"Ongekida Ikki Kasei no Kata!"

With the Ongekibou Rekka, Tsukune began to beat the drum rapidly with them, causing Saizou's body to shake with each of the drum's vibrations. He picked up speed, creating a rhythm. As he was about to finish Saizou off, he was hauled backwards by Moka-sama.

"Allow me," said Moka-sama before she drew her leg back and kicked at the drum on Saizou's chest. "KNOW YOUR PLACE!!!" the kick sent Saizou flying and then finally there was a huge explosion. The buckle flew back to Tsukune's hand and he fitted it back to his belt. However, now he was faced with an angry Moka-sama. She grabbed him by the collar of his vest and shouted, "I am not some damsel-in-distress! I did not require your assistance!" before she pushed him backwards. She then reached down to the ground and picked up her rosario, "Remember to know your place. Just make sure to take care of the other Moka for me," she ordered before snapping the rosario back on. The intense aura receded into her body and she began to fall backwards as the color returned to her hair and skin.

Tsukune quickly caught the girl in his arms and cradled her gently. Moka was indeed a strange creature. Was she two people sharing the same body, or two sides of the same coin? He wasn't sure. The 'real' Moka was definitely more terrifying than the one he had befriended.


	71. Yuuki and the 9 Heisei Riders

Lately, some of Yuuki's pictures hadn't come out so well. Whenever he developed them, they became slightly distorted for some reason. Roka suggested getting his camera checked out and fixed but there was nothing wrong with it. It was just his pictures were coming out all wrong. Not all of them came out wrong. Some came out perfectly but the ones that came out wrong were…well…freaky.

Chie had come home to visit for the weekend. Actually, she wanted to check up on her brother. After the battle with Sauron she really wanted to know if he was alright. To her relief he'd survived and she hugged him to the point of smothering him. She was proud of him and glad to see that it was all over. Now, he wouldn't need to be a Rider ever again.

She was wrong. All of a sudden several silvery veils fell around them, shocking them both. Yuuki narrowed his eyes.

"Dimensional Rifts," muttered Yuuki. He got ready to transform. These things usually brought passengers of the dangerous kind. Yuuki kept Chie behind him so to better protect her, but the veils started moving again. Before either of them could react, the veils had passed over them and they vanished into thin air.

Opening his eyes, Yuuki blinked when he saw that the scenery had changed. Instead of their home there was a large fountain with modernist sculptures acting as fountains. The sky was dark and a full moon hung in the sky. There were no people around save for Chie and Yuuki.

His older sister gasped. "Where…where are we?"

"My domain," a new voice answered.

Yuuki whirled around with Chie standing behind him, ready for anything. Staring down the one who spoke, Yuuki was slightly surprised to see who he was looking at. It was a young man who seemed to be in his twenties and had reddish-brown hair. He was wearing a black vest with red pants and had a scarf around his neck. Next to him was a flying metal bat with large red eyes and was mainly gold and black.

"And who are you?" Yuuki questioned.

"Wataru Kurenai," the man answered as he stepped closer, walking along the edge of the fountain. "And you are Vortex, am I right?"

"Huh?" Yuuki blinked. "How did you know that?"

"Now's not the time to talk though," Wataru shrugged. "Now's the time to act. Time is short and there is still so much that needs to be done."

"And you need my help?" Yuuki questioned further.

Wataru nodded. Before Yuuki could ask more questions or Wataru could explain more, heavy breathing could be heard. Yuuki was instantly at alert while Wataru clenched his fists. Stepping out of the shadows was a host of monsters Yuuki hadn't seen before. They were all black-skinned, but also looked like they had stained glass growing out of said skin. All of them appeared to be a fusion between human and animal as well.

"Ahhh!" Chie cried, clutching onto Yuuki.

Yuuki gasped at the approaching monsters. "What are these things?!"

"Fangires," Wataru answered. "My enemies and enemies you may face one day. Kivat."

"Yosh!" the metal bat cried as it dove down to Wataru's and opened its mouth. "Bite!"

The bat bit down on Wataru's hand, making veins pulse out. Stained glass markings appeared on the young man's face as he grabbed the bat and raised him up. Chains encircled his waist before fusing together to create a blood red belt with what looked like whistles on the sides.

"Henshin," Wataru spoke as he attached the bat to his belt, hanging upside down.

A ringing sound burst through the air as Wataru's body turned silver. His entire body then shifted before the silver shattered off, revealing his new form. He was in a black bodysuit with silver torso armor and red chest plating. His shoulders looked like silver bat wings which were chained up and his hands were covered in red plating. His right leg was covered in silver armor which was chained up while the other boot remained bare. His head was covered in a black helmet that had large yellow eyes trimmed in red with an ornament on his forehead shaped like a bat's head.

As soon as Wataru had transformed, a card appeared in Yuuki's hand. On it was a headshot of Kiva. It looked like Fang but Fang had a red visor and Kiva's was yellow.

"Kiva?" Yuuki uttered as he saw the new card in his hand.

"Huh?" Chie responded.

As Kiva got ready to fight the Fangires he said to Yuuki, "That is my power. Use it to aid you on your new mission."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Yuuki, but Kiva already leaped at the charging Fangires with a battle cry of his own. Yuuki tried to follow to lend a hand, but he and Chie were suddenly surrounded by the silver energies again. Everything around them faded away. They stayed in that limbo for only a short time before they emerged somewhere new. This time they were outside a café called The Milk Dipper.

Yuuki tried to make sense of what was going on, but it was all over his head. Chie was just as confused if not more so. This was beyond anything they had experienced before. Yuuki himself had faced monsters as Vortex and had seen Stasis Fields and these silvery veils, but he had not been carried by one. As they tried to get their heads back on straight, the door to the Milk Dipper opened and a young man walked out.

He looked to be around the same age as Wataru and had messy black hair. He had a white sweater and jeans on with a red and black checkered scarf rapped around his neck. He took in the sight of Chie and Yuuki and blinked.

"You're early," he sighed. "Still that means progress is being made faster than expected."

"Who are you?" asked Yuuki. "Are you with Wataru-san?"

"We've met," the young man nodded. "I am Ryotaro Nogami. It's a pleasure to meet you Yuuki Ashikaga."

"How do you know my name?" asked Yuuki with confusion.

"Someone will have to explain it to you later," Ryotaro sighed. "Right now I don't have enough time to go over details. The point is that you are going to play an important role in things to come."

"I am?" wondered Yuuki.

Suddenly, the sound of flowing sand echoed and the three youths turned to see a creature rising up from a pile of sand. It looked like a blue bat monster of some kind. Behind it, more such creatures were rising up from growing piles of sand. None of them looked friendly as they started stalking towards the trio.

"Things are already getting out of hand," Ryotaro frowned as he drew out a machine-like belt that had a clack-like face on the front and four colored buttons. He quickly wrapped it around his waist. "You have to find your cards if you want a chance to stop it."

"My cards?" Yuuki asked.

"Yes," Ryotaro nodded. He pressed a red button on his belt, turning the centre red while a song seemed to echo from it. He then produced a black train pass and swiped it over the front. "Henshin!"

"**Sword Form!"**

Shard of red covered Ryotaro, putting him in a black bodysuit which had black and silver chest armor. His boots and gantlets were white. His helmet was also white with black eyes. However, that didn't stay long as red chest armor appeared and attached to his front with red shoulder plates. Yellow and black sections attached to his back in a similar fashion. A light flashed on his helmet before a red peach slid down his face, locking onto the eyes and splitting open to turn into a new visor.

"Ore sanjou!" the armored man called as he struck a pose.

Chie and Yuuki blinked. The bespectacled boy had seen this Rider before. Heck, he'd even been this Rider. "Den-O?"

"Do you know this guy Yuuki?" Chie asked, overhearing Yuuki's words.

"Umm…sort of," was all Yuuki could say. She had only seen the Rider form but had not met Ryotaro. He had met Momotaros. Then a new card appeared in his hand, this one depicting Den-O.

"Hmph," Den-O snorted as he assembled four black items together and a red blade extended from the tip. "Find the rest of the cards. Save us all. Ikuze, ikuze ikuze!"

The crimson fighter dashed at the assembling monsters, slashing wildly with his weapon. As the first strike was made, everything vanished in silver. Yuuki quickly grabbed into Chie's hand, making sure not to lose her. It didn't take long before the silver vanished again, but this time they were standing on an observation deck of Tokyo Tower.

"Wow," Yuuki gaped at the sight of the city.

"Oh my," Chie gasped.

"Nice, isn't it?"

Chie and Yuuki turned to see a man walking towards them. He was wearing traditional clothes with sandals and his hands in his pockets. His hair was messy and black and massive confidence was in his eyes.

"And who might you be?" asked Yuuki, guessing this guy wanted to say something too.

"I am the man who walks the path of heaven and will one day rule over everything," the men introduced. "Souji Tendou."

"Uhh," Yuuki blinked. Weird guy.

"You are Yuuki Ashikaga, correct? The boy who becomes Vortex. It seems you are lacking something you'll need before you can fully undertake the task which needs to be done."

"And that would that be?" asked Yuuki. "The rest of my cards?" He had plenty of cards but if his encounter with Wataru and Ryotaro had taught him anything then that meant he'd have a new set.

Tendou nodded. Suddenly a smashing noise echoed from the back. Tendou reacted quickly as he turned to face the source. It turned out to be a doorway being smashed down by several green cocoon-like monsters with skeletal faces and long claws. Chie shrieked, never liking insects and hid behind Yuuki.

"You know what you have to do," Tendou frowned as he revealed a silver belt around his waist. A buzzing noise echoed through the room and a robotic rhino beetle flew into the room and landed in Tendou's hand. He held the device up before locking it into his belt with a cry of, "Henshin!"

"**Henshin!" **the beetle repeated.

A hexagonal field rose up from the belt, covering him in armor. It was mainly silver and red and looked very thick. His helmet was silver with a short horn ornament on the forehead with a large blue visor. His arms were covered with segmented armor and his neck wasn't visible since the armor was so thick.

Chie saw another card appear in Yuuki's hand, depicting an armored man in sleeker armor with blue eyes and a rhinoceros beetle horn bisecting his visor.

"Kabuto," Yuuki read the name of the Rider. Was this the same Rider? He looked different.

"Cast Off!" Kabuto commanded as he pulled the horn, causing his armor to come loose.

"**Cast Off!**" the beetle repeated and the thick silver armor flew off Kabuto, miraculously missing Yuuki and Chie. Now he had a sleeker armor with a red chestplate, a black bodysuit, and metal arm and legs bands. A horn rose and bisected the blue visor.

"**Change Beetle!**"

Yuuki looked at the card and then back at Kabuto. "Alright. Now it makes sense," said Yuuki.

"Go, find the other cards. Find the power," Kabuto spoke as he dashed at the approaching monsters. He then vanished in the silver haze again with Yuuki and Chie being the only people there. The silver faded to reveal a thick forest with large trees surrounding everything.

"What now?" asked Yuuki, hoping not to find more monsters.

"Now you find part of what you need."

Yuuki and Chie turned to see another man, this one maybe in his late twenties to early thirties and wearing camping gear. A friendly smile was on his face and he had short black hair.

"Do you mean those cards that the other men were talking about?" asked Chie.

"Yes," the man answered. He then looked out at the forest, where noises of movements were heard. "It looks like we are about to have company."

Sure enough, several humanoid figures emerged from the brush. However, they were all humanoid animals of some kind. All of them were either male or female with a colored scarf. They all looked especially violent with snarls echoing from their mouths.

"Joy," Yuuki grumbled as he stood at Chie's side and got ready to use his V-Driver with his newly acquired cards from Kiva, Den-O and Kabuto.

"Better get moving," the man frowned as he removed his pack and produced a small turning fork with a gold demon face on it. Taking it, he tapped it on a nearby tree before holding it to his head. A gold demon face then emerged on his forehead before he ignited in purple flames.

"Woah!" Chie gasped.

A low vocal tone echoed through the air as Yuuki could faintly see the man's body change. Finally, he waved his arm and the flames went out. He was donned in purple/blue armor which looked like a second skin. A silver belt was across his waist with a drum-like centre. Silver metal chest armor was on his torso while his feet and hands were covered in red armor. His face was the same color as his body with red markings and horns and the gold demon face on the forehead. Attached to the back of his belt were two drumsticks which were red and had two demon heads on the tips. They looked like they were made of crystal.

He looked like Kamen Rider Oni but the card in Yuuki's hand revealed his identity.

"Hibiki," Yuuki breathed.

"You two had better get going," Hibiki spoke as he drew his weapons. "Things aren't going to be this peaceful for long."

With that, he charged at the monsters, the world turning silver as he went. Yuuki and Chie could only watch as the man vanished. Before too long, they emerged from the silver limbo near a three story European house. It seemed a little cramped, but otherwise very nice.

The front door opened and a man came out. He had chin length black hair and seemed to be in his twenties. He had blue riding gloves on and a helmet under his arm. Looking at Yuuki and Chie, a look of relief came over his face.

"About time you got to me," he smiled. "My name's Kazuma Kenzaki. Nice to meet you two. It's good to finally meet you too, Yuuki-kun."

"Can you tell me what's going on?" Yuuki asked.

"That's what I want to know too," said Chie, irritated by all the mystery.

"Ah, you'll find out later," Kazuma grinned, playfully punching Yuuki's shoulder. "I've heard of you. Great job with protecting your world, but it's not over yet. Now you just need to get the other cards."

"Other cards, you mean like these?" Yuuki asked as he showed the Kiva, Den-O, Kabuto and Hibiki Masked Ride cards to Kazuma.

Kazuma nodded. "So, you've met the others. That's good. Only 5 more to go."

Before Kazuma could explain further, growls were heard coming from nearby. Turning to the source, Kazuma frowned to see monsters walking towards them as a group. They all had various black or studded clothing on and looked to be hybrids of certain kinds of animals or plants. In all, a very terrifying group.

"More monsters," Chie murmured.

"Tsk! They're getting faster," Kazuma frowned. He drew a gray box with a clear centre and slid a card inside that depicted a rhino beetle with a spade on its back. Holding it to his waist, a red belt extending from it and wrapped around his waist. He then grabbed a handle on the side of the buckle and pulled with a cry of "Henshin!"

"**Turn Up!"**

A blue rectangular field that depicted the image on the card flew from the belt and Kazuma ran through it. He emerged on the other side wearing a blue bodysuit with silver armor and spades depicted on the shoulders and chest. His helmet was blue save for the silver face and the single horn rising from it. The eyes were two red orbs in which he could see through.

Yuuki's newest card appeared just as Kazuma transformed. He read the name, "Kamen Rider Blade." Yuuki frowned as he prepared to leap into the battle alongside the armored man. He got out his Vortex card and strapped on his V-Driver.

Yuuki wanted to help the charging armored figure, but that didn't come to be. Instead, the world turned silver again, cutting him off from assisting the man in the battle against the monsters. Grumbling to himself, Yuuki and Chie emerged in front of a large corporate building. A nearby sign called it Smart Brain, which Yuuki thought was an odd name.

"I'm getting dizzy," moaned Chie.

"About time you two got here," a voice sighed. "I'm freezing out here and I hate the cold."

The owner of the voice was a man who was wearing a black coat and a pair of dark pants. He had long reddish brown hair that reached his shoulders. He kept his hands in his pockets as he walked over to the pair.

"And who are you?" asked Yuuki. "Another Rider?" So far, the men he and Chie had met had been Kamen Riders.

"You got it," the man nodded. "I'm Takumi Inui. You can't stay long though. They're getting wise. All I can say is that you're going to need your new powers and you're close to completing your set. You don't have much farther to go."

Reaching into his coat, Takumi pulled out a silver belt that had a telescope and a camera attached to it. He wrapped the device around his waist and pulled out a cellphone. He then began punching numbers into it. He dialed 555.

"You two had better get moving," he sighed. "Things are about to get ugly."

"_FAIZ!!_" a bestial voice roared out.

The voice belonged to one of many monsters that were racing up a set of stairs. All of them looked like ornate creatures that were either gray or white. They all looked rather angry too. Yuuki knew what they were. They were Orphenochs.

Takumi pressed the 'Enter' button and closed his phone.

"**Standing By."**

"Henshin!" Takumi cried as he inserted the phone into his belt and locked it in place.

"**Complete."**

Red lines rose from the belt and he flashed red. When the light died down, he was covered in a black bodysuit and silver chest armor that had the red lines running down his arms and legs. His head was covered in a black helmet that had large yellow eyes and a small mouth piece.

Yuuki's eyes widened in recognition. He was Faiz? He had met Faiz and it had been an American named Craig Smith. The instant Faiz had transformed, Yuuki gained Faiz's Masked Ride card though it looked different from the one he had before.

"Get going," Faiz advised as he flicked his wrist. "Just a little further and you'll know what to do."

Yuuki and Chie reluctantly obeyed since they knew whatever was sending them to these places wasn't going to let them help. As they backed away from Faiz, who was still staring down the approaching monsters, everything was covered in silver again. Chie and Yuuki then emerged inside of a building. There were only three computer terminals and a desk. It looked to be an office for a magazine of some kind.

At one computer was a young man with red hair that was shoulder length. He had a white t-shirt on and jeans. On his chair was a blue jacket. The man didn't seem to notice the pair until he glanced up.

"Hey," he smiled. "Good to see you Yuuki. My name's Shinji Kido."

"Konnichiwa," Yuuki greeted politely.

Shinji shrugged. "You're making good time. You're very close to the completing your collection. A little further and you'll have them all. Just keep a close eye on them or else you'll fail."

"Hey, can't you tell us what is going on?" Chie demanded impatiently and irritated. After several dimensional jumps she had gotten used to them. In fact, having a brother and several schoolmates who were Riders helped her get used to all the weirdness.

A ringing sound was heard, however only Shinji heard it. Yuuki and Chie remained clueless. "No time. They're here." Shinji got up and took out a rectangular case with a golden dragon's head stamped on the front. He held it out in front of him, facing the computer screen, a metal belt wrapped around his waist, with a slot in the front which the case would fit in.

Yuuki had seen this before. Ryuki Hasuma had used an item like Shinji's to transform into Zodiac Knight Draco.

"Henshin!" Shinji called as he threw his other arm across his chest before sliding the case into the belt's slot. He crossed his arms and then pulled them to his sides, fists clenched as black and white images overlapped his body to form a suit of armor. He was clad in a red bodysuit with black and silver armor. His helmet had red eyes concealed by a grilled visor.

Like before a card appeared in Yuuki's hand and he looked it over. "Ryuki," uttered Yuuki as he read his newly required card. How ironic that this Rider's name was Draco's real name.

"You have the power to save the world, Yuuki," said Ryuki before diving through the computer screens.

"Hey, wait!" Chie called but then the silvery energy took him and Yuuki elsewhere. "Now what?" She was starting to get annoyed, even if it was cool to see these men in armor. The silver quickly faded away to reveal an abandoned construction site in the middle of the night.

"Welcome to my world," another voice spoke up. Both Chie and Yuuki turned, already expecting someone new. This man was wearing a pullover sweater and dark pants. His hair was brown and reached to his shoulder and he seemed to look like a perfectly normal man.

"Sorry for it being so late, but as you can probably guess, it can't wait," the man sighed. "Forgive my manners. My name is Shoichi Tsugami. I have something to tell you."

"OK, tell us," prompted Chie.

"Your world will soon face another crisis, and Yuuki must be the one to help save it," Shoichi informed Chie. "With help from his allies he will win."

Yuuki desperately wanted to ask some questions of his own, but that was halted when the sounds of clattering pipes captured his attention. Emerging from the darkness around them were animal men donned in robes or ceremonial dressing. All of them looked intimidating as they stared down the trio.

"Agito…" several of them growled, staring at Shoichi.

"And my time has run out," Shoichi frowned, summoning up his power. A swirl of white light appeared on his waist before it solidified into a belt. He raised his hands up briefly before bringing them back down on the buttons on the sides. "Henshin!"

Shoichi's body seemed to ripple before it completely changed. Now he was donned in a black bodysuit which had mostly black armor. Still, the main section of the chest was gold along with the spikes rising from the shoulders. The horns were gold as well, with red eyes being the final part.

Yuuki's new card depicted Shoichi's armored state and with a name too. "Agito," Yuuki breathed.

"There's still one more!" Agito said to Yuuki before he charged at the monsters. "Find him!"

Yuuki gaped at the brave man before everything was covered in silver again. It was beginning to annoy him like his sister, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. All he could really do was go with the flow. With nothing much else, he waited for the silver to clear. When it did, Chie and Yuuki found themselves at some old ruins.

"This is the last place?" asked Chie.

"It is," a male voice replied. A man stepped out of the ruins. He was dressed in a tan coat with jeans. He had black hair and looked to be the kind of guy that people could easily get along with. "My name is Yuusuke Godai. Kamen Rider Kuuga."

"As you must know, in our Multiverse there many worlds which exist," Yuusuke explained. "They never meet and remained separate from each other. However, these worlds are being drawn together. If this continues, they would eventually overlap and eventually destroy one another. Your world will be the first to be destroyed."

"What is causing this?" Chie asked.

"And how can we stop it?" asked Yuuki. This was pretty serious. The fate of the world itself was at stake in all this craziness?

Yuusuke replied, "You and your friends must travel to the other worlds in order to prevent the destruction. It will be up to you all to find what plagues each of those worlds and stop it before the problem becomes too severe and allows your world to fuse with the others."

"But why me? Why was I chosen?" Yuuki asked. He knew he had been chosen to be Vortex by Topper but he had chosen to be Vortex to protect his own world.

"It's fate," Yuusuke answered. "Fate has chosen you to be your world's champion."

Groans echoed from within the ruins and animalistic people began emerging from them. They all had gold buckles on their waists and wearing clothes which looked like they had come from an ancient tribe of people.

"It's up to you Yuuki. You and your friends," Yuusuke frowned as he summoned a metal belt with a red core. "We can only hold it back so long. It will be up to you and your friends to stop it!"

Putting his arms through a motion, Yuusuke cried out "Henshin!" There was a beeping noise before Yuusuke was engulfed in a suit of armor. It was a black bodysuit with red chest armor and shoulders. Gold wrist bands and ankle bands were near his hands and feet. His helmet was black with red eyes and golden horns.

"Kuuga," Yuuki said when he received his final card.

"Time is running out Yuuki," Kuuga spoke as he took a battle stance. "You must stop what is occurring!"

Then he was gone.

The world had become engulfed with a silver veil again. Chie was clutching onto Yuuki for security while the world shifted. Finally, the silver veil faded away to reveal their home.

"Woah…" Chie gasped. "What a rush. Yuuki, that was freaky, and I think I need to sit down now."

"Yeah," Yuuki agreed. "I think I need to sit down as well, Nee-san."

Both teens sat back down in the living room. Yuuki took out his V-Book and opened it up to check his cards. He pulled out the new set of Masked Ride cards he'd gained from that strange trip.

"Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Hibiki, Kabuto, Den-O and Kiva," Yuuki read each of the cards. So similar to the Riders he knew and yet so different as well. "Topper-san, are you behind this? Are you trying to tell me that my job isn't over yet?"

* * *

Yuuki went to see Warren and he told the man of his experience. He even showed Warren his new cards and told him of the Riders he'd met during that short yet odd trip to other worlds.

"So, what do you think it all means, sensei?" Yuuki asked.

Warren handed the cards back to Yuuki and said, "Dark days are coming Yuuki...a dark past is rearing its ugly head, and threatening everything we fought for. I'm sorry to say...but it looks like Sauron was just the warm-up."


	72. Hiro

Hiro was depressed. After the final battle with Sauron he thought he could capture Ryuga and claim the reward but then the S-Class criminal did something totally unexpected.

He had turned himself in.

Now, since S-Class criminals were incredibly dangerous, they were set to be executed. Due to his numerous crimes that could only be summarized as mass murder and the systematic extinction of the human race, Ryuga was immediately executed. The oddest thing was that Ryuga, despite knowing his fate was sealed, promised he'd return for Ai. Whatever that meant didn't matter to Hiro. Ryuga had turned himself in so the reward on his capture was null and void.

Which was why Hiro was sitting in the Radish in a glum mood.

"Hiro-san."

Hiro cracked an eye open to see Setsuna before she sat down with him.

"Hello, Set-chan," Hiro greeted, putting on a smile.

Setsuna blushed at the nickname. Only Hiro would call her that and she liked it. She didn't care if he was a Rider or even a bounty hunter. To her she was her boyfriend.

"You seem depressed," analyzed Setsuna. "Care to talk about it?"

"Let's just say one of the hugest bounties in the multiverse escaped my grasp for good," said Hiro as he did his usual thing and point his fingers at the ceiling like a gun. "Bang, and it's gone just like that."

"There are others," she encouraged.

"Well, I just want to relax. That fight with Sauron took a lot out of me," said Hiro.

"I'm proud of you," she said out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"You helped save the world. I'm proud of you," said Setsuna.

"I didn't do much, save for shooting my gun around," said Hiro.

"Still, you were there and you helped save the world. Not many can say they've done something like that," spoke Setsuna as she placed a hand on his.

Hiro smiled. He may have lost Ryuga but he was glad that he hadn't lost Setsuna. He was happy to have her as his girl and he would defend her. He would not let her down.

"Say, how would you like to go to the King's Terminal with me?" he asked.

"As in a date?" Setsuna asked hopefully.

"Of course," said Hiro.

* * *

In the King's Terminal a portal suddenly appeared and out came Setsuna and Hiro. The portal then blinked out of existence as Setsuna stood by him. She had been here once before and still it looked amazing. To think such a place existed. It was fantastic. It looked like the biggest mall ever but it was really a train station.

"So, what would the lady like to do?" Hiro asked.

"Everything," she uttered.

"Your wish is my command."

* * *

"Hey Set-chan," said Hiro solemnly as he rode the Ferris wheel with Setsuna.

"What is it Hiro-san" asked Setsuna curiously wondering why sound so depressed.

"I think it's time for you to know about my past and why I became a bounty hunter," said Hiro. He took in a deep breath before uttering out, "Four years ago I lost my family"

"What happened?" asked Setsuna, shocked at the sudden confession.

"Four years ago me my parents and my little sister, Mai, went to visit some relatives near Yoksuka. On the way there the car in front of us exploded causing some debris to come and hit the windshield. The debris killed my parents instantly and the car then went out of control." Hiro's eyes began to water a little as he continued to tell his story, "I remember grabbing Mai and closing my eyes wishing I was somewhere else and the next thing I knew I was here in the King's Terminal. I was safe but I was all alone."

"That's terrible," said Setsuna feeling sad for Hiro "How did that car explode?"

"The person inside it was an NCIS agent from Yoksuka doing an investigation on a terrorist cell that was rumored to be planning on blowing up the naval base that was there. They were later able to link it to a North Korean terrorist named Ari Haumesser. He later disappeared. I later became a bounty hunter so I could make a living and also collect information to find him. Two months later I met a dead end but then I met a man named Topper who told me where Ari was and who he was working for." Hiro revealed the C-Driver and the Crisis Masked Ride card. "Topper also gave me these to help me but now that Ari's dead I don't know what to do anymore."

Setsuna reached over and took his hands in hers. "You can stay in my world, with me," she said.

Hiro smiled. "I'd like that, but I'm not going to quit being a bounty hunter anytime soon."

"I'm not asking you to quit," she clarified, "Just promise to stay with me."

"I promise."

Out of the blue she requested, "Kiss me," while blushing bright red.

Hiro pulled her towards him and kissed the smaller girl deeply. Setsuna let her body go slack in his arms as she kissed him back. They broke the kiss and Setsuna leaned against him. "Tell me more," she requested of him.


	73. Ryuga's Return

**Ryuga's Return.**

"Here come the heroes," said Makoto as he saw Ryuji and Kotonoha enter the classroom.

It'd been two weeks since the Riders saved the world and a week after Kotonoha and Ryuji became man and wife. After the wedding, most of the Riders had gone back to their homeworlds. Craig, Ryuki, Jinx, Ichijyo, Takada Kat, Rose, Joseph, Raymond, Shawn and Bobby had gone back to the ZKD World. Kenzaki and Neko as well as their family had gone to the kingdom of Shangri-La which they had called home. Ryuushin had no reason to stay and neither did Siera so they both returned to the God Kingdom in her world. Yuji and Rina had also gone back to the Demon Kingdom. Since Sauron had been defeated, they had no reason to stay in the School Days world since the business was over and done with.

The only Riders remaining were Warren, Tazuka, Ryuji, Kotonoha, Hiro and Yuuki. Hiro Stratos had his own reasons for staying, with Setsuna being at the top of the list.

The Newspaper Club was still up and running but now under Ryuji and SDF's control since Kat had relinquished it. A few members of the SDF had become the new Newspaper Club with Yuuki remaining as the photographer. Roka also joined just to be with him. She covered sports. With Siera gone, Ryuji needed a new secretary for the SDF so he elected Kotonoha. Yuji was gone too so he needed a new second-in-command. He didn't need one, of course, since it was a formality, but he needed someone who could take his place once he graduated.

"Oh, shut up, Itou," remarked Ryuji with a smile.

"Hey, you should be proud," said Sekai. "Not many people can brag about saving the world."

"I did my job so it's old news," retorted Ryuji. "Sides, the Earth is saved so let's just leave it at that."

Everyone knew the Kamen Riders had saved the world, despite not being able to see the climatic battle between them and Sauron. The worldwide Stasis Field had been up, rendering them frozen along with time.

"Let's just be happy we managed to avoid the end of the world," said Kotonoha.

"This time," Ryuji murmured. He eyed Benitora who was in an animated conversation with Hikari. For an Arrancar, he sure was a pacifist. Well, before he released his Zanpakutou and became Rojotigre that is. He hadn't participated in the final battle. When Ryuji confronted him and asked why, Benitora just told him he was busy protecting Hikari.

"So, how bad was it?" Sekai asked curiously.

"Really bad," said Ryuji. "I nearly died."

"You're exaggerating, right?" asked Makoto.

"I don't exaggerate," retorted Ryuji.

"Still, you have our thanks. The both of you," said Sekai.

Kotonoha and Ryuji nodded but then she asked, "How's Yamagata-san?"

Sekai gave a sideway glance to her purple-haired friend who sat alone at her desk and said, "She's still depressed, over Ryuga."

"Good riddance," muttered Ryuji. Kotonoha slapped his arm. "What was that for?"

"That was mean," Kotonoha chided. "You should be more sensitive."

"Hey, the guy was a dangerous sociopathic and psychopathic mass-murderer," retorted Ryuji. "I'm not going to cry over his grave."

Kotonoha frowned, "I know that, but you shouldn't say such things near Yamagata-san. She did love him."

"She'll get over it," Ryuji huffed. "It's for the better."

Kotonoha shook her head. Ryuga had turned himself in following the battle and had been executed. Ai was hit the hardest with the news. In Kotonoha's eyes, Ryuga had redeemed himself by turning himself in and giving up his life.

Warren came into the class and the students got back to their seats. He stood behind the podium as Setsuna said, "Rise, Bow, Sit." The students did as ordered. "Good morning, Warren-sensei."

"Good morning to you all too," said Warren. "Alright, before I begin, we have a new friend joining us." He turned to the door and said, "You may come in."

When the new student came in, Ryuga had to resist the urge to attack him on sight. He was dressed neatly in the boys' uniform and had light dark skin with slanted red eyes. He was handsome and his short and spiked up silver hair gave him an exotic yet dangerous look.

"Good morning," the new student introduced himself. "I am Ryuga Mizuki."

Ryuji could smell him from where he sat. He knew that smell anywhere. It was Ryuga! Ryuga looked to him and smirked before looking up at Ai and giving her a soft smile. Warren coughed and said, "Well, Ms. Yamagata has an empty seat so please sit there."

"Thank you," said Ryuga as he made his way up to her desk, passing Ryuji who snarled. He sat down next to Ai and leaned in to whisper, "I told you I'd be back."

Ai gasped. Now she could recognise him. Sure, his skin was darker and his hair was far shorter than before, but she could still recognise his face. "Ryuga-san…"

"Alright, I will take attendance and after that please open your text books to page 56," said Warren.

Ryuji barely paid attention the entire class. His attention was on Ryuga the entire time.

* * *

During the break between classes, Ryuji went up to Ryuga to confront him. "Ryuga!" he shouted.

Ryuga turned away from his conversation with Ai to look at Ryuji, annoyed, "May I help you?"

"Oh, don't you play dumb with me, you bastard," growled Ryuji. "How the hell are you back?"

"Why not ask Smith-sensei?" Ryuga asked.

Ryuji frowned. Warren was definitely way too calm. Even he could recognise Ryuga and still treated the Orphenoch King like just another student. "

"Hasuma-san, please, don't pick fight with Ryuga-san," requested Ai. "Please."

"Ai's right," said Ryuga as he rose up, a hand reaching into his back pocket, "You don't want to pick a fight with me."

Ryuji's hand clenched and unclenched. "Excuse me," he said before he went towards the door. Kotonoha stood up and followed after him.

Setsuna blinked and looked to Hiro. He had enrolled in Sakakino in order to spend more time with Setsuna. "What was all that about?" Setsuna asked her world-jumping boyfriend.

"Ryuga, former S-Class bounty," Hiro answered, "He was executed after he turned himself in for his crimes." He was blunt.

"So, he's the one who got away," Setsuna nodded. She looked to Hiro curiously, "Wait, you said he was executed."

"That's just what I heard," Hiro shrugged. "But since he's been 'officially' executed, there's no bounty on him anymore." He muttered, "Lousy bureaucratic bullshit."

Yuuki looked worried too. If that was Ryuga for sure, then that meant a fight was likely to happen.

* * *

Ryuji went straight to the faculty room and confronted Warren who smiled. "Surprised?"

"How is he back? You said he was in Hell," said Ryuji.

"Who?"

"You know who. Ryuga!"

"Oh, the new transfer student," said Warren calmly.

"Yes, the new transfer student, and why is he using Aniki's surname?" Ryuji demanded.

"Because I adopted him," said Tazuka as he walked over. Ryuji gawked.

"You…what?"

"I adopted him," Tazuka repeated. "He's now officially Ryuga Mizuki, my little brother."

Ryuji looked betrayed as he looked back and forth between the two men he admired and looked up to. "This…can't be happening."

"Don't worry," said Tazuka. "Ryuga-kun is completely harmless now."

"'Ryuga' and 'harmless' do not fit in the same sentence unless there is a 'is not' in the middle," retorted Ryuji. "How could you do this?"

"He did his time already," said Warren.

"Oh, and how long was he in Hell for?" Ryuji huffed.

"A million years. Time really flies down there," Mizuki spoke.

"OK, but how is he free?" Ryuji asked.

"Ask Libra," Warren answered. "He pulled a few strings and put him under Tazuka's supervision."

'_Dad did this? Guess he's trying to make up for leaving us to play god_,' thought Ryuji.

"If you're worried about his powers, don't be. They've been sealed," said Warren. "He's got as much power as a dim light bulb. He doesn't have his psychic or Orphenoch powers."

"But he can still manipulate Ki," muttered Ryuji. "I sensed it. He still has that Shinki in him."

"Yes, but he swore not to use it unless he has to."

"And you believe him?"

"I do," said Mizuki. "He is my little brother. I have to trust him."

"This is bullshit, and you know it!" yelled Ryuji.

"What are you going to do about it?" Warren asked.

* * *

Ryuji waited until lunch to make his move. When the bell rang, he said to Kotonoha, "Let's have lunch in the cafeteria later. I have to do something."

"Alright," she nodded before she carried the basket filled with their lunch to the cafeteria.

Ryuji watched her go and sighed. He got up from his seat and went up to Ryuga and Ai who were just about ready to go have lunch together. "You and me, on the roof, right now," Ryuji challenged Ryuga. Ai heard it loud and clear.

"Please, you don't have to…" began Ai. He felt Ryuga's hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Ai." He narrowed his crimson eyes upon Ryuji. "If he wants to do this, then I can't refuse."

* * *

Ryuji and Ryuga stood on the rooftop, glaring at each other. "Warren told me all about it, and I still think it's a bunch of crap."

"What you think means little to me. I did my time," said Ryuga.

"You deserve to rot in Hell for all eternity!" Ryuji roared back.

"I did rot in there, for a million years. Can you endure the kind of torture I had? It makes you think about the things you've done. You have no idea what I went through down there," Ryuji remarked.

"I don't give a damn what you went through down there! I'm sending you right back!!!" Ryuji charged at Ryuga and threw a fist at him and his counterpart dodged to the side and then elbowed Ryuji in the back, hard, knocking him to the ground. Ryuji pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and swung his leg at Ryuga's feet but the former Orphenoch King leapt over the leg. Ryuji got back to his feet and hurled a fist at Ryuga who knocked it away with a right hook and then slammed his fist across Ryuji's face with a left hook. A jab in Ryuji's stomach made him double over but then Ryuji rammed his head into Ryuga's chin, sending him staggering back in pain.

"Hah!" Ryuji laughed. With most of Ryuga's powers sealed, he wasn't as powerful as before.

Ryuga rubbed his chin. "So, you're not going to hold back. It's a good thing this body was made to last."

"I won't stop until you're six feet under," Ryuji said coldly.

"Well, let's take it to the next level then," said Ryuga as he whipped his Z-Deck out from his back pocket, shocking Ryuji.

"You still have that!?" Ryuji gawked in shock.

"Mizuki-oniisama was holding it for me," answered Ryuga. Black electricity travelled to his waist and formed his Z-Belt. Ryuji slung his Dyno Belt around his waist and fastened it on. He gripped his Dyno Pass tightly as Ryuga held his Z-Deck to his belt.

"Henshin!" Ryuga called as he slid in his deck.

"Henshin!" Ryuji called as he swiped his pass over his belt buckle.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

Their suits formed over them and the two warriors stared each other down. Both wore black and looked similar to one another. Red lights glowed under their visors as they went into their combat stances. They then charged at each other, roaring, as they drew back their fists.

"RARGH…!!!" They hurled their fists and they collided with explosive force, sending the two flying to opposite ends of the roof and hitting the guard fence surrounding it. Both regained their balance and charged at each other again. Limbs sailed through the air as they tried to strike at each other. Ifrit punched Onyx across the face and his opponent kneed him in the gut. Ifrit used her roundhouse kick on him but Onyx grabbed his ankle and spun around and around before tossing him through the air. Ifrit landed on the floor and skidded along the surface with his feet.

"Genki Hou!" Ifrit roared as he prepared to attack.

"_Strike Vent!_" Onyx summoned a pair of shields and the golden beam slammed into them. The beam was blocked as Onyx advanced towards Ifrit. Ifrit stopped firing and Onyx dropped his shields, drawing a card to slot into his Black Drag-Visor.

"_Sword Vent!_" His sword appeared in his hand and he slashed at Ifrit who rolled to the side, summoning his Ifrit Dao before lunging at Onyx. With his two swords in hand, he had the advantage, or so he would like to think. Sparks showered around them as their blades clashed. Ifrit really wanted to finish Onyx off.

Their blades met in a deadlock as they pushed against each other. "I didn't spend a million years in Hell doing nothing! I trained myself! If I could I could wield the flames of Hell myself!"

"Too bad you had your powers sealed!" retorted Ifrit.

"But not my Ki! Shingi! Flames of the Underworld!" A literal blaze erupted from Onyx and Ifrit could feel it through his armor. It threw him backwards and Onyx capitalised on this by slashing at Ifrit repeatedly before disarming him.

"Kishamoth!" Ifrit called.

"Alright, Ryuji-sama!" the Mammoth Imagin obeyed as he switched with Loki inside the belt.

"**MAMMOTH FORM!**"

His armor exploded off his body, Cast Off style, and collided into Onyx to distract him. New armor formed over Ifrit and now he was in his Mammoth Form armor. His shoulder armor slid down his arm and covered his forearms and fists before he charged and rammed his armoured fists into Onyx, sending him flying.

Onyx tumbled along the ground before he crashed into one of the benches. He hissed and got back to his feet. Ifrit got ready to continue the battle. The two approached each other and charged. Before they could come to blows, a pink stingray cut right through between, halting them. That could only mean one thing. Several energy arrows also shot at their feet as a warning. They turned their heads to see Zodiac Knight Sting and Kamen Rider Tenshi glaring at them.

Ifrit gulped. He could sense his angel's anger aimed at him along with her bowgun. "Oh…Koto-chan…"

"Don't even start," she shot back. "I waited for you but you never came. I should've known this would happen."

"I predicted this would happen," said Sting. "It's a good thing I stopped you both from making a horrible miatake."

"He's the mistake!" Ifrit pointed an accusing finger at Onyx.

"He's done his time, Ryuji," said Sting. "Just let it go."

"I can't…"

Sting frowned and said to Tenshi, "Get him out of here. I have a little brother to scold."

"Which one?" Tenshi asked.

"You know which."

Tenshi nodded and went to Ifrit. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him away to give Sting and Onyx some privacy.

"You were supposed to stay out of trouble," Sting said to Onyx.

"He was the one who challenged me," Onyx defended.

"You could've declined," reasoned Sting.

"You know I never decline challenges," Onyx retorted.

"Just get out of your armor. Your girlfriend is waiting for you."

* * *

The students knew well enough to make way for Ryuji when he walked the hallway in a foul mood. Only Kotonoha could calm him down whenever he was like this. Right now, the Captain of the SDF was angry. He was angry about Ryuga coming back and having their fight interrupted. Kotonoha was upset at him too, mostly about lying to her and going behind her back.

"You still hate him, don't you?" she questioned.

"Isn't it that obvious? He may have helped us to fight Sauron but I can't trust him," Ryuji retorted.

"I think I know why you hate him," said Kotonoha. "He reminds you of what you may become."

Ryuji stopped walking to give Kotonoha a glare. "I am nothing like him."

"You forget that he is you."

"Don't remind me," he muttered.

She took his hand in hers and said softly, "Stop holding anymore grudges. Please. You know what happens if you let your anger our of control."

Ryuji gave a sigh and said, "I…I just don't know how to deal with this."

"You can start by trusting Tazuka-sensei and Warren-sensei," said Kotonoha. "They know what they're doing."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Ai asked as she and Ryuga walked home together.

"Well, being back in a physical body again is something I definitely need to get used to," Ryuga said.

"Was it true that you went to Hell?" Ai asked carefully.

"I deserved it," said Ryuga.

"But you're back. How come?" she asked.

"Someone pulled some strings and convinced them to give me a second chance," said Ryuga. He was referring to Libra. "Not that I do, after all I've done."

"You told me what happened and why you did it."

"Doesn't make it right. I was taking my pain the our on others."

"But you realise that now."

"Too little too late. I can't change my past, no matter how much I wanted to. I have to look forward to the future." He gave Ai a look. "Why did you wait for me? I thought you'd just forget about me."

"Why would you think that?" she asked, aghast by his inquiry.

"You know of my sins. You're too good for me," he said. "Why did you want me, a killer, back in your life? You got hurt because of me."

"Well, love is blind," said Ai. "I can't help how I still feel about you. I just…can't stop loving you."

Ryuga let out a sigh. "I really don't deserve you, you know that?"

"Well, you have me, and I have no intentions of running away," she said with a smile. He couldn't help but return the smile.

* * *

"You wished to see me, sensei?" Benitora asked as he stood at Warren's desk with Vash already there.

"Yes, Benitora," said Warren. "I have something for you, the both of you." He placed the two Z-Decks on his desk. "Here, they are yours."

The two boys gawked at the Z-Decks. "Warren, are you sure about this?" Vash asked.

"Yes, I am," said Warren. "It's not like I need them anymore." He gave the Abyss Deck to Benitora and the Dark Deck to Vash. "Here, you might find them useful."

Vash's grin grew wide as he inspected his new Z-Deck. "Oh I can't wait to try this baby out!" The Riders had a lot of fans so maybe with this he could impress some girls.

Benitora inspected the Abyss Deck curiously. He already had his Arrancar powers but using those made him wild and unpredictable. With this deck, he'd be in control and not Rojotigre. "Alright, I accept."

Warren smiled at the two new Zodiac Knights. If he was right, then they'd need all the help they could get.


	74. Torque's Day

Daizuke wiped the grease clean off his hands using an old rag. His clothed were filthy as he had been working on an engine. He worked part time as a mechanic and considered himself a damn good one despite his young age.

"I wonder what the others are up to?" Daizuke asked himself. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Torque Deck. He remembered Sauron approaching him and giving him the deck. After finding out what she had planned he decided to just do what he wanted and it didn't involve her. It was strange that she didn't come after her. It was like she was letting him go on purpose. "Well, no reason to think about that bitch anymore. She's dead."

He got himself cleaned up and changed since his shift was over and decided to head to the Radish. It was his favourite place since cute girls were waitresses. They had gone back to the original skimpy two-piece uniform but still wore those cute little cat ears for the Moe-Factor. It really did attract the customers more than the snacks.

He entered and scanned the place. He gave an appreciative whistle before going over to sit at an empty table. He glanced around and then saw Yuuki with Roka. He got to know the kid pretty well since they met. Like him he got his powers out of luck. They got along pretty well. It was just that Daizuke couldn't get along well with Ryuji. That guy could hold a grudge but then again getting blown up wasn't something anyone was willing to forgive so readily.

Daizuke rose up from his seat and greeted them. "Hey, Yuuki."

"Daizuke-san," said Yuuki, surprised to see the Knight. "What brings you here?"

"Just enjoying the view," grinned Daizuke. "So, is this your girl?"

"Hai, this is my girlfriend Roka-san," said Yuuki.

"Nice to meet you, Roka," said Daizuke.

Roka wondered if this guy was a Rider since he seemed so familiar to Yuuki. But it didn't really matter. Yuuki had told her about the final battle and she doubted the Riders would still be needed after that. Yuuki still kept the Vortex Gear. Since his strange experience he made sure to keep it on him at all times. His pictures had gone back to normal and didn't look freaky anymore, fortunately. He didn't want to be kicked out of the Newspaper Club for having a broken camera.

"Say, you a Rider?" Roka asked bluntly.

"Roka-san!" gasped Yuuki.

"A Zodiac Knight, actually," Daizuke corrected, "But I'm with the Riders." He finished, "Well, I'm gonna go back to my table and wait for a cute waitress to take my order. See ya!"

Yuuki aimed his camera at Daizuke as he sat down and took a quick snapshot without him noticing. The camera Roka had given him didn't give out a bright flash.

Yuuki didn't tell Daizuke yet about what Warren had told him. Sauron was just a warm-up? What did that mean? Did that mean that stronger enemies would come? If that was the case then Yuuki had to be ready.

Ryuga's return had surprised him as well and while he was glad that he wasn't their enemy anymore, it was hard to trust a guy who tried to kill you and had done so much evil. Yuuki still wanted them to work together, though. Ryuga didn't seem so bad anymore. Unfortunately, Ryuji just couldn't bring himself to trust the former Orphenoch King.


	75. Rescue MachLiner

"**RESCUE MACHLINER"**

* * *

"Here you go," said the Station Master as he handed a pair of tickets to Kenzaki. He slid them over the table to Kenzaki's hands.

"Thanks," said Kenzaki gratefully as he took the tickets and pocketed them.

"Don't mention it," said the Station Master. "You and your wife have done a lot for the sake of the Multiverse. It's the least I could do. Call it a small gift on my part. Oh, and Happy Anniversary."

"And, again, thanks," said Kenzaki.

* * *

"The MachLiner will soon be set to go on its maiden voyage. Only those lucky enough to receive exclusive tickets will be able to board this train. It is truly a historic event. The most advanced time train in the history of-"

Click.

The TV was shut off and the man tossed the remote across the room, angry. "Damn them…my train was a work of genius but they scrapped it for THAT!?"

His name was Dr. Mono, a researcher and developer of time trains. He'd created a time train of his own too and it was the one he thought deserved the honor and not the MachLiner. Now he was no longer a scientist. Now he worked in a bar and he just lived a poor man's life instead of a life of fame and fortune.

"They will pay for this…" he growled.

* * *

Kenzaki and Neko were having dinner at the restaurant they had gone to for their first official date. It was their wedding anniversary so Kenzaki just thought it was only fitting.

"Here, you go," said Neko as she handed Kenzaki the gift she'd gotten for him. "Happy Anniversary, Ken-kun." It was a small box. Kenzaki took it and opened it up. In it was a pendant that was shaped like a wolf's head. It was made of pure silver and hung on a black string.

"Wow, thanks, Nana-chan," he said.

"You're welcome!" Neko smiled.

"Oh, and here," said Kenzaki as she handed her an envelope. She blinked at the non-extravagant looking present. She took the envelope and opened it up.

"What is it?" she asked as she dug into the envelope.

"Something impossible to get," he said.

Neko took out the objects inside and her eyes widened in glee as she squealed, jumping up and down on her chair in excitement. "YOU GOT ME FIRST CLASS TICKETS FOR THE MACHLINER!!!"

The restaurant's patrons and staff all stared at the overly-excited young woman before she leapt over the table and tackled the young man to the ground, kissing him all over.

* * *

Dr. Mono stared wistfully at the model of his train, the MetaLiner. "Oh…my MetaLiner…you died before you were even born. How cruel life is…"

He thought he was alone, but he wasn't.

"Do you want your dream realized?"

Dr. Mono jumped in shock and his glasses nearly fell off his face. "WHO!?"

Stepping into the dim light was a beautiful woman in a black kimono decorated with red roses. She had shining silver hair and she looked like a Yamato Nadeshiko, save that she wasn't Japanese. Still, she was just so lovely he found himself speechless.

"Who are you?" Dr. Mono asked as the woman came closer.

"Your new benefactor," said the woman. "Call me Rosalinda."

"My new benefactor?" Dr. Mono asked.

Rosalinda looked to the MetaLiner model and smiled demurely. "How would you like your creation to come alive?"

Dr. Mono didn't need anymore persuasion than that. "R-r-really!?"

"I have the resources and you have the drive," said Rosalinda. "Don't you want your creation to ride the golden tracks?" She turned to the TV and picked up the remote, turning it on to display another news coverage about the MachLiner. "Don't you want to show how your train is better than the MachLiner?"

"Yes!" Dr. Mono said. "Yes, I do! My MetaLiner is perfect!" His eyes looked manic.

"Well, then I guess we have a deal," said Rosalinda. She smiled. Humans were so easily manipulated if given the right incentive. Their desires could be used against them and this man had the desire to prove himself.

* * *

A few weeks later, it was the day the MachLiner would go on its maiden voyage. However…

"What do you mean you can't go!?" Neko whined. She'd been looking forward to this. She had wanted to go on the MachLiner with Kenzaki and try out its facilities with him. She heard it had a restaurant, a spa, a movie theatre and even a game room. She had wanted this to be a day just for them!

"I'm sorry, Neko," Kenzaki apologized. "But something came up!"

"But you gave me two tickets! One for you and one for me!"

"I'm sorry!"

"It's not fair! Waaaaaaah!!!" she cried.

"Settle down!" he said as he held her shoulders. She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. Even after all this time she was still childish and would cry and whine when things didn't go her way. It was his fault, really. He'd promised to go with her but now was forced to break his promise. "Listen, this is an important job for me. I have to do it. I mean any other time I would go with you but this guy is dangerous and if my contacts are right then I have to take advantage of this chance so I can nab him…and claim the reward money to add to the kids' college fund." He'd heard that Gog was close and this was his chance. He just hated breaking promises to Neko.

He wiped Neko's tears away as he continued, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"OK," she accepted. He was a bounty hunter and this was important to him. "Kiss me."

"That I can do," he said before leaning down and giving her a kiss. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him in to deepen the kiss.

"Get that guy, OK?" she said, winking.

Kenzaki was amused by how her mood could change. "So, who are you going to take with you? You have an extra ticket."

That was when the door slid open and Koneko, Buraki and Raion came in.

"Onee-chan! Take me! Take me!" Koneko jumped up and down.

"Neko-chan, take me along!" Buraki practically begged.

"Come on, dudette! Let me go!" Raion pleaded as well.

"PLEASE~!!!"

Neko giggled as Kenzaki rolled his eyes. "So, who are you taking?"

"My little sister," answered Neko.

* * *

Neko stood at the platform with Kumiko and a large crowd, all of them standing before the MachLiner. Also, Neko was holding Maya as Kumiko held Gou, the two children in baby carriers strapped to the two young women to keep them secure. Gou and Maya gazed upon the MachLiner silently and smiled excitedly. It was an amazing bullet train. It was sleek and looked fast. It was mainly silver with a blue trim and its head had wing-like protrusion on top and the windshield looked like a pair of eyes and it did have an avian appearance as well. "I'm glad you gave me your other ticket," said Kumiko.

"Don't mention it. You're family," said Neko.

"Well, I just thought you might've wanted to give it to Kat," said Kumiko.

Neko shook her head and said, "I told her that if she can't be happy for me than she should stay out of my life. I'm not going to look her up anymore nor defend her. I'm tired of it and sick of her trying to break me and Ken-kun up."

"What Ojou-sama's sister had done cannot be so easily forgiven," stated Gekiryuken.

Kumiko frowned. Sure, it was good that Neko had finally chosen but to see two sisters break apart like this was heartbreaking. Still, it was Kat's fault due to her obsession with Neko. It was like she had an unhealthy sister-complex or something. Well, that was in the past.

The conductor blew the whistle, welcoming the lucky ticket-holders who would board the MachLiner. He greeted, "Welcome, lucky passengers! You are the one who've won the tickets to board this first class train. Please, enter at an orderly fashion so I may check your tickets."

"This is it! Come on!" Neko grabbed Kumiko's hand and dragged her along with the crowd.

* * *

"No fair!" whined Koneko.

"Well, she had to choose," said Byakko as she sat beside the Kitten Imagin, ruffling her hair. "She only had one ticket."

"It's still no fair!" whined Koneko continuously.

"Oh, just shut up!" snapped Okami. "Damn it, you're so annoying."

Koneko began to whimper and Byakko admonished the Wolf Imagin, "Okami, she's only a child. No need to be so harsh."

Okami scoffed in response. "She's just as bad as those bozos over there." He pointed to Buraki and Raion who looked depressed.

"How do you think Neko-sama felt when Kenzaki-sama couldn't go with her?" asked Byakko.

"Speaking of the Shonen, what is he doing?" asked Okami.

* * *

"OK, Gog, where are you?" questioned Kenzaki. He was in a condemned building. His contact had told him that Gog had set up shop here. "Just you and me, you bastard."

"You won't find him here," said a voice Kenzaki recognized. He whirled around and pointed his gun at Nanimo.

"Nanimo," snarled Kenzaki.

"Greetings, brother," said Nanimo.

"What do you know about Gog?" asked Kenzaki.

'_Aside that I have a version of him working for me?_' "Not much, save for the fact that the information you've received is…unreliable."

"Unreliable?" Kenzaki cocked an eyebrow.

'He was never really the most observant of subtle details,' thought Nanimo before explaining, "You were tricked. This whole thing was set up to bring you here and away from the real threat."

"What threat?" Kenzaki demanded. He repeated, "What threat? What are you talking about?"

"What is the one thing you value in this world above all else?" asked Nanimo.

* * *

"It's so…spacious!" said Kumiko as she gazed around the space inside the passenger car. "So, this is what First Class feels like."

"Yeah…" mumbled Neko as she looked out the window with Maya. The baby girl pressed her hands against the glass window and looked out. They were traveling in the Sands of Time. The interior of the MachLiner was bigger than the other time trains she had ridden. It could fit more people. She hadn't left her seat since the train had departed.

Kumiko frowned and hauled Neko up to her feet. "Come on! Let's go to the dining car and see if there's anything to eat!"

"I'm not really hungry," Neko declined as she looked down to Maya.

Kumiko gave her a look of disbelief. "You? Not hungry? Neko, I've seen you eat a ton of sushi and still hungry for more. Maybe after you eat something you'll feel better."

"OK…but I miss Ken-kun…"

Kumiko shook her head and sighed. Then she noticed that the train was slowing down. They were in a tunnel too as it was getting darker. "Hey, are we stopping?"

Indeed, the MachLiner had stopped but there was something else in the tower. Backing up towards the front of the MachLiner was another train. It held a sinister aura as it set itself in front of the MachLiner. Then, slowly, several cables slithered out from the back of this sinister train and connected with the front of the MachLiner.

A new voice was heard over the PA system. It was NOT the same voice which had welcomed them onboard, "Attention Dear Passengers! Your train will now be driven by me, Dr. Mono! The great genius scientist and inventor! Please, enjoy your unpleasant ride!"

The train that was connected to the MachLiner was silver-colored and with a serpent-like head in the front. Inside the head was Dr. Mono, sitting at a control console. "Depart! Full speed ahead!" He let loose an insane set of laughter as his train raced down the tracks at full speed, pulling the MachLiner along with it.

The passengers of the MachLiner were suddenly thrown about in the train cars. Neko and Kumiko nearly fell to the floor but regained their balance in fear of harming the babies. Gou and Maya began to cry.

"What the-!?" Kumiko shrieked.

"Runaway train!!!" Neko shouted.

"This cannot be good!" said Gekiryuken.

* * *

Kenzaki was about to retort to Nanimo's statement when his cell phone rang. He kept his eye on Nanimo as he answered, "Hello?"

"Kenzaki-san, there is a runaway train running in the Sands of Time," the Station Master reported.

"So?" Kenzaki cocked an eyebrow.

"There are innocent people onboard who could get hurt and your wife and sister are on it. The MachLiner _is_ the runaway train!"

"What!?"

"Come quickly!"

Kenzaki flipped his phone closed. "Neko…in danger?"

"What will you do now?" Nanimo asked.

"I'm going to save my wife."

"I'll come with you," Nanimo volunteered.

Kenzaki cocked an eyebrow in suspicion. "Why?"

"I hate you, but I don't hate her. She's my sister-in-law and the mother of my niece and nephew. And, compared to you, I like her more," Nanimo answered honestly.

'This feels oddly familiar,' thought Kenzaki as a wave of déjà vu came to mind.

"So, what are we waiting for?" asked Nanimo as his DeathLiner appeared alongside the GaroLiner. "Let's ride."

"Now _that_ I can agree upon."

* * *

"Kumiko-chan, are you alright?" Neko asked as she helped her little sister-in-law up to her feet. She gasped when she saw the bruise on Kumiko's arm. "You're hurt!"

"Just a bruise," said Kumiko as she rubbed her arm where the bruise was. She had bumped against the wall since she didn't want to accidentally hurt little Gou. "No biggie."

Neko frowned. "Dr. Mono…?" She then heard a loud commotion and went to check it out. A few passengers were panicking and getting aggressive, demanding from the encounter to stop the train.

"Stop the train!"

"Let us off!"

"I'm sorry, but it's out of my control!"

"That's not good enough!"

"Yeah, we want to get off this crazy thing!"

WHAM!

The man was knocked out by a punch.

"Nice right hook," complimented Gekiryuken.

"Thanks, Geki-chan," said Neko. She spoke to the stunned passengers, "Everyone, please calm down. I am a Kamen Rider and I promise that you'll all be safe."

Those words seemed to calm the rest of the passengers down. The Kamen Riders were famous heroes as their exploits had been seen by them through the JumboTrons in the King's Terminal.

'_I just hope Ken-kun can get here_,' thought Neko. Maya looked up at Neko and the young woman wondered if her daughter was thinking the same.

* * *

The newscaster reported, "_The MachLiner, which was scheduled for its maiden voyage, has been hijacked. Our sources tell us that Dr. Mono, who had headed the MetaLiner project, to be the one responsible. The man has made his demands of the Station Master and demands that he be given 1 Billion Credits or else he will destroy the MachLiner. He had also made hostages out of the passengers."_

"Onee-chan is on that train!" Koneko realized. The GaroLiner Imagin were all watching the news report.

"Kumiko-chan too!" added Buraki.

"And the children!" finished Byakko.

"This is bad, very bad," said Raion.

Okami snarled. The door opened and Kenzaki came in. "So, Shonen, you heard the news," stated Okami.

"Right, and I'm gonna go save them," said Kenzaki.

"Yosh! Ikuzo!" said Byakko.

"Rock on!" Raion exclaimed.

"Yay, Onii-chan!" cheered Koneko.

Kenzaki ran towards the cockpit. He needed to work fast.

* * *

As the MachLiner, which was being pulled by the MetaLiner, continued on its course towards the destruction, a familiar pair of trains raced after it, flanking it. One was the GaroLiner and the other was the DeathLiner.

Inside, Neko managed to calm the passengers down. Panicking would do them no good at all so it was best for them to remain in their seats and buckle up their seatbelts. Neko had given Maya to Kumiko and the younger girl watched over the babies protectively.

Neko then went to the cockpit to at least regain control of the train but when she got inside, she saw various wire-like tendrils had crept all over the controls, leaving Dr. Mono in full control.

"How am I going to do this?" she murmured. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

"Ojou-sama, you're not going to do something crazy, are you?" Gekiryuken saw her smile widen. "Oh dear."

"Looks like this is going to be a bumpy ride after all!" she said as she whipped Gekiryuken off her neck and he changed into his Keyblade form. She jumped up and performed a series of slashes that tore a hole open. She grabbed the edge of the hole and pulled herself up to the train's rood. Seeing the cables constricting the engine car made her grimace but she had to do all she could to free the MachLiner.

Nanimo, who was in the DeathLiner, called up Kenzaki. "Hey, Kenzaki?"

"What is it?" Kenzaki retorted. They may have agreed to work together but that was no excuse to be civil with one another.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but your wife is on the MachLiner's roof."

Kenzaki wasn't surprised there. She always tried to be the hero whenever she could. "At least her heart's in the right place..."

"Just one good Ryuou Giri will do and…" Neko began as she raised her sword to cut the cables but all of a sudden the cables shot wires at her, binding her arms together. "Hey! Let go!"

"Sorry, my dear, but nothing is going to stop me," laughed Dr. Mono. "Sweet dreams."

An electrical current flowed through her and she let out s shriek, "ARRRGHHHHHH!!!"

"Ojou-sama!" Gekiryuken screamed but she had lost consciousness. "No!"

The wires slithered back into the cables and Neko fell unconscious on the roof. The train continued to speed up, threatening to throw Neko off as she began to roll down the roof.

* * *

**WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?**


	76. Sauron's Fate

Within a dark chamber, filled with computers and a multitude of electronic gadgets, Rosalinda stood before an empty glass tube that stood within the middle. Standing at her flanks were Grimm and Jack Moon. Her children, the twins Damon and Demona, were also present.

"Mama, will this really bring back Papa?" Demona asked.

"I hope," Rosalinda said as she unwrapped the building she was carrying. It was Sauron's mask. She opened the tube and put in the mask before sealing it inside. "Start the machine."

"Yes," Grimm obeyed and activated the machine by pressing a button at one of the computer consoles. Glowing green fluid began to fill the airtight glass tube. It bubbled as the twins watched in amazement.

"Did it work?" Jack Moon asked.

Rosalinda clenched the front of her kimono in apprehension. She could not lose her beloved Sauron now. Demona and Damon tugged at her sleeves in expectation.

The mask floated inside the crimson fluid and then remained still before a voice came out from the audio speakers installed.

"_Where am I? What happened?_"

Rosalinda cried tears of joy. It had worked. Demona and Damon were joyous to see their Royal Father alive again. Of course, the time of celebration turned into that of dread as Sauron's voice boomed.

"_WHERE IS MY BODY!?_" The crimson fluid glowed brightly and bubbled violently befitting her current mood.

Demona and Damon quickly hid behind their mother as Rosalinda strode forward, pressing her hand against the glass tube.

"Mistress, forgive me for being the bearer of bad news, but you were defeated in combat," Rosalinda informed.

"_By the Riders…_" Sauron snarled. "_AND WARREN SMITH!_" The crimson fluid's glow intensified and bubbled violently.

"Yes, unfortunately," said Rosalinda apologetically. "But I was able to recover your mask which contained your soul and brought it back here to our home in the Horror's World. It took us months to create this machine so that you would be able to communicate with us."

"_My beloved Rosalinda, my most dutiful servant and wife. You do so much for me. I am grateful_," said Sauron.

"Mistress…" Rosalinda pressed herself against the tube, wrapping her arms around it in an embrace.

"_So close and yet I have no hands to hold you nor a body to hold you against_," said Sauron sadly.

"For now, this is enough for me," said Rosalinda.

"We will find a way to regenerate your body," swore Grimm.

"Papa," the twins chimed.

"_My children, does it sadden you to see me in such a pathetic state_?" asked Sauron. The twins shook their heads. "_It saddens me. I am ashamed. I am defeated and now I am stuck in this state._" Her tone then turned malicious, "_But, mark my words, I shall avenge my defeat and the Riders will pay. I may be weakened now but I shall collect my power once more and they will be hell to pay!_"

"You talk big for a mask in a tube!" snickered an insane voice.

"Who goes there!?" demanded Jack Moon as he reached for his sword.

Stepping into the light were none other than Yazoo, Malum and Odium.

"How the mighty have fallen," chuckled Odium with a shake of his head.

"Indeed," agreed Yazoo. "You are no longer your old self."

"Something's different about you? Did you lose weight?" mocked Odium.

"How dare you!?" Jack Moon charged but Odium's fist met his face and knocked him to the ground.

"Can I kill him?" Odium asked his brothers eagerly.

"No," said Yazoo.

"Torture him? Maim him? Dismember him?"

Yazoo repeated, "None of that at all."

Odium frowned like a child denied his candy before tossing Jack Moon away.

"_I haven't met you_," said Sauron as she saw the third brother.

"Of course not. You may call me Malum."

"_What is it you want?_" Sauron asked.

"Why…we want Warren Smith of course."


	77. Respect

"Enjoying the view?" Yuuki heard and he spun around to see Ryuji standing before him.

"Oh, Sempai, it's you," said Yuuki relieved.

The two were on the school rooftop and Yuuki was just looking out into the distance.

"So, see anything interesting?" Ryuji asked his fellow Rider.

"I'm just so happy to be alive and that the world is safe," said Yuuki as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You fought for the entire world," said Ryuji. "You should feel happy."

"Well, I didn't do much," admitted Yuuki sheepishly.

"Sure you did. Whenever a monster appeared you never ran. You fought without hesitation. And even when you were facing that huge army of Horrors, instead of running you fought with all your might," Ryuji reminded.

"It's not like I had much of a choice," murmured Yuuki.

"You did, and you made the choice you thought was right. I'm proud of you, Yuuki."

Yuuki stared. "That's…that's the first time you ever called me by my name."

"Well, you're not a rookie anymore," replied Ryuji.

"I guess so," nodded Yuuki. Ryuji placed a hand on Yuuki's head. "Sempai?"

"You don't have to call me that anymore," said Ryuji.

"I disagree. You've trained me and made me stronger," said Yuuki. "You will always be my Sempai."

Ryuji cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, you seem taller."

"Do I?" Yuuki blinked.

"Yeah, you just look taller," said Ryuji as he compared his height with Yuuki. "See?"

"It must be your imagination," Yuuki reasoned.

"Nah, I'm right. You're standing straighter and taller now than you did when you started," Ryuji admitted.

"I just never thought I'd be a Rider, or help save the world. Looking back again it just seems so surreal," said Yuuki as he remembered how he got the Vortex Gear all those months ago, and the trials and tribulations that followed. He took out the V-Driver. "But the world is safe now. I don't need this anymore."

"Keep it," advised Ryuji.

"But-"

"You never know when you'll need it again, Yuuki."

Yuuki gazed down at the device. It had changed his life. He was no longer a nerd. He was confident now and he had a girlfriend who loved him. He wanted to protect the life he had now. "Alright, I'll keep it. I'm not sure I'll need it, though."

"You may never know, Yuuki," said Ryuji.

Yuuki smiled and then his V-Touch rang. He took it out of his pocket and pressed the touch screen to accept the call. "Hello? Alright, Roka-san. I'm coming." He hung up. The V-Touch buckle could still function as a normal cell phone. It looked unusual, but it had its uses. It was the treasure that gave him power.

"Hey, after you go see Roka, meet me at my place," said Ryuji.

"Alright, Sempai."

* * *

"**ULTIMATE MASKED RIDE: VORTEX!"**

"**GOLD FORM!"**

Both Ifrit and Vortex stood in their strongest forms as they stared each other down. Vortex was in his Complete Form, possessing the power of the ten elements while Ifrit was in Gold Form and powered by his Mugenki.

"Ready?" asked Ifrit as he brandished his Ptera-Zanbato and Liner Cross-Rod.

"Hai, Sempai," Vortex nodded as he brandished his V-Book in its Sword Mode.

"Let's do this." Ifrit let loose a roar and charged at Vortex who charged right back. The two clashed and sparks flew as their weapons collided.


	78. Sauron's Origins

"Tell me Sauron, do you know your origins?" asked Vicious.

"I'm eternal, that's all I need to know," said Sauron.

"Oh, but I think you'd be quite interested in hearing it…Sister," grinned Vicious.

Sauron's eyes widened. "What did you just call me?" she growled.

"In a pivotal moment, billions of years ago, a Maltusian named Krona used time-bending technology to observe the beginning of the Universe. This had multiple consequences. First, was the creation of the Multiverse. Billions upon billions of worlds created simultaneously. And second…was the creation of the Great Darkness. Our father…The Dahaka. And out of that Darkness came the Proemial Demons. The first Destroyers. Our eldest brother, Tenebrous of the Darkness, father's personal favorite. Then Diableri the Chaotic, bringer of chaos. Then of course…there was me. Vicious, He Who is Full of Vice. Then there was our sister, Aegis, Lady of the All Sorrows, bringer of despair, and her twin sister Maeshia, Queen of Horrors. And lastly…there was you. Sauron, the Devourer."

"You mean to tell me that you and I are…" Sauron trailed off, unable to believe that she and Vicious were siblings.

"Of course, then we had the first Cosmic War. Think sibling rivalry at its worst. On one side, Maeshia, you and I, and on the other, our brothers and sister. The first to fall was Diableri. Even the Demon of Chaos can't survive getting his head removed and then having his spirit absorbed. Then you devoured Aegis, which led to your preference to feminine appearances, and when she outlived her usefulness, Maeshia. Of course, even with our sisters, you bit off more than you could chew when you went after Tenebrous. He sealed you into that mask you are now forced to have on you at all times. In the end, I sealed Tenebrous within the place between the Bleed and the Anti-Matter Universe, known simply as The Void."

Sauron noted that her mask was important, but she never knew it had been THAT important. "OK, so how come I ended up inside a human? Answer that."

Vicious did answer that, "I knew one day you'd return to try and finish me off...so I took your mask, and sealed you away even further...into an unborn human child, stripping you of your memories in the process."

Sauron noted how that made sense. She was like Yaminekoryu. She had been bound to a physical form and had only regained her sentience through her last host. "So, are you going to kill me now? Finish the job, dear brother?"

Vicious smiled that twisted smile of his. "Of course not, sister. Not while you're still of use to me at least. Just like you won't try to kill me as long as I am of use to you."

That was true. As long as someone proved useful to her, she would not kill them. Still, this revelation shocked her. Had she lost all her demonic memories after being sealed away for so long?


	79. DenSekireiO

Ryotaro Nogami sighed dejectedly as he walked home. Now at the age of twenty, he was hoping to enter Tokyo University. However he had failed the exam. He thought that going back to high school and finishing his final year would prepare him for the entrance exam but it was all for naught.

"What to do?" Ryotaro asked himself.

'_Ryotaro, why so glum?_' asked Urataros.

"I failed, Urataros," said Ryotaro.

'_Now, don't give up. Whatever happened to that young man who saved the world?_'

'_Oi, Ryotaro! Just keep on trying!_' another voice spoke in his head.

"Thank you, Momotaros," Ryotaro smiled.

'_Persevere, Ryotaro,_' spoke another voice.

"I will, Kintaros," replied Ryotaro.

'_Hey, let's go and see Onee-chan, OK?_' a childish voice asked.

Ryotaro grimaced at the thought of facing his sister. Ryotaro had moved out of the Milk Dipper after Sakurai Yuuto had returned. Ryotaro didn't mean the younger incarnation. He meant the man who was now his sister's husband. They were also expecting a child soon and Ryotaro knew who that child would be.

Suddenly, he heard a loud shout.

"Please, get out of the way!!!"

Ryotaro followed the source of the voice and looked up to see a girl falling. "EH!!!???"

"Please get out of the way!!!"

WHAM!

She fell right on top of him. It seemed Ryotaro's luck hadn't changed. He then found himself staring at her backside and he blushed.

"Ow…" the girl groaned as she crawled off him. "I must've jumped too high." She then turned to look at Ryotaro. "Thank you for saving me."

Ryotaro looked at the girl. She had dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail and wearing a white kimono top with a short pink skirt, white thigh high socks with black boots and red combat gloves.

'Wow, she's cute,' said Urataros.

"You're…welcome," replied Ryotaro. After fighting the Imagin for over a year, Ryotaro could take the unusual events around him in stride.

She smiled. Suddenly, she shoved him backwards. "Watch out!" Her breasts landed on his face for a moment and bounced off him just as a bolt of lightning came crashing down on the spot they had been sitting on before.

"Nani!?" Ryotaro yelped.

"There's no use running!" Ryotaro heard and he looked up to see two women in matching S&M standing on a rooftop. One was dressed in red and the other was in purple, but judging by their identical looks they were obviously twins. "Fight with us."

"I don't want to fight yet!" the girl Ryotaro just met said.

"Even if you don't want to fight…we'll make you!!!" the twins jumped off the roof, hands crackling with energy.

"We have to run!" the girl said as she grabbed Ryotaro's arm but she met with resistance. "Huh?" She looked to the young man and saw that his hair was now in a ponytail with a yellow streak. "What are you doing?" He tugged his arm out of her grip.

K-Ryotaro popped his neck to the side and said, "We must face all challenges head on!" The lightning bolts missed him as the girl leapt back.

"Oh, so the man wants to fight," one of the women said.

Her twin added, "Move out of the way."

Suddenly, Ryotaro changed again and now had a blue streak in his hair as his eyes turned blue with glasses over his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let a young woman be harmed. You both may be pretty, but I can't allow any harm to come to this girl," said U-Ryotaro.

"Listen! You have no idea what you're dealing with!" one of the leaher-clad women spoke. That was when Ryotaro's look changed as the glasses vanished and a cap appeared on his head with a streak of purple hair falling at the side of his head.

"Hey, are you strong? I don't hear an answer!" R-Ryotaro spoke in his childish voice.

"Get out of our way!" the twins demanded.

Now Ryotaro's hair was spiked up with a red streak and he said, "I can't do that! It's been awhile since I've had a good fight! Now, let me tell you this; from the beginning to the end I am at my climax!"

He took out the Den-O belt and strapped it on. The three women looked at him curiously as he took out a rail pass and pressed the red button on the belt. The belt released a musical tune as he called, "Henshin!" before swiping the pass over the belt.

"**Sword Form!**"

Transparent shards enveloped his body, much to the women's surprise, before forming a black bodysuit with silver boots and white gauntlets. The torso was covered by black armor with a silver stripe running down the middle. His helmet was white with a silver mouthuard, large black eyes and a silver stripe running down the middle as well. After that additional armor appeared. The armor that attached to his back was black with yellow trimmings and the armor attaching to his chest was red, still with the silver stripe. He had broad shoulder armor attached to the shoulders. Finally, a red metal peach slid down his helmet and attached to his faceplate before it split with the tips extending.

"Ore…Futatabi Sanjou!" Den-O (Sword Form) announced as he was transformed.

The girl Ryotaro had saved exclaimed, "Sugoi!"

"What is this!?" one of the twins questioned. Her twin could only respond with silence.

"Alright, you bitches," Den-O began, "If it's a fight you want then I'll give you a fight. Ikuze, ikuze, ikuze!" He charged at them and the two women sent bolts of lightning flying at him. They struck him in the chest, sending him flying. "Itai…Oi, that wasn't fair!"

"Hmph, he's weak," said one of the twins.

"Well, we better deal with him first before going after that unwinged one," said her sister.

"Kuso…" Den-O cursed as he rose to his feet.

'_Momotaros, are you alright?_'

"I'm fine, Ryotaro," Den-O answered. "But these bitches are going down!" He began to assemble his DenGasher and the blade extended. "Now, time for my hissatsu attack!"

'_So soon?_' Ryotaro asked.

Den-O ignored Ryotaro as he swiped the Rider Pass over his belt buckle.

"**Full Charge!**" the belt announced.

"Hissatsu!" began Den-O as energy transferred from his belt into his sword. The blade glowed. "Ore no Hissatsu Waza! Part 2!" The blade detached from the DenGasher, connected only by red electricity, and Den-O swung at the twins who saw the blade coming. They leapt out of the way of the attack but Den-O continued to swing at them. "Take this!!!" The blade came crashing down but missed. "Hey, where did they go!?"

'_Forget about them, Momotaros. We need to check on the girl_,' said Ryotaro.

"OK." Den-O removed his belt and the armor vanished. Ryotaro regained control of his body and looked to the girl he'd rescue. He approached her and asked, "Are you-Urk!"

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" she said gratefully as she hugged the stuffing out of him. "You drove them away! You're truly my savior!"

"It was nothing," said Ryotaro.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm…Ryotaro Nogami."

"Oh, I'm Musubi!"

"Nice to meet you, Musubi-san."

"How did you do all that?" she asked. "How did you get that cool armor and that sword? How did you learn to fight?" Her tummy rumbled. "Oh…I'm hungry." She looked like she was close to passing out.

"Let me treat you to something to eat," said Ryotaro.

------------------------------------------------

Ryotaro went to McDonalds and got some food for the girl. He took his order to go and now was sitting on a park bench with Musubi who was eating two burgers at once, alternating between the two she was holding in her hands.

"Oh, thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!" she said.

"You're welcome…" answered Ryotaro.

'_Oi, Ryotaro! Ask her about those two bitches!_' demanded Momotaros.

"Ano…who were those women and why were they after you?" Ryotaro asked.

"Well…it's because I'm an unwinged Sekirei," she said.

"Sekirei?" Ryotaro blinked. She then gazed at him. "Huh?"

"I wish someone like you was my Ashikabi…"

"Ashi…kabi…?"

Musubi then remembered what she had wanted to ask about. "So, can you tell me where you got that armor?"

"It's…a long story," said Ryotaro.

'_That's putting it mildly, Ryotaro. How about I be the one to tell the young lady?_'

'_Oi, shove off you perverted turtle!_' Momotaros exclaimed.

"Well, well, well, look what we've found," a familiar voice spoke. Ryotaro gasped when he saw the S&M twins again.

"Oh, no!" Ryotaro cried.

"You may have surprised us before, but this time we won't give you a chance to do that trick again!" one of them said.

Ryotaro grabbed Musubi's hand. "Hurry, we have to run!" He dragged her along as they fled from the two women whose hands were crackling with electricity.

"There's nowhere to run!" the shouted after Ryotaro and Musubi.

As they ran, Ryotaro said to Musubi, "I'll slow them down while you run!"

"But, Ryotaro-san," she argued.

"Please!" He let her go. "Go! Go now!" He stood in the twin's path as Musubi ran. She did look back. "Leave her alone!"

"You're not her Ashikabi," said the twin in red. "Why are you protecting her."

"I don't know anything about Sekirei or Ashikabi," said Ryotaro, "But I'm not letting you hurt her!" He took out his belt but he dropped it when the woman in purple shot a lightning bolt at his hand. "Itai!"

"Sorry, but no more tricks," they said. Ryotaro grimaced. He ignored his belt and ran away as the twins gave chase, thinking he would lead them to Musubi.

Ryotaro ran in front of an alley but someone grabbed him and pulled him in. He was shoved against the wall. He was about to yell when he felt a hand cover his mouth and a pair of breasts pressed against his chest. '_Musubi-san?_'

"Please, be quiet, Ryotaro-san," said Musubi. He gave a nod. Of course the twins had seen him getting pulled inside and went into the alley.

"Nowhere to run," the one in red said.

"Just give up, it's pointless," said the one in purple.

Musubi glared but her heart began to pound in her chest. She turned her eyes to Ryotaro and said, "It's you…" She removed her hand from his mouth. "You're the one." Without warning, she kissed him.

"No! She found her Ashikabi!!!" the twins cried.

Suddenly, pink light exploded from Musubi and formed a pair of wings. Ryotaro was amazed by the display. "Su…sugoi…"

"Thank you, Ryotaro-san," said Musubi gratefully.

"Che, looks like you've found your Ashikabi," said the red twin, Hibiki, with her hand crackling with electricity.

"It won't change a thing," said the purple twin, Hikari, her hand crackling with electricity too.

"Ryotaro-san, let me protect you now," said Musubi.

Ryotaro was about to open his mouth when all of a sudden his Den-O Belt formed around his waist. "Huh?"

'_Ryotaro, let's fight! Together!_' said Momotaros.

Ryotaro reached into his pocket and pulled out the Climax Cellphone K-Taros. He looked between Hikari and Hibiki who had their attention focused on Musubi. "Boku-tachi ikuyo." He pressed 3-6-9-# on the phone.

"**Momo-Ura-Kin-Ryu!**" the phone spoke. He pressed a button on the side of the phone. "**Climax Form!**" He attached the phone to his belt.

Musubi, Hikari and Hibiki turned their attention towards Ryotaro who began to transform again. They then saw masks fly around him as his armor formed. His torso armor changed, with a circle on his chest and train tacks in the centre of the circle as well as his shoulders, arms and legs. A yellow mask with a horn in the centre attached to his left shoulder as a blue one with orange eyes and a pair of horns attached to his right shoulder. A purple mask that resembled a dragon's face attached to his chest and finally the peach shaped mask appeared on his faceplate before it became 'peeled'.

"Ore-tachi…Sanjou!" Den-O announced as he was transformed into Climax Form.

"Ashikabi-sama!" Musubi squealed. He looked so cool. "Sugoi!"

"Stop showing off!!!" shouted Hikari as she sent a bolt of lightning at Den-O who ducked out of the way. He then charged towards her and rammed his fist across his face.

"Take that, you S&M bitch!" Den-O shouted.

"Hikari!" Hibiki went to help her twin but Musubi got in her way.

"Your opponent is me," said Musubi.

"That suits me just fine," growled Hibiki.

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OK, whaddya think? The first Kamen Rider Den-O/Sekirei crossover. Sorry it had to end here but I wanted to take the time to watch the anime first and maybe read the manga for more ideas.


	80. Kyuvi

CHUUNIN EXAMS

Warren was proud of his three adopted children. Lucy, utilizing her vectors and training, managed to claim victory over her opponent. It had been difficult since her opponent had tried to blind her but in the end she proved her superiority as a diclonius. All she had to do was perform her own version of the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken and since her vectors were invisible, her opponent hadn't seen it coming or knew what hit him. He was out after the barrage of punches knocked him out and into the wall.

Shinji had also won. While the boy was sweet and gentle, when pushed to his limits he could be downright lethal. Also, he was smart enough and able to use his intellect to his advantage. He used basics as the foundation of his abilities and while it had been a tough battle as he held no distinct advantages compared to his two elder adopted siblings. Warren had taught him magic as well to help with the lack of special abilities and with chakra, Shinji made up some really amazing jutsus because of his creative mind. Also, the Hiryuu Shouten Ha really came in handy at the last second. The tornado force winds blew his opponent away.

Finally, it was Naruto's turn and his opponent was Neji. After Neji had defeated and hurt Hinata, nearly killing her, Naruto swore to make him pay. In the month before now, Naruto had trained himself under both his father and Jiraiya. He wasn't going to hold back. However, Neji was undeterred and as soon as the fight started the Hyuuga branch member countered Naruto's techniques and even the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was unable to beat the Hyuuga prodigy who managed to find the real Naruto among the clones. A hit to a vital pressure point had even sealed Naruto's chakra and without he could not win.

Lucy, Shinji and Warren watched. The man crossed his arms as he watched his adopted son and student getting defeated. He could not stand this. "NARUTO!" Warren roared.

"Dad?" Naruto blinked and then looked up to his adopted father.

"I give you permission to use that gift I gave you for this match! Now, show everyone what you can do! Show them the power you hold in yourself! Show them the true viciousness and might of a demon!"

Murmurs could be heard in the audience as Naruto grinned. "OK, Dad." He then put two fingers in his mouth and blew, whistling.

"Why are you whistling?" Neji asked, confused.

"Help," Naruto asked.

Neji snorted. "No one can help you now, so just give up!"

Suddenly, a blur hit Neji from behind and upside the head, causing him to stagger forwards. He looked around, bewildered, and Byakugan activated to see what had hit him and then he stared at it as it flapped by Naruto's head.

"Neji, meet Kyubat," Naruto introduced. Kyubat was a cartoonish looking mechanical bat and its head made up its entire body. Kyubat had pointed fox-like ears, fangs and red eyes with spirals in them. He was colored orange as well, Naruto's favourite color, and had small feet. Kyubat flapped his wings as he flew around Naruto.

"Oi, Naruto. Why didn't you call me sooner?" the bat asked.

"Oh, I just thought I could handle it myself, Kyu," said Naruto.

"Well, now you know better," said Kyubat.

Neji was unimpressed. "How is that _thing_ supposed to help?"

Naruto glared. "Kyu is not a thing, he is my aibou and I'll show you!" Naruto stretched out his hand and Kyubat got the single. He bit down.

"Bite!"

Chains appeared and wrapped around Naruto's waist before forming into a blood red belt with a perch in the front and slots on the sides holding ornamental whistles.

"This is my family's secret. We possess the power to transform. Let me show you that anyone can overcome fate if they truly wish for it…" Naruto called out, "HENSHIN!"

Kyubat got the signal and hung upside down from the perch in front of the belt and released his power. "Henshin!" he parroted as red and orange pulses of energy were released.

Crimson flames engulfed Naruto before a cocoon of chains completely enveloped him. There was a flash of light from within the chains and finally they shattered, flying in all directions and miraculously missing Neji. The figure that now stood before the Hyuuga was no longer Naruto…

The figure stood tall, as tall as an adult, with red armor and an orange chestplate worn over a black bodysuit. The torso armor came with a high collar and the shoulderpads resembled fox paws which were bound by chains. Chains were wrapped around the forearms and his iron boots which came up to his knees. Chains also crisscrossed his chestplate. It was his helmet that was frightening. The crimson eyes staring back at Neji held malevolence and were shaped like the wings of a bat but pointed up like ears of a fox. Between the eyes was an ornament shaped like a fox's head and the mouthguard was decorated with fangs.

The eyes flashed as the new Naruto glared at Naruto. Many thought it was Genjutsu and so did Neji at first but he was unable to dispel it. It was no illusion. Also, the Chakra being released was so familiar to those who'd been present during the Kyuubi's attack all those years ago.

Warren smiled as Lucy and Shinji cheered. "Go get him, son."

"What are you?" Neji questioned. Naruto's chakra had been sealed and yet now it was pulsing off him in waves.

'Naruto' grinned under his helmet and said in his own unchanged voice. "I am…Kamen Rider…KYUVI!"

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OK, lemme explain. In a future arc, Warren adopts Naruto, Lucy (Elfen Lied) and Shinji (Evangelion) as his children. He adopted Naruto when he was young as he did the others. He adopted Lucy before her dog was killed and she activated her powers to kill and adopted Shinji when his father, Gendo, left him. Warren adopted Naruto after saving him from the villagers.


	81. DenSekireiO Liner Form

Ryotaro watched as Musubi and Yomi fought with the two Sekirei fighting violently. Despite the tip of her scythe being broken off, she could still cause considerable damage to Musubi due to the vacuum blades she could launch at the brunette Sekirei. A blast of vacuum blades actually tore of Musubi's top, leaving her topless. Ryotaro blushed as he saw this.

Yomi laughed, "Wow, you look really nice! You love giving your pervert of an Ashikabi a show, huh?"

"Someone like you will never understand Ryotaro-sama," said Musubi.

"What is there to understand?" Yomi sneered. "He's weak and useless. A pathetic little man. He can do nothing but watch as I eliminate you!" Yomi swung her scythe at Musubi but Musubi jumped and kicked her in the face. Snarling, Yomi exclaimed, "You'll pay for that!!!"

As Ryotaro held the sleeping Kusano, he frowned as he watched Musubi fought. He then called for help, "Sieg, take care of Ku-chan for me." A white haze of energy flew out of Ryotaro and then reformed into the Swan Imagin known as Sieg.

"Let me take care of the little princess, Ryotaro," said Sieg as he took Kusano into his arms and held her protectively. "Do what you must?"

Ryotaro nodded and he stood up. The Den-O belt appeared and equipped to the buckle was the K-Taros. The DenKamen Sword also appeared in his hand as he narrowed his eyes. He took the Den-O Pass out from his pocket and said, "Musubi-san, let me help you!"

"Ryotaro-sama!" gasped Musubi.

"Huh?" Yomi cocked an eyebrow. "What are you going to do with that toy?"

"This," said Ryotaro as he inserted the Den-O pass into the back of the DenKamen Sword's blade. "Henshin."

The sword called out, "**Liner Form!**"

Yomi watched as a suit of black and white armor enveloped Ryotaro when all of a sudden a ghost train appeared. It raced towards Ryotaro but since it was intangible it passed right through Ryotaro without harm. His armor began to change. His boots became red as did his bodysuit as the red color rose up his legs, leaving the sides black. The sleeves and gauntlets also changed, becoming black on the inner side, white on the outer side, with a red line running in between the black and white sides. New armor formed. It was mostly white with yellow headlights on the chest and some back and red accents which were also present on the broad shoulders. Finally, to complete the change, a T-shaped antenna rose and set on the top of his helmet as a pair of triangular eyes fit upon his faceplate with yellow, blue and purple spikes on the sides of the eyes.

Ryotaro had become Den-O Liner Form.

"Musubi-san, let me handle this," said Den-O as he strode towards Yomi who was stunned by the sudden transformation.

"What sort of Ashikabi are you!?" she demanded.

"The Masked Ashikabi," he answered and then he swung his sword at her. She blocked with the shaft of her scythe and sparks flew as the weapons collided. They continued to swing at each other and their weapons clashed. Musubi watched, amazed, as her Ashikabi handled himself against another Sekirei.

Seo, Hikari and Hibiki watched the fight and Seo whistled, "Wow, now that kid really has some very interesting skills." He never expected Ryotaro to have any tricks up his sleeve but now he knew better.

Den-O himself was trying not to harm Yomi. Defeating an Imagin was easy but fighting Sekirei was harder. He didn't want to kill any of them since they looked so human. But, he had to fight. He had to protect Kusano and Musubi.

He pulled the Delta Lever and the masks spun.

"**Ura Rod!**"

He pulled again.

"**Kin Axe!**"

And once more.

"**Ryu Gun!**"

He adopted Ryutaros' fancy dance moves as he dodged Yomi's swings. "Stand still!" she shouted, trying to land a strike but he was far too agile as he dodged. He then closed the gap between them and bashed her hard with the turntable hilt of his weapon, sending her crashing to the ground.

"**Momo Sword!**"

He pushed in the Delta Lever and the symbol in the centre of the hilt turned green. A red AuraLiner resembling DenLiner Gouka appeared around him as the golden energy tracks appeared under his feet. He rushed towards Yomi who could only shout in shock as he called, "Densha Giri!"

It was a killing move but this time Den-O used the flat side of his sword to execute the attack, striking Yomi violently and sending her flying. However, this managed to rip off all her clothes and expose her Sekirei crest.

Musubi swiftly took advantage of this and chanted her norito as she touched the crest, "Fist of my contract, destroy the calamity of my Ashikabi!" In a flash of pink light Yomi's crest vanished and before long she was unconscious.

Den-O wondered what Musubi had done but then turned his attention towards Sieg who was holding a sleeping Kusano. "Thank goodness." He turned to Musubi who was covering her naked breasts with her arms and he blushed under his helmet. "Musubi-san, you're alright."

"Yes, and you were amazing as well," said Musubi as she smiled to Den-O.

Seo sighed. "Let's go," he said to Hibiki and Hikari before they left the scene.

"Alright, let's take Ku-chan home," said Den-O.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," spoke a mysterious and stoic voice and Den-O spun around to see a familiar figure which also made Musubi gasp.

It was Den-O Sword Form but all the red parts of his armor were purple and decorated with black tribal markings which also decorated his gauntlets. He was holding the DenGasher in his hand and looked like he was ready to fight.

It was Nega Den-O!

"What?" Den-O gawked. "Negataros?"

"Give me No. 108 you damn Ashikabi," demanded Nega Den-O.

Den-O looked to Kusano and then back at Nega Den-O before shaking his head. "I…I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"She was calling to me! I'm not going to abandon her."

"Then…you leave me no choice!" Nega Den-O charged at Den-O, forcing Den-O to raise his sword to block Nega Den-O's attacks.


	82. Ashikabi Yuuto

"Get out of my way," said the Veiled Sekirei as her veils whipped and snapped about her. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, sorry, but no way am I about to let you to hurt my Sekirei," said Yuuto as he stood between this Sekirei and his own. "She doesn't want to fight."

The Veiled Sekirei frowned before one of her veils shot forward. "Look out!" Yuuto shouted as he pushed Kuno and himself down and the veil flew over them. "Deneb!" Green energy shot out from Yuuto and reformed into Deneb, his Imagin partner. The Veiled Sekirei cocked her head to the side in confusion. These strange creatures seemed to have popped up more recently.

"Get Kuno out of here," Yuuto said and Deneb nodded.

"Kuno, let's go," said Deneb as he helped Kuno up to her feet.

"But, Yuuto-sama-!" she began to protest but then felt Yuuto grasp her hand gently.

"I'll be fine," said Yuuto as he stood up to face his opponent. The Veiled Sekirei tried to attack Deneb but then Deneb shot at her veil with his fingers and her veil was torn to shreds by the bullets. Yuuto whipped out his Zeronos Belt and fastened it on before going down to the case which held his cards. "Let me tell you this from the start, Sekirei-san. I am VERY strong!" He called, "Henshin!" He slipped the card into his belt buckle.

"**Altair Form!**"

Green shards engulfed Yuuto and transformed him into his Rider form. The first to form was the black bodysuit with green shoulders and black gauntlets and boots with gold rings around the wrists and ankles. The helmet was black with a pair of vertical tracks running down over his eyes. The torso armor formed next and attached to his body. It was mainly green with a gold 'Y' shaped track on his chest. Mooing was heard as a pair of bull heads slid down along the tracks on his helmet before configuring into a pair of green eyes and three silver horns trimmed in green. He snapped his fingers and lightning struck down behind him.

Yuuto had transformed into Kamen Rider Zeronos.

The Veiled Sekirei showed no reaction but she was surprised by this current development. She never knew that No. 95's Ashikabi could transform like that.

Zeronos reached to his belt where the two components of his ZeroGasher were kept and took the triangular handle that he attached to the blade component. The blade tripled in size and he hefted it on his shoulder. He pointed at the Veiled Sekirei and said, "And let me tell you something else; those who hurt my Kuno will answer to me!"

"Yuuto-sama…" Kuno blushed as Yuuto referred to her as being his.

"Hyah!!!" Zeronos charged and swung his sword at the Sekirei who dodged to the side and attacked with her veils but he smacked them away with his sword and jumped at her, kicking her in the chest. He didn't want to really hurt her. All he wanted was to drive her off so that she would leave Kuno alone.


	83. Milk Dipper

Hana, Ryotaro and the Taros gawked as they watched Musubi clean off another plate of fried rice. She had finished 6 plates in total and looked hungry for more. "May I have some more, please?"

"Of course!" said Naomi cheerfully.

"Where does all that food go?" Hana asked.

"Maybe her chest?" Momotaros quipped, earning a punch to his face. "Ow…"

"Don't be rude," chided Hana.

* * *

"Damn it," grumbled Hibiki as she sat at the edge of a rooftop with her sister, Hikari, "Who was that Ashikabi anyway?"

"I don't know, but he's got a lot of fire power," said Hikari. "We better be careful. Right now we should go back to work or else we're fired."

"Right. We can't trust Seo to keep us fed."

* * *

The DenLiner dropped both Musubi and Ryotaro off in front of the Milk Dipper. "Come on," said Ryotaro. "I want to introduce you to Nee-san and Sakurai-san." Ryotaro pushed the door open and entered, followed by Musubi. At the counter was his sister, Airi and his brother-in-law Sakurai. "Nee-san, Sakurai-san, tadaima," he greeted.

"Oh, Ryo-chan!" Hana greeted. She was pregnant and it was showing. "Welcome back! Did you get into Tokyo U?"

"No," Ryotaro shook his head. "I…failed."

"Oh…" Airi frowned. "Well, don't give up, OK?"

"I won't," said Airi.

"Remember, Ryotaro," Sakurai reminded, "Never lose hope. It's only through hope that we can create the future."

Ryotaro smiled.

"Ara, who's this?" asked Airi.

"Oh, this is Musubi-san. She's a friend from out of town," said Ryotaro. He wasn't lying. She was really from out of town.

"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you, Musubi-san," bowed Airi.

"It's nice to meet you to, sister of my Ashikabi!" said Musubi cheerfully.

"Ashikabi?" Airi blinked.

"It's just a nickname she has for me!" Ryotaro covered.

"Well, she's a cute one," said Sakurai. "Ryotaro, are you sure she's just a friend? Maybe she's your girlfriend…?"

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Ozaki peeked inside. "Did I just hear a scoop? Ryotaro-kun with a girlfriend?" He went inside and admired Musubi. "Wow! Beautiful! Sexy! Ryotaro!" He gave the young man a thumbs up. "Good job!"

Miura came in later, and also admired Musubi. Adjusting his glasses, he said, "Ryotaro-kun, let me give you some charms to improve your romantic life!"

"Eh!?" Ryotaro blushed.

"Me? Ryotaro-sama's girlfriend?" Musubi blushed as she put her hands to her cheeks. Her heart was beating. "Yes, I am Ryotaro-sama's girlfriend!"


	84. Dark Rider Siblings

**THE DARK RIDER SIBLINGS**

"Shinji, you gotta break through that force field," Dark Kiva said to his adopted brother.

"Me!?" Dark Kabuto pointed to himself. "But, Nii-san, how can I!?"

"Hey, have you forgotten what Papa said!?" snapped Orga.

"Ano...Lucy-neesan..." stammered Dark Kabuto as he twiddled his fingers.

"Look, you can do this," encouraged Dark Kiva confidently. "That Rider Kick of yours has some tachyon particles fueling it so you know it is destructive."

Dark Kabuto's hand went down to his Zecter and he nodded. "Hai, Nii-san! Arigatou!"

"That's my little brother!" Dark Kiva slapped Dark Kabuto on the back.

Dark Kabuto looked up at the advancing monster, dubbed an Angel. Its name was Sachiel and it was one ugly monster.

"Remember, you got us," reminded Orga, her hand gripping the Orga Stlanzer.

Dark Kabuto gazed fondly at the regally garbed Dark Rider before giving both Orga and Dark Kiva a nod. He prepared himself as his siblings stood back. He pressed the leg button on the Zector.

"1, 2, 3," the Dark Kabuto Zecter called in a robotic voice before he pulled the horn and reset the Zecter to its previous setting.

"Rider...Kick," commanded Dark Kabuto as he pulled the horn back again.

"RIDER KICK!" the Zecter echoed as electricity danced all ove rhis body, lighting up the circuitry that was exposed on his near-transparent chest armor. The energy danced about his horn, causing his yellow eyes to flash.

"HYAH!" Dark Kabuto leapt up high into the air, higher and higher, until he was in position. He tucked in his left leg as he stretched out his right, the energy charge of tachyon particles spiralling around his extended appendage. He struck the AT-Field with a flying kick. The Angel's AT-Field was holding out as Dark Kabuto growled and pushed...and pushed...and pushed...

Finally, the AT-Field shattered like glass and the fragments vanished, exposing the core of the Angel as the Dark Rider soared towards it, breaking through with his foot. His Rider Kick collided with explosive force, sending the Angel toppling backwards before it crashed to the ground, causing a tremor. Dark Kabuto landed atop a building, far from the beast, and watched as Sachiel self-destructed after having its core broken. Dark Kabuto gave a satisfied sigh.

"Shinji!"

Dark Kabuto turned to look at his fellow Riders. The bat which acted as his buckle flew off and Dark Kiva's body turned into green-tinted quicksilver before morphing into a more human form. As for Orga, the yellow streams of her black suit of armor receded back into her belt. the beetle which acted as Dark Kabuto's buckle flew off and detached from its master.

Shinji Ikari Smith was a fourteen year old boy, dressed in a black t-shirt and matching vest with crimson lining and blue jeans. On his back was an emblem resembling a rhinoceros beetle. Naruto Uzumaki Smith (16) was a blonde with spiky hair, whisker marks on his cheeks, wearing a headband with a metal plate decorated by a symbol resembling a leaf. He wore a black and orange jacket with a black t-shirt that had a green bat-like emblem on the front and also wore blue jeans and sneakers. Finally, Lucy Kaede Smith (18) stood with her hands to her hips. She was dressed in a black tanktop with a black miniskirt and pink striped socks and wore a purple snowcap on her head of red hair. She had pinkish red eyes and looked serious. She tossed a phone up and down in her gloved hand.

Naruto (Dark Kiva) gave Shinji a slap on the back. "Congratulations, Shinji!"

"It was nothing, Nii-san," Shinji replied, rubbing his back. "I just did what I had to do."

"Always the modest one," said Lucy. "Come on, we better go. That Gendo might send some guys to investigate how that Angel was killed."

"It's a good thing Dad sent us all that info we needed," said Naruto.

"Papa has always been resourceful," said Lucy proudly.

"Well, I can't argue with that," agreed Shinji.

"You should go and meet with that Misato woman," said Lucy, "And go with her into NERV. We got a mission, remember that."

"Hai, Nee-san. We're here to save the world...and not just from the Angels."

"Hey, remember who we are, Shinji! We're the Dark Riders! Believe it!" Naruto grinned.

* * *

A/N: My idea is that Warren Smith adopted these three kids and raised them as his own. When they came of age, he gave them the Dark Rider gears. Naruto is Dark Kiva, Lucy is Orga and Shinji is Dark Kabuto. It fits since Lucy is a Queen of sorts and Naruto holds the King of the Tailed Beast. I gave Shinji Dark Kabuto coz Dark Kabuto's silhouette kinda resembles Eva-01


	85. Decadread 1

Ranma yawned as he headed back from school. Things were extremely dull in Nerima after he avoided the fusion of the ten Rider Worlds and met nine alternate versions of himself. By meeting those nine versions, he learned a little about life and such. He learned that there are many more things to fight for than just pride or the concept of being manly. He also learned a little about growing up from his alternate selves. He learned that happiness is more important than pride from his Kuuga self, he learned that fighting for what you believed in was never wrong, and he learned the true meaning of family from his Ranki self.

Of course, he lost his attraction to Akane along the way. Not because of how he had seen alternate versions act, but because of the way his Akane acted. She continued seeing perverts everywhere she went and never trusted Ranma. Of course, the fiancées and rivals weren't helping matters with their constant pursuit. Ranma was beginning to long for the peace he got when traveling through the worlds. At least Kasumi gave him a safe haven when he needed it. She knew exactly what he was going through since she had been witness to the battle for the Kamen Rider worlds.

"Wonder what those other versions of me are up to," Ranma sighed to himself.

"RANMA!!!"

Looking up, Ranma found Happosai, the perverted master of his school, sailing down at him. He had a bucket of water in his hands and was aiming to splash him with it. Reacting quickly, he leaped to the side as the water splashed harmlessly on the pavement.

"What do you want now you old freak?" Ranma sighed. He didn't need this right now. He just wanted some peace and quiet.

"Today is the day you'll bow to me!" Happosai growled. A perverted gleam then appeared in his eyes. "Of course, I might be merciful if you let me grasp onto that bountiful bosom of yours."

Ranma rolled his eyes. He had stopped one of Happosai's panty raids earlier and apparently he wanted revenge now. Of course, if he was able to grope Ranma-chan's breasts he would do it in a heartbeat. The old freak would never change and no one but him really had the spine and the ability to do so.

"That ain't happening," Ranma sighed. "So just get out of here before I boot you into the distance."

"I'll make you respect your master!" Happosai roared as he leaped at Ranma with his hand in his robes. The aged lecher yanked out what looked like a shard of glass, which Ranma recognized immediately. A shard of the Nanban Mirror.

Ranma had used the item to travel to the different Rider worlds. Each shard took him someplace new. However, there was still one piece missing but since the worlds were safe, Ranma didn't think much about it.

"You'll beg to let me grope you when you get back from this place," Happosai cackled as he prepared the activate the magic.

**BOOT!**

Happosai was sent sailing through the air from the strike of Ranma's foot. Having faced the old lecher in different worlds, Ranma had gotten a good idea how to take the little freak down from his other selves. As such, he now had the shard of the Nanban Mirror in his hands and was examining it. Gazing into it, he could see a night sky behind him, but instead of his regular reflection, the armor of Decade was staring back at him.

"Weird," Ranma frowned. "Still, it's probably important. Better get this back to the rest of the mirror."

Ranma immediately made tracks to the Tendo Dojo. Nabiki was handling bets while Akane was hanging out with friends. Kasumi was shopping and the only other adults were out with her (Nodoka) or out scheming to force Ranma and Akane to get married (Soun and Genma). So being alone, Ranma went to his room and removed one of the floorboards. Reaching in, he pulled out the cracked Nanban Mirror. After the first debacle with it, the item was broken. Of course, when the Rider Worlds began to fuse, Ranma had to find the shards. One by one he found them and returned them to the mirror, traveling to different Rider worlds.

Gazing at the cracked surface, Ranma peered at each section. Each piece reflected a different part of his face which was covered by a different set of Kamen Rider armor with different scenery. There was one gap where the final shard would be placed.

"This is going to be trouble," Ranma sighed as he positioned the Decade Shard into its home.

The mirror immediately flashed and all the cracks vanished. Ranma covered his eyes as the image of Decade staring back at him with a night sky behind him. The light grew until Ranma was temporarily blinded. Backing away, Ranma felt his back hit something metal. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up. His eyes widened as he saw that he was underneath some kind of giant machine. Stepping away, he saw that he was underneath a giant humanoid robot.

"Woah," Ranma gaped.

BOOM!

"We're under attack!"

"It's pirates!"

"Worse! It's women!"

Ranma blinked and asked himself, "Where the heck did I end up now?" After traveling to 9 different alternate worlds, Ranma was no stranger to interdimensional travel. Of course, a warning would've been nice.

Looking around, Ranma saw that he was in some kind of hanger with more of the giant gray robots hanging around. Lots of men were running around, gearing up for war against someone. No one seemed to notice that he was there. Apparently they were too enthralled with fighting this apparent enemy. So Ranma took advantage of the confusion and slipped through the nearest exit.

Of course, all of the hallways looked the same. They had minimal lighting and everything was bare steel. Nothing seemed to be going to waste. Of course, there was no real way for him to tell where the heck he was going. Above him, several explosions rattled out, indicating that the battle probably wasn't going too well.

As he was walking, Ranma heard something rolling down the metal halls. Looking down, he spotted an egg-shaped robot. It had flipper-like arms and legs with a screen on the top half and a console underneath the screen. The screen was scrambled, indicating that the tiny robot was malfunctioning.

"Oh cool," Ranma grinned. The robot seemed to be in pretty good condition. Even if it looked like it was broken, he might find someone who could fix it. So, tucking it under his arm, he walked off with it. It might come in handy and no one would miss it in the middle of the war that was going on.

"B-blip…boop…be---eep," the malfunctioning robot gurgled.

Continuing on his way, the hallway suddenly rocked as a muffled explosion could be heard and almost lost his balance. Still, he managed to keep himself on his feet, "What was that?"

**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMM!!!**

"Woah!" Ranma cried out.

The ship rocked again. Ranma managed to keep his footing still, but the sound echoed through the air. Standing still for a moment, he waited for another quaking explosion to rip through the air. Nothing immediately hit so he continued on his way. Still, he was prepared to fight in case he met up with some hostile forces.

That peace didn't last long when he heard a scream coming from further down. Going into automatic, Ranma dashed in the direction of the sounds. It didn't go too long before he found out where it came from. What he found was a girl who had apparently tripped while getting out of a weird looking space suit. She was being pinned against the wall by men with guns in their hands.

"So this is a woman," one of the men sneered.

"Let's take her to the commander!" a second man laughed.

"Let's just show her what we think of her kind!" snapped the third while preparing to shoot.

That was enough for Ranma. Dropping the egg-bot, Ranma dashed towards the men and leaped through the air. Moving into a kick, he crashed against the first of the men, knocking all three back. Landing on the ground, Ranma looked to the girl he saved. She was definitely attractive and had a pink, white and black outfit with long red hair. She was rather…busty, but Ranma tried not to stare. Deciding to ignore the attractive girl, he turned to the three men.

Dita blinked in shock at her rescuer. She had just gotten onto the ship when her Dread malfunctioned and she plowed through the hull of the ship. When she got out, she tried removing her suit, but tripped over it. Of course with all the noise, the bad aliens they were robbing found her. She thought she was done for when this new alien showed up and rescued her.

"I don't appreciate guys who go after a girl with guns," said Ranma coldly, eyeing the three men.

"Who the hell are you defending a woman!?" one man shouted at Ranma. He was acting like Ranma had broken some kind sacred pact or something.

"Me?" Ranma strapped on the Decadriver, shocking Dita and the men. "I'm just a Kamen Rider who's passing by. Remember that!" He took out his Decade card. "Henshin!" He slotted it into the Decadriver and pushed the handles to reset the buckle.

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

The symbols of the 9 Riders appeared and several ghostly images of his Rider form appeared before overlapping his body. It formed a suit of armor which filled up with color as soon as the red panels collided with his faceplate, turning some of the sections red as his green eyes flashed.

Dita's eyes widened, "Wow! Alien Power!"

"So, how should we do this?" Decade asked. The men recovered before they clutched their weapons. With a united battle cry, they charged. "Heh, always the hard way." He took out a card and slotted it into his belt. "Henshin!" He pushed the handles to activate the card.

**Kamen Ride: Caucasus**

He transformed into Kamen Rider Caucasus and stunned the men, giving him a chance to fight. He was donned in a black bodysuit with a gold chest armor and a tri-horned shoulder pad. Of course, the belt remained the same as it did in his Decade form. His helmet was gold with three horns separating a green visor into two eyes. Looking at the charging men, he drew another card "Looks like we do this the hard way." He tossed the card into his belt and shut the item.

**Attack Ride: Clock Up**

Decade blurred through the air, vanishing. The three men suddenly jerked as they were hit by an invisible force. They collided with the wall with loud thuds before falling to the ground. All of them were out cold from the impacts and weren't getting up. Satisfied, the Decadriver opened and popped the Caucasus card back into Decade's hand. He slipped it into his book again.

FLASH!

"Huh?" Decade blinked as he turned to the girl he had saved. She had a camera in her hands and a bright smile on her face.

"Photographic evidence!" the girl squealed. She got to her feet and trotted over to Decade. She started making hand gestures, which a confused Decade copied, thinking it was a greeting for the people of this world. Of course, when it was finished, the girl started to squeal again. "I made first contact!"

Decade rolled his eyes and muttered, "I don't have time for this." He then walked away, seeing that the girl was safe.

"Wait, Mr. Alien!" she called to him.

"I'm not an alien! And the name's Decade!" he told her sharply. Sighing, he turned to see where he should go next. Of course, he had to pick up his egg-bot first.

"Wait!" the girl cried out. "I want to take more pictures!"

"Make that later!" Decade sighed. "I want to find a way out of here!"

* * *

Up on the bridge, a debate was taking place. The higher-ups on the ship were deciding on their next course of action. Of course, the minister who was in charge was already making preparations.

"Minister! You can't!" cried the commander. "We still have men in the old sections!"

"I won't let this ship fall in the hands of the women!" growled the minister as he grabbed a lever. "I will save the newer sections of the ship at least! I won't allow us to lose what we worked so hard to create!"

With that, the minister pulled the lever.

* * *

All across the ship, explosive charges went off. With the charges going off, the new sections of the ship separated from the visibly older sections. Of course, it did leave several men in shock. Their leaders were abandoning them to the female pirates. Among them, Duelo McFile was unconcerned. He knew that the brass of Tarak wasn't the most courageous people on the planet.

* * *

"Wait! Let's have a chat!" Dita cried as she followed her newly discovered alien friend. "We're really a friendly race!"

"Will you just leave me alone?" Decade sighed. Seeing the girl would not be deterred, he drew another card. As he was turning the corner, he threw the card into his belt and activated it.

**Kamen Ride: Ryuki**

"Wait! I wanna see more Alien Power!" Dita gasped as she rounded a corner. However, Decade was long gone. "Hey, where did he go?" She was confused. "I saw him walk in here."

If Dita had the ability to see into the Mirror World, she would've seen Decade in the reflection. Well, his bodysuit was red with gray armor and his helmet was gray with a grilled face and red eyes. On his left arm was a gauntlet shaped like a dragon's head. Decade let out a sigh of relief. He felt slightly guilty for leaving her but he'd already saved her. He didn't need to get involved any further than he had to. "Now, to find a way out of here," he said to himself.

Dita continued searching for her alien friend, trying to see where he went. Of course, she didn't look too far when she was suddenly interrupted. Both of them were a little older than her, but were drastically different. One was a sensual woman with long blonde hair and a ridiculously revealing outfit. The other had short blue hair and was wearing a piloting outfit with a bit of machinery near her left eye. They were Dita's fellow Dread pilots Jura (blonde) and Meia (bluenette)

"Dita! What are you doing hanging around here?" Meia asked sternly. "You know you're not supposed to go off on your own!"

"Sorry," Dita mumbled. "But…I met this alien! He was super cool! He had all these super Alien Powers and he beat up these bad aliens that had me cornered! He changed his body and everything! It was so cool!"

"Right," Jura sighed. Dita and her alien fixation. "Well, we need to get out of here now that we found you. I don't want to be on a man's ship longer than necessary!"

"Okay," Dita sighed before she looked back at the hall. "Bye Mr. Alien."

The three women passed through a room with a strange crystal in the centre, possibly powering the ship they were currently on. As they were using the room as a shortcut, they suddenly heard someone cry out. It was a man's voice so Meia and Jura didn't care as much as they could, but they started caring when they saw a straggler man being thrown across the hallway.

"What was that?" asked Jura.

"Trouble," Meia frowned as he brought up her hand which had her laser ring on it.

"WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE YOU JERKS BACK OFF!" a male voice roared as a second man met the fate of the first.

To the women's surprise, an armored figure stepped in front of the doorway. He was covered in red, black, and white armor which had green eyes on it. He was panting lightly, obviously from fights. Jura and Meia didn't know what to make of him, but Dita sure did.

"Mr. Alien!" she cried in delight.

"Huh?" Decade blinked as he turned to see the redhead he'd saved earlier. "Aw man. You again?"

"Now we can finish our chat!" she smiled as she raced to the armored male. "And you can show me more Alien Power!"

"Dita, get back here!" Meia cried. "That thing's dangerous!"

"No he's not! He's a really nice alien!" Dita said happily.

"Listen, okay, I'm not Mr. Alien. My name is Decade," explained Decade.

"Well, my name's Dita!" she beamed. "So, Mr. Alien, can you show me more of your Alien Power!"

"I don't have time for this!" He turned and then heard the women shout.

"Stop right there!"

He turned his head around to see the bluenette and blonde aiming at him with some sort of rings. "Now what?"

"Listen, whatever you are," the bluenette began. "You're coming with us!"

"And what if I refuse?" Decade remarked, his hand getting close to his Ride Booker.

"Then we will use force," the bluenette replied.

"What makes you think you'll be able to stop me?" he told them. Decade and Meia stared each other down, waiting for the other to move.

* * *

"Is the missile ready yet?" asked the Minister aboard the newer section of the ship he had managed to rescue.

"Sir, it's still fueling!" cried an officer.

"It has enough! FIRE!"

"Yessir!" the officer nodded, hitting the button which activated the men's weapon.

* * *

Meia and Decade stared each other down before the ship began to react. The crystal which was in the centre of the room began to glow brightly. It caught the attention of everyone there before the ship was rocked. At the same time, an explosion ripped through the air. The four people were rocked from their positions as the crystal began to glow brighter.

* * *

"Captain! We're being sucked in!" a female officer cried to the pirate captain Magno and her second-in-command Buzam.

"Hit or miss, it's our destiny," the old woman sighed as a second missile that the men shot came at them.

* * *

The men aboard the male ship shouted out in victory as they watched the old section of their ship and the pirate vessel get pulled into some kind of vacuum. The Minister smirked at the sight. Now they wouldn't have to worry about any more blasted women ruining their glorious plans.

"I hope you enjoy the taste of defeat," he smirked.

* * *

Decade felt like he was falling into a void of bright blue light. Not only that but his armor began shifting through the other Rider forms he had in his arsenal. It first started with Kuuga, then Agito, followed by Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Ranki, Caucasus, Den-O and finally Kiva.

'_What's…going on…?_' he wondered. It felt like someone was…watching him.

* * *

The two ships reappeared in space. But they didn't stay that way for long. A tether of crystal grew from the old ship and attached to the pirate vessel. When they were connected, the two vessels connected. Amazingly enough, they started fusing together, becoming a new ship. The insides of the ship likewise began to change with the combination of the two vessels.

* * *

"Ow…what…happened?" Jura moaned as she rubbed her head.

"Don't know," Meia groaned. "Dita?"

"Hi!" the energetic redhead smiled and waved. She was on her stomach and holding her head up in her hands. "Something went boom and everything went white! Alien Power is SO amazing!"

"Quiet please…still sleeping," Decade groaned. The attention of the three women turned to the Kamen Rider, who was lying on his back. He was groaning softly, but he didn't seem terribly wounded at the moment.

"Are you okay Mr. Alien?" Dita gasped, dashing to the downed figure.

"Don't…call me that," Decade groaned.

* * *

Once things began to reach order and officers were scrambling to find out the extent of the change, Magno, BC (Buzam), and the chief engineer Parfet entered the Paksis chamber room, which had been given a remodel after the crystal activated. Crystals were growing out of every space save for where people would walk and where the three Dread pilots were laying down.

"I'm sorry you had to come all the way down here Captain," Meia frowned, apologizing to the ancient woman.

"It doesn't matter," Magno waved off the apology. Her gaze then turned to the downed Decade who was still loopy from the explosion. Dita was fretting over him. "So is this it?"

"That's the…whatever, that Dita was chasing," Meia confirmed. Don't know what the heck it is, but it's tough. It took out several straggler men."

"And where are those men?" asked BC.

"Gone," Meia replied with a shake of her head. She didn't need to say anything more than that. Magno likewise got the message and turned her attention back to the strange being.

"Dita," Magno spoke, getting the attention of the pilot. "Do you know anything about this being?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Mr. Alien is so cool!" Dita smiled brightly. "I saw him beat up those mean aliens! He used his weird belt to change into a new body! It was so cool!"

"His belt?" asked BC. "Let me take a look."

Kneeling down next to the armored figure, Buzam grabbed the silver belt and gave it a tug. The item held fast, so she tried again. She put considerable strength into the motion and managed to make the belt come off with a loud snap. To the shock of everyone, the armored figure vanished in a pixelating haze before revealing itself to be a man in a red shirt and black pants. He had black hair and tied it into a pigtail.

"A man!" Parfet gasped. Jura and Meia had their rings pointed at the stunned boy.

"A weapon for the men then?" asked Buzam.

"I don't think so," Magno answered. A calculating look came over her eyes. "Dita, he attacked other men to protect you didn't he?"

"Yep! He's a good alien!" Dita smiled.

"So what does that mean?" asked Jura.

"He's not allied with the men," Magno answered. "Possibly some kind of rebel here to sabotage the ship. Or maybe he's not from Tarak and became a stowaway on their ship. I don't know how, but he's not with the men we know."

"So what do we do with him?" asked Meia.

"I suppose we can lock him up with the others," Magno answered. "Get that belt of his down for some analysis."

"I'll take these too!" Parfet called, holding up a case that fell to the boy's side. "Let's see what makes this stuff tick!"

* * *

Ranma groaned softly as he rested his hand on his head. The last thing he remembered was squaring off against some bluenette with an attitude and a blonde with too little clothing. He thought recalled that redhead looking over him in concern and calling him that name again. Of course, looking up, he found a tanned guy with long dark hair examining him.

"Ah, you're awake. Good," the man nodded. "It seems you took a bump to the head. It seems to be healing at an accelerated rate though."

"I've taken worse," Ranma sighed as he sat up. "Where am I?"

"You're in the brig of the Ikazuchi…or what used to be the Ikazuchi," the man answered. "Don't ask me what happened."

"I can tell you what did happen!" a younger boy with short blonde hair whined. "We were captured by those beastly women! We're all going to die! They're going to eat our livers!"

"…yeah," Ranma blinked. "Okay, so those chicks were the pirates right? Don't seem like cannibals to me. The redhead was nice."

"Nice? NICE?!" the boy cried. "Are you insane?! Don't you know anything about women?! Have you been living under a rock?!"

Ranma heaved a sigh and turned to the other man, "What's his problem? He have problems with women?"

"What man on Tarak doesn't?" the man shrugged. "We've been having a cold war with the women of Mejele for years. I've personally never really understood why. I'd love to study them."

"…you lost me," Ranma replied. "Mejele? Tarak? Where are those places?"

The two men with Ranma stared and the tanned guy asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What was your first clue?" Ranma retorted. "Anyway, my name's Ranma. Ranma Saotome."

"I'm Duelo McFile."

"Call me Bart Garsus, a First Class Citizen of Tarak," the blonde boasted.

"So, tell me about Tarak and Mejele," said Ranma. From his travels he learnt how to collect information from the locals of the alternate worlds he'd visited in the past. Duelo explained that Tarak was a planet dominated solely by men and Mejele was dominated solely by women. Because of certain reasons the two planets were at war. Ranma listened, flabbergasted by the tale. How could men and women be separated? And then something dawned on him. "So…how do you guys reproduce?"

"You mean on Tarak? Well, we use birthing machines by splicing the genetic material of two male donors," said Duelo.

"And on Mejele?"

"I don't know, but I'm curious about it too," admitted Duelo.

"OK, so what are we going to do now!?" Bart questioned, alarmed. "Those women are going to kill us!"

Ranma wasn't paying attention as he searched his person. He grimaced when he found that both his Decadriver and Ride Booker were missing. '_Those pirates must've taken it. I sure hope they don't mess with it or my cards._'

* * *

Parfet was dumbfounded by the belt buckle. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen. Also, the case that came along with it seemed to contain a number of data cards. They all depicted headshots of armored individuals. Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Ranki, Blade, Caucasus, Kiva, and Decade. She didn't have a clue what they were for but she had a pretty good idea that they activated the belt. The question was how did he do it?

"If only I could take it apart," she muttered to herself, eyeing the strange device. She was sorely tempted, but since it was technology she wasn't familiar with, she didn't want to accidentally break something. Still…the secrets it must hold.

However, the cards themselves weren't a total bust. She managed to modify a data reader to accept the cards rather than regular discs or memory cards. So, one by one she got data from the cards. She was rather surprised to find schematics for suits of armor, list of accessories, how the suits boosted the wearers, and even the lists of enemies that each suit was made to fight.

"Huh? Grongi?" Parfet blinked as she read the data from one card. "What's a Grongi? Weird."

"Chief! We found something!" one of Parfet's workers called out to her.

Adjusting her glasses, Parfet headed to where her girls were calling. Moving past some of the junky Vanguards that the men created, she stopped at one in the corner which had been ignored. No one had touched it yet, but now Parfet wondered why they did. The shape was slightly different from the others, making it appear more humanoid than the others. Really, if she didn't know better, she would have sworn that it might be a giant man in a suit.

"Looks familiar," Parfet muttered. "Why am I looking at this?"

"Because it's been flooded by Paksis crystals!" the tech-girl answered. "The base might be those male Vanguards, but this thing is way beyond them now."

"But why did this one change and none of the others?" asked Parfet. "Was it because of its proximity to the growing crystals?"

"Hey Parfet!" a messenger called, running into the hanger. "The captain wants a report about what's going on. She also wants to know about that stuff you picked up from the man."

"Right, right," Parfet nodded. "I'll be right there." Heading to where she was examining the belt and the cards, she scooped them all up and headed for the command deck.

* * *

"Paiway! Will you let us out of here already?!" Barnette, another Dread pilot asked with frustration as she and several other pilots and women were locked inside a decontamination chamber. "It's freezing!"

"Not until all the male germs are gone!" the teenage nurse, Paiway replied as she scribbled in her notebook. "Even in times of crisis, the teen idol Paiway doesn't loose her cool."

"PAIWAY!"

* * *

"So, what have you got?" Buzam asked Parfet, regarding the items retrieved from Ranma. They were in the command deck and aside from the captain and BC, Meia was there as captain of the Dread Squadron along with the computer jockeys like Ezra.

"Well, from what I can tell, that belt is something called the 'Decadriver'," Parfet began her explanation, "And it can be activated using those data cards I found kept within that case."

"Go on," Buzam prompted.

"Well, I didn't take apart the Decadriver, but I did manage to extract some information from those cards," said Parfet.

"And?" asked BC impatiently.

"Well…it's an all terrain battle armor is what I think would be the best term," Parfet shrugged. "You have a situation, you can change it to one of these other suits of armor. Each suit also comes with personalized cards called Attack Ride, Final Form Ride, or Final Attack Ride, but what they are depends on the suit."

"Can we use it?" asked Meia, wondering what the perks of such a suit would bring.

"Pretty sure," Parfet nodded. "I mean, I think I've got the operation of it worked out. If you pull the sides the centre turns up to reveal where the cards go in. Close it up and you activate it."

"Can anyone use it?" asked Magno.

"Uh…that, I'm not so sure about," Parfet chuckled weakly. "I was thinking of testing it first."

"Then why not do it now?" asked Meia. Reaching to the Decadriver, she placed in on her waist, slightly surprised to feel a strap wrap around her. Pulling the sides, the machine twisted up. She then picked up a card with the red and black armor with green eyes she saw.

"Uh…sure you want to do that?" Parfet asked with worry.

"Hey, if it works, we've got a new weapon," Meia shrugged. Slipping the card inside, she reset the device.

**Kamen Ride: Decade…ERROR!!**

There was a flash and Meia was hurled to the ground. The Decadriver fell to the ground and spat out the Decade card. BC was at Meia's side, helping the dazed bluenette up, who was just groaning. Parfet leaned over and plucked the dropped items off the ground.

"Well, that answers that question," Parfet shrugged. "It must be keyed to that man's DNA."

"Obviously," Magno snorted. She then looked to her Dread commander. "Did we learn something today?"

"Yes," Meia groaned. "Don't mess with man's technology…damn him."

* * *

"Achoo!" Ranma sneezed suddenly.

"Bless you," Duelo nodded.

"Thanks," Ranma grinned. "Someone must be talking about me."

As Duelo and Ranma talked with Bart ready to crap himself every time the guards looked inside, the men were surprised to see the egg-bot suddenly activate. A pair of eyes appeared on the screen while it made beeping noises. Its arms and legs came to full function as it stood up and looked around. It seemed to be in a world of confusion after just waking up.

"Where am I? Who am I? Pyoro!" the machine beeped.

"Hey, cool!" Ranma grinned. "I guess it wasn't broken after all."

"Beep?" the robot blinked in confusion. "Who are you? Pyoro!"

* * *

"I think we should give it back to Mr. Alien," Dita suggested as she referred to the Decadriver. "It's his belt."

"No way!" Meia objected. "Who knows what that man will do if he gets his hands on it!" She was still sore that such a weapon was unusable and her rear was just as sore.

"But he hasn't hurt us! He saved me!" Dita argued. How could an alien as nice as Mr. Alien want to use his power to hurt them?

"The answer is still no Dita!" Meia frowned. "It's too dangerous! Besides, he's a man! I bet he'd love a chance to get back at us!"

"Then why'd he save me and attack those other men?" asked Dita innocently.

Meia stiffened for a moment. Why did a man turn on his own people and protect a woman anyway? If he was going to butter them up, he was better off trying to pretend to be a woman. Since he wasn't trying that, then what was his purpose for saving Dita and fighting the other men? Surely he couldn't have done it from the goodness of his heart, could he?

"We'll find out," the Dread leader shrugged. "The captain is going to interrogate them right now."

* * *

As the two women were talking, Bart, Duelo, and Ranma were shuffled into an interrogation room. Ranma was carrying the struggling robot under his arm, which was making something of a scene since it wanted to see what was going on. Of course, Ranma tried to stay away from Bart since he really looked like he was about to lose control of his bowels. No one wanted to smell that. All three were put in chairs and soon the captain of the pirates, an old lady Ranma was sure could give Cologne competition in sheer age, walked into the room.

"So these are the only men left on the ship? They're nothing but kids," the old woman snorted.

"Hey! It's interrogation time! I'll tell you everything!" the egg robot called, slipping out of Ranma's grip and racing over to the old woman.

"Backstabbing little…" Ranma grumbled, eyeing the traitorous machine.

"Well, well," the old woman smiled fondly. "An old NAVI unit that still works. How nostalgic."

"What do you mean?" asked Duelo.

"Oh, I suppose I'll have to tell you," the old woman snorted. "This ship was one of a fleet sent from Earth to colonize other worlds. However, your cowardly grandfathers stole this one and ran into the night."

"And you women took what was left and landed on Mejele," Ranma finished. "Kind of a stupid move if you ask me. I mean, how long can men and women survive without each other?"

"No one asked you Tarak filth!" snapped one of the guards, insulted that someone would speak ill of Grand Ma.

"You would be wrong about that," Ranma grinned. "I'm not from Tarak. I just hitched a couple of rides and ended up on this ship when you chicks decided to attack." That was his cover story. If he told them about the Nanban Mirror they would label him as insane. Of course, Ranma still retained a habit of being too blunt and frank about his opinion. Still, he needed to adapt to this universe's ways if he was going to survive and find a way home. "So, how are the redhead and her friends doing?"

"If you are referring to Dita, Jura and Meia, they are fine," Magno said. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Magno Vivan, the captain of this crew."

"Ranma Saotome," said Ranma. "So, mind telling me where my gear is?"

"Under observation," Magno replied. "You won't be getting it back at the moment. I wish for the safety of my crew. I can't be sure if you're a threat or not. Especially after what Dita told us what she saw you do."

"It comes with the job," Ranma shrugged. "Saved my hide a couple of times."

"And what job requires an all purpose battle suit I wonder," Magno snickered.

"Kamen Riders tend to fight a lot of things," Ranma answered. "I'm an interplanetary adventurer. I need to be able to adapt."

"Kamen Rider?" wondered Duelo.

"Elite fighters, heroes in other words," Ranma answered. "They saved their worlds from a threat that the regular folks couldn't handle. Saved lives beyond counting. My suit allows me to access their abilities depending on the situation."

"So that's why you saved Dita," Magno pondered. "To you, male or female doesn't matter. Dita was in peril and you leaped in to help."

"And those guys were being a bunch of jerks so I felt good about it," Ranma snickered.

"Interesting," Magno nodded. This was proving to be informative.

Her thoughts were cut off when alarms began to blare. In everyone's experience, blaring alarms were never a good sign.

"_Captain! We're under attack by an unknown enemy!_" Parfet's voice cried out through an intercom. "_They just came out of nowhere!_"

"Damn," Magno cursed. Hitting the device, she switched to someone else. "Barnette? Where are you and the others?"

"_Paiway locked us in the decontamination chambers and she's not here to let us out!_" the Dread pilot cried through the intercom inside the chamber. "_We're trapped!_"

"Captain!" called the voice of the Head of the Registry Gascogne. "_The Dread platforms are all offline! We can't launch anything._"

"Double damn," Magno cursed. "Meia, please tell me some good news."

"_Dita, Jura, and I are heading to our own Dreads,_" the Dread commander answered. "_We should be launching in no time!_"

"Thank you for small mercies," Magno sighed.

"Hey, need some help?" Ranma offered with a smug grin. "I bet I can help you out."

"Can we trust you?"

"I offer my word as a Kamen Rider," said Ranma with pure conviction. Magno sensed no deceit in his words. At this moment, all the help in the world would be appreciated. "What about the other two? Any special skills?"

"I'm a doctor," Duelo answered. "I can handle those that are wounded."

"Good," Magno nodded. "What about you boy?"

"Uh…I'm…a…a helmsman!" Bart quickly answered. "Yeah! I can steer this thing!"

"Warning! Danger! This guy is trying to pull something!" the robot chimed, but Ranma kicked the robot over. If the kid was trying to help, let him.

"If I'm going to help, I need to get my equipment back," Ranma spoke as he stood up. "Otherwise my help is limited to what regular people are able to do."

"I'll lead you to the stuff," Magno nodded. "Just keep up boy."

"Hope it won't be too much for your old bones," Ranma snickered.

"Cheeky brat," Magno snorted. She looked at Duelo and Bart. "Tanned guy, you head to the medical bay. You'll probably get patients soon enough. Blonde kid, you follow me. After I get this guy's stuff back, you'll come with me to the helm."

The three men nodded. Bart and Ranma quickly followed Magno out of the room with the machine following hem. Duelo was escorted by the guards to the sickbay. Despite being over one hundred, Magno was fast on her feet. It didn't take too long for them to reach the Vanguard hanger where Parfet had set up her equipment to study the Decadriver and the changes the Paksis had done to the male weaponry.

"Here," Magno spoke, reaching the table and picking up the belt and case. She tossed them to Ranma, who caught them in his hands. "You better know what you're doing."

"Always do," Ranma smirked as he attached the Decadriver to his waist, the strap wrapping around him. Pulling the sides, the centre twisted, revealing the open slot. Ranma then drew the Decade card. He then tossed it into the buckle. "Henshin!" He snapped the Decadriver sides together again.

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

Nine symbols appeared around him before changing into nine ghostly figures. The figures converged on Ranma, changing him into Decade. Red panels flew from his belt and attached to his face, turning sections of his armor red.

"WOAH!!" Bart cried out in shock.

* * *

As Decade finished his change, something began to happen at the other end of the hanger. A modified Vanguard seemed to come to life as its eyes flashed a bright green. The machinery that made its body hissed as it moved and flexed. It was minimal, but more than enough for Parfet to notice.

"Huh?" the bespectacled girl uttered.

* * *

"So, what do you want me to do?" Decade asked the captain.

"Back up my subordinates who are fighting outside," said Magno.

"Out there? In space?" Decade asked with some apprehension in his voice.

"Scared, boy?" Magno teased.

"No, but I don't think my suit was made for outer space," said Decade. He'd never had to fight in outer space before.

"Captain!" a girl with braids and thick glasses cried out, dashing over to her captain, stopping only to stare at Decade.

"What is it Parfet?" asked Magno.

"That Vanguard that got modified, it suddenly activated!" Parfet reported. She then looked over at Decade with a critical eye. "Say did you just get into that armor just now?"

"Uh…yeah," Decade nodded.

"Come with me!" Parfet cried, grabbing Decade's hand and pulling him deeper into the hanger.

"That's one boy dealt with," Magno sighed. She then turned to Bart, who fidgeted under her stare. "Follow me. You'd better get on the helm or else we're sitting ducks."

* * *

Decade was yanked to the new machine by the excited engineer. Looking up, he could have sworn that it bore a slight resemblance to his Decade armor. Still, the only things missing were the panels on the face and the color. The machine's eyes were glowing and the machinery within was hissing as the small movements were made. Apparently this thing wanted to move, but didn't have the power to do so.

"What did you want me to do?" asked Decade.

"Get inside of it!" Parfet replied simply, pointing to a hatch near the head.

Shrugging, Decade leaped up the side of the giant robot and reached the head. He ignored some of the stares that he was receiving from accomplishing such a feat. Reaching the hatch that Parfet had pointed out, Decade was slightly surprised to find the opening activate on its own. Shrugging, he slipped inside.

Inside the machine held screens which showed what was happening all around him with a chair for a seat. Decade didn't wait before he sat down. As he did, a pair of joysticks rose up from the machinery and fit perfectly onto Decade's hands.

"I can get used to this," Decade nodded.

* * *

"Hey, one of the launchers for these Vanguards is online!" Parfet cried, checking the computers. She couldn't understand Tarak writing too well, but she got a few things. "Okay, let's launch this machine!"

As Parfet prepared the launch sequence, the eyes of the Vanguard flashed as red panels surged from its waist and hovered in the air. In a flurry of movement, the panels were absorbed into the mecha's face as sections of its armor turned red. The engineering girl didn't seem to notice as she got the launch sequence started up.

Decade was pushed backwards in his seat as the Vanguard was launched right out of the hanger. While Decade had a lot of experience fighting with various weapons, a huge mecha like this was new even to him. Still, he was confident he'd be able to handle whatever was outside with his new 'partner'.

"OK, let's see what this baby can do," Decade said to himself eagerly as he rubbed his hands together. "Where's the enemy?"

He didn't have to wait long.

* * *

Dita, Jura, and Meia were in over their heads and they knew it. Although their Dreads hade been altered by the Paksis, the three pilots were able to get decent control over their machines rather quickly. However, the enemy they were facing was anything but patient. The ship and the Dreads were being overrun by octopus-like ships and the seed-like mother ship was launching Cube Fighters through an open front that seemed to be never ending. For every one that they would shoot down, another five would take its place.

"We're really a peaceful race!" Dita cried, dodging another volley of shots.

"Dita! These are the enemy!" Jura snapped as she fired at several Cube Fighters. She was somewhat surprised to see that Dita's flying skills had somehow improved inside her new machine.

"The controls were upgraded," Meia observed as she pushed her machine to destroy as many of the enemy craft as she could. "But who are these people and why are they attacking us?"

"Well," Jura grunted as she dodged a shot. "They certainly aren't men!"

"No kidding! These are really BAD aliens!" Dita cried out.

**Attack Ride: Blast**

Dita turned just as several crimson bullets ripped through the air and destroyed several of the Cube Fighters and a couple of the Octo-Fighters. Meia was slightly stunned at the sudden assist. Jura just blinked in confusion. All three female pilots looked to the source of the shots which seemed to be helping them in a time of need.

A modified Vanguard came flying towards the battle. It was holding an oddly shaped rifle which was probably used to save the group. The machine was mainly red, white, and black with bright green eyes. It even had several panels on the face making it look like…

"MR. ALIEN!!" Dita cried out happily.

"My name is DECADE!!" the Kamen Rider inside the mecha cried out. He punctuated this by pointing his weapon and shooting several more Cube Fighters down.

"_I see our reinforcements got to you,_" Magno's voice echoed in the three Dreads pilots.

"HE'S our reinforcements?!" Meia cried out in shock. "You have to be kidding!"

"Where did he get such an elegant machine?" asked Jura absently.

"Wow!" Dita smiled.

Decade just watched the approaching fighters with a critical eye. As he was flying towards the fight, his machine gave him a data readout stating that his suit was connected to his mecha through the piloting seat. If he used his cards, they would affect the machine like they did him. Of course, that was proven true when he used his Attack Ride, which allowed his gun attachment to fire rapidly without a need to reload. Still, he would need more.

"Let's give this one a shot," Decade muttered as he opened his belt and slipped another card inside.

**Attack Ride: Illusion**

To the shock of the three Dread pilots, The Vanguard Decade suddenly split into three machines, all identical with an identical gun. The three Vanguard Decades pointed their weapons and fired. More Cube Fighters and Octo-Ships were blown to pieces from the sudden attack.

"So…elegant!" Jura gasped.

"YAY MR. ALIEN!!" Dita cheered wildly.

"…big deal," Meia muttered.

The six machines all flew forward and began blowing up more of the Cube Fighters and the remaining Octo-ships. Blowing away one last Cube Fighter, Decade saw that the mother ship was opening its large front so to release more Cube Fighters.

"Oh no you don't!" Decade roared as he drew another card. However, drawing it dismissed his clones, but that was a fair price to pay. This new card was gold with his symbol on it. Sliding it into the Decadriver, he activated the card.

**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade**

Large golden projections of the card appeared in front of Vanguard Decade. Rockets in its legs and feet activated, launching the mecha up with the projections following it. Vanguard Decade cut the rockets when it was high enough and repositioned itself for a kicking motion. When he was in position, rockets on the back fired up and launched the machine through the projections making gold bar code rings appear around it as it flew through them. Just as the seed ship had finished opening its mouth to launch another bunch of cube fighters, Vanguard Decade flew through the final projection and smashed into the ship, foot first.

To the shock of the Dread pilots, Vanguard Decade smashed right through the machine. It tore through the top before coming back out at the bottom. The ship shuddered for a moment before explosions rippled through the body of it. Finally in one huge explosion, the machine came apart in a rain of heat and debris.

"MR. ALIEN! YOU DID IT!!!" cheered Dita.

Decade sighed. He just gave up trying to remind this girl his name wasn't Mr. Alien. It would just be a waste of time to convince her otherwise.

* * *

A/N: Paladin and I wrote this short series while brainstorming. I give him half the story credit coz he deserves it. End of story.


	86. Decadread 2

Returning to the hanger, the Vanguard Decade came to a rest and powered down. The panels vanished into the machine. The colors likewise faded when Decade emerged from the cockpit. Walking along the machine's shoulder, he leaped back down to the metal floor. Dusting himself off, he was surprised to see several guards with their laser-rings pointed at him.

"I've had colder welcomes," Decade muttered. He looked around and spotted Magno walking towards them. Bart was being dragged along. The blonde was whimpering in fear, unsurprisingly. "I take it I'm still considered hostile?"

"Good guess," Magno nodded. She pointed to the Decadriver. "Remove it and hand it over. If you can prove trustworthy, we'll give it back."

"Sure," Decade sighed as he removed the belt. Images of his armor flashed off of him before he returned to Ranma. Holding the Decadriver and the Ride Booker, Ranma handed both items over to the aged captain. "Don't break it."

"I promise," Magno nodded, gesturing for the guards to lower their weapons. "Take them back to their cell. No force is necessary."

Bart and Ranma were surrounded by the female guards and escorted from the hanger. As they were leaving, Dita, Jura, and Meia entered the Vanguard hanger. They only got a glimpse of Bart and Ranma being escorted out before a door shut.

"Wait! Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she dashed to catch up with them, but Magno stopped her.

"Relax," Magno sighed. "As long as they behave, I might let them out again."

Dita pouted. She was looking forward to thanking Mr. Alien for saving them. Of course, Jura and Meia were entertaining their own thoughts about the male presence. Jura was wondering about his elegant machine while Meia wanted to give the male a piece of her mind for interrupting her battle.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Prepare for decontamination!" a shorter girl with ponytails in a nurse outfit called.

After getting back to their cell, Bart and Ranma didn't have to wait long before Duelo was returned. He had patched up several wounded officers from the explosions when the enemy shot at the ship. Bart had somehow convinced the ladies that he could pilot the combined ship. Really, the ship absorbed him and he piloted it with his own body. After Duelo's return, all three men were pulled from their cell and brought to a decontamination chamber.

"Why are we here again?" Ranma shivered. He, Bart, and Duelo had been stripped to their shorts and stuck inside the cold metal chamber.

"We have to eradicate male germs," the nurse, Paiway if he heard right, answered. "Now sit back and just deal with it."

"Whatever," Ranma sighed. Male germs? What were these people? Ten? While it made sense since men and women came from different planets, they were acting like men had some kind of disease on them. It was just as bad as little kids and cooties.

The doors slid close and Ranma let out a shout as cold water squirted out of the jets. "Oh…SHIT!!!"

Paiway blinked. Had she heard a female yell?

"AHHHHHHHH!!!" Bart screamed, dashing up to the viewing window. "YOU MONSTERS! YOU'RE TURNING US INTO YOU!!! LEMME OUT! LEMME OUT! LEMME OUT!"

BONK!

Bart fell back from a punch to the head. Behind him was a girl with bright red hair tied in a pigtail. She was also…gifted, in the chest department and was wearing a pair of boxer shorts.

"Calm down," Ranma-chan sighed. "I've been doing this for over a year." On the other side of the room, Duelo was staring at the new Ranma with wide eyes. Ranma-chan turned to see the staring doctor. "What are you looking at?"

"You…seem to have some growths on your chest," Duelo managed to get out.

"No shit," Ranma-chan growled. Ignoring the doctor since he probably didn't have a clue about women anyway, she turned back to the viewing window to see a camera staring back at her.

"Pai-chack!" the young nurse spoke as she snapped a photo. Getting away from the window, she found her communicator. "Captain…uhhh, you might want to some down here and see this. Bring witnesses!"

"_What is it Paiway?_" asked the voice of Magno.

"Um…one of our male guests just turned into a woman," Paiway answered.

"_WHAT?!_"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After getting dressed, Ranma-chan was now the centre of attention. Dita was looking her up and down with an odd shine in her eyes as Jura just gawked and compared the size of her assets to Ranma-chan. Meia just stared suspiciously. Most of the crew was confused. Magno was, of course, curious.

Barnette voiced out, "It's a male trick!"

Jura, feeling bold, reached out and poked Ranma-chan's breasts. The pigtailed girl yelled, "Hey, quit it!"

"Feels real to me," said Jura.

"Wow, is this another one of your Alien Powers, Mr. Alien?" Dita asked curiously.

"Tell us how you got like this," said Magno.

Ranma-chan knew this was inevitable. Sooner or later cold water would find her. So, she thought up a cover story. They wouldn't believe in curses, but she knew something they might believe.

"OK, I told you that I travel around, right? Well, on one of my travels I ended up on a planet where women were dying out. So, the men, believe it or not, tried to make a formula that turned them into women in order to repopulate the female population. Of course…I stumbled into the lab and thought the formula was something to drink and well…the rest is history," Ranma-chan explained. He just hoped they bought the story. The silence wasn't helping her nerves.

"Interesting," Duelo pondered, back in his own clothes. "Do you have any more samples of it?"

"No," Ranma-chan frowned. She didn't need people asking those kinds of questions.

"Proves to me that men are dumb," Meia snickered.

"Why would men and women live together though?" asked Parfet as she adjusted her glasses. This would make for some interesting research.

"Just because men and women on your worlds can't get along doesn't mean they can't on other worlds," Ranma-chan replied. "They don't have that fake reproduction thing that your people do so they do it the natural way."

"Natural?" asked Jura. Most of the men and women in the room seemed confused by the choice of words. Although, Magno seemed to have a smirk on her face at the idea.

"So why did you change now?" the aging captain asked.

"The batch I got was experimental," Ranma-chan explained. "For some reason, when I get hit with water, my gender changes with the temperature. If I get hit with cold water, I turn into a girl. If I get hit with warm water, I turn into a guy. It's really as simple as that."

"Interesting," Paiway commented as she scribbled notes.

"So…can I get some hot water now?" Ranma-chan asked.

"Why not just stay that way?" asked Jura. "I mean, you're not too bad on the eyes anyway. Might get you some leeway around here too."

"Yeah!" Dita squealed. "We look like sisters now Mr…I mean, Ms. Alien! We can share clothes!"

"No thanks!" Ranma-chan snorted. "If you all turned into men, wouldn't you want to stay in your birth gender as much as possible?"

A collective shiver ran down the spines of most of the females in the room. Just the thought of turning into a despised man made most of them feel queasy. Of course, Magno took it in stride and Dita wondered what it might be like out of innocent curiosity. Some of the women such as Meia and Barnette seemed a little green at the thought.

"I see your point," Paiway shivered. "Okay, I'll get you some hot water. Besides, I want to see how the transformation happens myself!"

Paiway quickly ran to one of the nearby taps and filled a cup with hot water. Bringing it back, she handed it to Ranma-chan. The busty redhead sighed before she splashed herself with the water. The familiar shift in body weight and the centre of balance said it all as the change took place.

The collected group watched it happen with surprise. If they had blinked, they would have missed it. One second Ranma was a busty redhead, and now Ranma was a broad-shouldered man. It took a moment for everyone to come to terms with the change.

"Wow! Such amazing Alien Power!" Dita gasped in delight. Her new friend had so many amazing things about him!

"Hmmm. I don't know," Jura pondered as she eyed the male Ranma and recalled the image she had seen of Ranma-chan. Turning to the sink, she filled another cup and splashed Ranma again, turning him into a her again. "You seem so much better in this form."

"Hey!" Ranma-chan sputtered.

Magno chuckled as a few other girls giggled at the sight. Duelo eyed the transformation critically, trying to see how the change worked. Of course, Bart was still out cold from Ranma-chan's punch to the back of his head. "So, is this change a complete one?" the old captain asked.

"Yup. When I change into a girl, I change completely, in and out. Of course I still have the same mind. I don't think I can handle being a girly-girl…um…no offence," said Ranma-chan.

"Fascinating, maybe I could do some medical examinations and…" Duelo began.

"Hey, I'm nobody's lab rat!" Ranma-chan snapped angrily.

"Still, this just makes it difficult on how you would be treated," said Magno. "You're a male who turns female. I don't know if the entire crew will be comfortable with that."

"Imagine how I feel," Ranma-chan muttered.

"Still, this may help with your interaction with some of the women," said Magno, "Since you will be working with them in battle."

"What!?" Meia snapped. "I'm not working with a man!"

"Um, get some glasses, I'm a girl now," Ranma-chan pointed to herself.

"Well…that…um…" Meia sputtered, trying to find a response.

"She did pilot the Vanguard," said Buzam. "And knows how to fight…frankly we need all the help we can get anyway. Still, he…she, is still technically a man. Well, she was…Oh I don't know!"

"Let me be frank with you boys," Magno spoke, meaning Ranma and Duelo. "We are in completely foreign space with an enemy we know nothing about that attacked us and may come back for a second try. You three have skills that we need to survive." She turned to look at Ranma. "You have obvious extreme combat capabilities," she looked to Duelo. "You're a fully trained and qualified doctor," she then glanced at the K. Bart. "And he seems to be able to steer this ship."

"But…Paiway's good with medicine and we have plenty of Dread pilots," Meia argued.

"And how hard can it be to drive this thing?" added Barnette.

"No offence to our nurse, but she's still an apprentice," Magno replied. Paiway's shoulders slumped, but she knew it was true. "And Ranma is able to access a weapon none of us has seen before. Bart…well, the ship seems to react to him more than anyone else. Now's not the time to experiment. We have to get a complete list on what happened to the ship."

"Well…okay then," Ranma-chan shrugged. "Does this mean that we can get out of the brig? I'm kind of hungry."

"I think that can be arranged," Magno nodded.

"Yay!" Dita cheered as she hugged Ranma-chan around the neck. "Now we can hang out together Ms. Alien!"

"Joy…" Ranma-chan sighed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After getting Bart back to consciousness and calming him down, he, Duelo, and Ranma were allowed to travel on the ship. Of course, it didn't stop some of the crew from throwing them dirty looks. However, it seemed that news about Ranma had spread since some of the crew who were holding drinks were glancing at him and back to the liquid they were carrying.

"Don't even think about it," Ranma muttered to a girl who seemed to really be considering testing the rumor.

"You can't blame them for being curious," Duelo spoke. "I hardly think that they even considered the possibility of a man turning into a woman."

"You're sure it's not contagious?" asked Bart fearfully.

"For the last time, I am sure! One hundred percent!" Ranma snapped.

"Ok! Ok!" Bart gulped. This guy could be as scary as a woman!

The boys quickly entered the cafeteria where the food was served. Of course, Bart and Duelo were surprised to find actual food besides the nutrition pills that the men of Tarak had to eat. Ranma just thought it was odd that all the food had tags reading how many calories were in it. Of course, it might have helped with why all the girls on the ship were in such great shape. Of course, that just got Ranma thinking about how provocatively dressed some of them were. Tossing that thought away, Ranma grabbed a tray and began filling it.

"Doesn't he know how many calories all that adds up to?" one of the crew members whispered as she saw the food Ranma had piled up

"Can you eat that much?" asked Bart as he stared at his own tray of 'weird' food.

"It seems medically impossible to me," Duelo commented.

"Just the usual for me," Ranma replied. He found an empty spot and took a seat. Duelo and Bart likewise sat at the same table. Of course, the females in the room were stealing glances at them. Of course, they weren't looking in the way that Ranma had to deal with from regular girls back home so he could ignore it.

"Is this really edible?" Bart asked dubiously. "Is it poisoned?"

"It's just food," said Ranma. "What do men on Tarak eat?"

"Food pills," said Bart as he fished out a box and placed it on the table before opening it up. "Here. My family's company makes them."

"That's it?" Ranma blinked. "That doesn't look filling."

"Well, we didn't have much of a choice considering that Tarak has little resources. These food pills allow us not to starve to death," said Duelo.

Ranma took one of the pills and popped it in his mouth. He gagged but forced himself to swallow. He did take a drink of water and exclaimed, "That was gross!"

"The taste may not be desirable, but when you need to eat to live, you can't afford to be picky," said Duelo.

"I don't know about you guys, but I prefer good old-fashioned cooking," said Ranma. "No offense, Bart, but I'll only take those pills if my life REALLY depended on it."

"MR. ALIEN!"

Glomp.

"Dita!!!" Ranma shouted as the girl suddenly hugged him from behind. His age-old reaction when girls latched onto him mixed with the feeling of Dita pressing herself against him with her hug. "I'm trying to eat here!"

"Really? Can I sit with you?"

"You really don't understand the concept of personal space, do you?" She was still hugging onto him. Dita apparently didn't hear the comment since she kept hugging him. "Ugh, fine, you can sit down."

"Yay!" Dita cheered as she plopped next to Ranma, just seemingly content with watching him. Bart shuddered at her proximity while Duelo seemed indifferent. Of course, Ranma was a little tense. His record with women wasn't good. "So Mr. Alien, have you been to lots of other planets?"

"Sure. You can say that," Ranma nodded. Of course, he had gone to other versions of his world where his counterparts were various other Kamen Riders.

"Did you meet other aliens?" Dita asked excitedly.

"I've met my share of strange people," Ranma nodded, recalling the battles against the enemies he had seen. Grongi, Lords, Imagin, Fangires, and all sorts of monsters. "Some were nice and others were bad."

"Can you tell me about them?" Dita asked hopefully. Sparkles were in her eyes.

"Well…I guess I could tell you about a few," Ranma shrugged. It might help everyone relax if they saw a man being nice to a woman anyway. "I guess I can start with the Grongi. Now those guys were mean aliens."

"Ooooh!" Dita gasped.

"That's when I met another Rider named Kuuga…"

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While Ranma was telling Dita about his past adventures, Parfet was doing a more in-depth study of Ranma's equipment, namely the Decadriver, Ride Booker and Ride cards.

"Man, this guy's seen some action," Parfet muttered as she read down the data she was receiving from one of the Rider cards. She started with Kuuga since it was the one in the beginning.

Examining the data, she managed to get a little deeper. What she got was some data on Kuuga's abilities and the data on a strange sort of being called Grongi. She had even got some data pictures of some Grongi.

"Ew," she grimaced as she saw a picture of a Hornet Grongi. "He fought monsters like this before? Or was it this Kuuga guy?"

Still, this was proving to be an interesting data dive. She was learning about Kuuga's abilities and how they worked. It was nothing as in-depth as what powered them or where they came from, but enough to know about them. Of course, that just got her desire to learn more going.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So those Grongi guys were trying to turn all the Linto on the planet into them?" asked Bart with wide eyes. "And only you and Kuuga could stop them?"

"Amazing!" Dita squealed.

"And these Grongi had a chemical agent which allowed them to do that?" Duelo asked with surprise.

"It was all part of a ritual where they needed to kill five female Linto who could be considered warriors. But they couldn't spill a drop of blood to do it," Ranma explained. "Me and Kuuga tried, but they managed to wake the Grongi who made that gas. We were getting our butts kicked before me and Kuuga got our acts together and managed to destroy him."

"Wow," Bart gaped.

Ranma had to change a few facts about the trip to Kuuga's world. Instead of calling the humans their name, he called them Linto. It was what humanity was called in ancient times when the Grongi were first at large. It was helpful in getting the story ready for these people.

"Wow! You're a hero Mr. Alien!" Dita squealed.

"No more than Kuuga or the other Riders," Ranma shrugged.

"Tell me more!" Dita insisted.

"OK…let's see…"

"Dita, what are you doing?" questioned Meia. "You shouldn't sit too close to men!"

Now, Meia definitely had a problem with the men being around. Then again, once Ranma learnt about the history of Tarak and Mejele, he could pretty much understand why she was still treating him like the enemy. Being raised to hate men was definitely one of the reasons.

"Looks, if it makes you happy, why don't I do this?" Ranma picked up his glass and splashed himself, invoking the change once more. "Problem solved."

"Uh…still," Meia frowned. That change aspect was going to take some getting used to. She still thought it was weird. "I don't want Dita hanging out with men."

"Whatever," Ranma-chan sighed. "So did you need something?"

"Yes actually," Meia huffed. "The captain wants to talk to the helmsman."

"Oh, sure!" Bart grinned. "I guess it's because I'm so important!"

"Don't get cocky male," Meia frowned. "Despite where you are, you three are still prisoners. One wrong move and I'll see to it that you're all thrown back into the brig in a heartbeat!"

"Duly noted," Duelo nodded as he sipped some tea.

"So you taking Bart or do you want to sit down with us?" Ranma-chan asked.

"As if I'd sit with men," Meia sniffed as she grabbed Bart by the arm and began to drag him away. Of course, the blonde whined about how painful her grip was.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I brought him," Meia spoke as she brought Bart into the command floor where Magnp, Buzom, and the various techies were working.

"Good," Magno nodded. Moving to the well where Bart had been pulled in by the ship previously, she gestured to the new attachment to the ship. "Now, what I want from you is how you piloted this ship last time."

"Well, I guess I don't have a choice," Bart shrugged helplessly. "Okay, listen up! Since this is a man's ship, only a man can pilot it. I guess this makes me indispensable to you –ERK!"

While Bart was busy trying to make himself sound important to the women who were his captors, the well reacted. The gel inside reached out and yanked him inside, surrounding him with the hologram of the ship again.

As soon as he was in, the ship seemed to come to life as the accelerator and the engines came to life. The sudden increase in speed knocked a few people off of their feet. Barnette and Jura, who were in an elevator, were knocked clear off their feet. The bridge crew quickly got to work trying to get the ship to stop.

"What did you do in there?!" Magno demanded of Bart. The man in question appeared on a screen looking panicked, "_I didn't do anything!_"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bart tried to get control in the navigation well, but there was nothing he could do. However he could see where the ship was heading. It was heading straight for a nebula. Passing into the nebula itself wasn't fun since ice chunks were pounding off the hull, which channeled into pain for him.

"Ow!" he cried. "Can someone raise the shields please?!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As she was trying to get the systems back online, Ezra was feeling weak. She was panting slightly and sweating. She was trying to keep her breathing under control. However, it wasn't too long before her fellow computer techs overheard her. Their concern was very valid when she suddenly passed out.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cafeteria began to shake and Dita fell off his seat. However, before she hit the ground, she felt Ranma-chan's hand on his wrist and pulling her up.

"Are you okay?" Ranma-chan asked and the girl nodded. "Damn it, what's going on out there?"

"Maybe you should go check?" Duelo suggested.

"Good idea," Ranma-chan sighed.

However, before Ranma-chan could move, someone from the bridge came bursting into the cafeteria, looking panicked. Finding Duelo, she raced over to him and grabbed his arm.

"Come one! We need you in sickbay!" the woman cried out. "Ezra passed out and we need you there. You're a doctor right?"

"I'm on the way," Duelo nodded, actually dashing out of the cafeteria, leaving the woman behind. He had already memorized where the sickbay was and also knew several ways to get there already. The woman who came to find him struggled to keep up as she tried to keep an eye on the male doctor.

"Crud," Ranma-chan groaned. "What else can go wrong?"

That was when the alarms began to blare. Enemies were approaching again. No doubt it was the ghost-like enemies which had assaulted the ship before. Ranma-chan groaned and palmed her face, "Me and my big mouth."

"Let's go Ms. Alien!" Dita cried, tugging Ranma-chan to the door. "We have to get to our Dreads! Well, your machine too."

"Right, but I might need my gear too!" Ranma-chan grimaced. "We'll need it!"

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In the hanger, Parfet was waiting with Ranma-chan's gear. Seeing the pigtailed redhead running towards her surprised her but the bespectacled girl managed to recover quickly enough to hand Ranma-chan back his gear.

"Here we go!" Ranma-chan strapped the Decadriver on as the Ride Booker attached itself automatically to the belt. She took out her default henshin card and called out, "Henshin!" before slotting the card in and resetting the buckle.

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

Even in female form the suit still fit Ranma-chan, appearing over her as the ghostly images overlapped and then the eyes flashed green once the panels were set in the helmet, filling it with color.

Parfet still wanted to know how the transformation process worked and how such a suit could be generated from a belt and cards.

Decade jumped up and landed in the Vanguard's cockpit. The door closed and the systems activated. "OK, aibou, let's go," Decade said to her machine. A screen in front of her lit up to reveal Dita's face.

"Yay, let's go beat the bad aliens!" Dita cheered. Then, Meia's face showed up.

"We don't need help from a man!" Meia insisted.

"Um…right now I'm not a man," Decade corrected.

Meia grumbled. Technically, Decade was right. Getting used to men was one thing, but one who could change into a woman was going to be confusing. Should she treat Ranma as a man when he was a woman or treat her like she treated her other fellow women?

"Well, whatever! I'm Dread leader so you gotta follow my lead!" said Meia.

"Hai, hai…" Decade nodded. "So, can we launch or are we going to waste time chit-chatting?" Meia shut her comm-link. "Was it something I said?"

The Dreads and one Vanguard launched into space. Not only did they have to deal with the ice and rocks from the nebula, but they also had to deal with more Cube Fighters being spewed out of the seed mother ship like the previous one had.

"So where did this one come from?" Decade asked.

"Probably followed us from the destroyed one," Jura frowned, seemingly accepting Decade's female side for the moment.

"Great," Decade sighed. Reaching to the Ride Booker, the otherworldly Rider drew a card. This one depicted a Kamen Rider, but not Decade. "Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Kuuga**

The Vanguard Decade suddenly stiffened as it began to change. Like a pulse over its body, the armor and coloring changed. The torso became red and the emerald eyes turned red. Gold horns rose from the head and a gold ring was around the neck. Gold bands were around the wrists and ankles. The armor on the shoulders was rounded as well. Vanguard Decade had transformed into Vanguard Kuuga.

"Wow!" Dita gasped. "It's Ms. Alien's friend Kuuga!"

"Show off," Barnette frowned.

"Interesting," Jura observed.

"Okay," Kuuga sighed, having transformed from Decade inside the machine. She looked like the first Kuuga, but the Decadriver was still present. She drew a new card to continue her plan. "Now I need a weapon."

**Form Ride: Kuuga Pegasus**

And the armor changed again, this time changing from red to green with a green band around her right arm and with the right shoulder armor becoming broader as the shoulder on her left became black. Grooves appeared in the chest, giving it a runic design. The bands around her forearms and the gems in the anklets turned green as well. Then, the eyes of her helmet shifted to green.

Outside, the Vanguard Kuuga likewise changed. The torso turned green and the armor reconfigured into the same runic design. The eyes turned green along with the stones on the ankles and wrists. The right shoulder turned black while the left shoulder turned into a straight piece of metal. However, in its hand was a large black and gold gun which had green stones in it. It was configured to look a little like a crossbow.

"Oooh! Even more elegant!" Jura admired.

"Can she show off any more?" Barnette growled.

The Cube Fighters flew at the deploying Dreads, firing at them. The Dreads and lone Vanguard flew out of the way from the shots. All of them began to return fire at the flying cubes. Vanguard Kuuga pulled back on the back of its gun and unleashed a pulse of power. The blast cut through the ice and Cube Fighters, making several big explosions. The Dreads were quick to find this spot in the enemy's attack as the Vanguard Kuuga prepared a second shot.

Meia frowned at what she had seen. As much as she didn't like it when people went against the formations, she had to admit that the man…or woman, at the moment, knew how to fight with her Vanguard. She was sniping off enemies left and right with that pulse weapon. Sure, the actual shot would pierce one Cube Fighter, but the shockwave from the blast would take out the Cube Fighters around it too.

However, as the battle was raging outside the ship, none of the pilots noticed that the ship itself had gone silent.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The engines have been cut off Captain!" one of the techs reported. "Also, more then ninety percent of the ship's systems have gone offline too!"

"This is all we need," Magno groaned.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The power cut off across the ship, including the sick bay. Duelo was busy trying to see what was wrong with Ezra at the moment. She was still unconscious from whatever made her pass out. However, Buzom was there too, making sure that nothing funny was going on. When the power went out, Duelo growled and snagged Buzom's communicator and connected to Parefet.

"I'm dealing with a patient here!" he frowned. "Get power back to sickbay immediately!"

"_Love to,_" Parfet replied. "_But I can't do much with this equipment since its all in men's language!_"

Duelo frowned and looked up to Buzom, "If I was there I can read it. I can't do much without my equipment and it needs power."

"Go right ahead," the second officer nodded.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Right outside the battle still raged on. Vanguard Kuuga was blasting at the Cube Fighters but they seemed to multiply and looked like they were learning to avoid the shots. This agitated the Rider inside the Vanguard. There had to be a way out of this.

"I wish Kuuga was here," Decade-Kuuga muttered to herself. Her Ride Booker suddenly opened and one of the cards popped out. She caught it and it was the Final Form Ride card for Kuuga. It was meant to turn Kuuga into Gouram but then maybe the card was telling him to use it. "Guess only one way to find out." She twisted her buckle upwards and tossed the card in before resetting the buckle.

**Final Form Ride: Ku-Ku-Ku-Kuuga**

Vanguard Kuuga shuddered as its gun vanished and it changed back to Mighty Form. It's back opened as a bronze and black formation. The robot flipped over as its arms brought up steel blocks over its arms while gray steel covered its legs. Vanguard Kuuga's head was drawn into the body while the entire body flipped down. The Vanguard's body then appeared to have become a giant Gouram. It was a large stag beetle-like machine now with the arms now acting as the hind legs and the original mecha's humanoid legs forming pincers.

"Wow!" Dita admired at the machine. As she was staring at it, data started appearing on her viewing screens. "Huh?"

The data she was given called the new form called Kuuga Gouram. It did look like a giant bug, but it was able to move pretty fast. A data link was also forged between the two machines, indicating a partnership. It was pretty cool in her eyes.

"Dita! Pay attention!" Meia snapped.

"Right!" the energetic redhead gasped.

Vanguard Kuuga Gouram cut through the space, smashing Cube Fighters with increased speed. The fighters certainly weren't used to the enemy they were fighting against and were getting cut down. Things were turning in the favor of the Dreads and Vanguard.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's a man!" an engineer gasped as Duelo entered the area where Parfet and her crew were hard at work.

"Oh good, you're here" Parfet spoke as she spotted him. "Take a look at this would you?"

Duelo nodded and scanned the readout of the machine, "It's a Hi-type #6. It says here that there are a lot of impurities. That might be because of the fusing of the ships."

"Do you think you can fix it?" asked Parfet hopefully.

"I'm a doctor, not an engineer," Duelo sighed.

"That's no excuse!" Parfet snapped. "Everything that moves is alive! It's a doctor's job to fix all living things! That's what I believe!"

"Interesting idea you have there," Duelo smiled. Looking back to where Ranma's robot, affectionately named Pyoro by Parfet, was giving a readout. "The ship seems to be reacting to the nebula."

"Of course!" Parfet gasped. "The ship must be using the nebula to purge the impurities!"

"Like a living thing," Duelo pondered.

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"Take this!" Decade-Kuuga roared as she drove her transformed Vanguard through several more Cube Fighters. Checking to see the mother ship, she withheld the urge to groan as it spat out more cube fighters. "Damn. Forgot about you." Snickering, she drew a new card. "Won't make that mistake!" She slipped the card into the Decadriver and activated.

**Final Attack Ride: Ku-Ku-Ku-Kuuga**

Dita's Dread suddenly stiffened as more data came to her machine. Big words went across the screen reading 'Final Attack Ride: Kuuga' along with information on what to do next. She was a little surprised, but her Dread seemed to know what to do. It was moving by itself and heading towards the Gouram.

"What are you doing Dita?!" cried Meia.

"It's moving by itself!" cried the redhead.

Suddenly, the Dread began to transform. A pair of arms shot out from the sides as it began to convert into a more humanoid form. Legs formed and a horned head popped up between the shoulders. It now had a red torso with red eyes and gold horns, but it looked more machine-like than when Decade-Kuuga had her own machine transform.

"Dita's Dread changed!" Jura shouted.

Decade-Kuuga was surprised but didn't have time to contemplate. Gouram was moving towards the mother ship and with its pincers wide open the beetle grabbed onto the mother ship and started pushing it towards Dita's transformed Dread. The Dread Kuuga remained below while Vanguard Kuuga Gouram continued its flight. The shell of the machine insect opened and booster rockets activated, launching itself down at the Dread Kuuga.

"Woooaaahhh!!" Dita cried as her changed Dread inverted and aimed an upward kick at the descending machine. Rockets in her machine's back came to life and rocketed her up at the machine.

Vanguard Gouram and Dread Kuuga met with amazing velocity. Although the Dread Kuuga was the smaller of the two, it was powerful enough. It smashed through the mother ship while the Vanguard Kuuga Gouram continued roaring on. The mother ship ripped in two as the two fighters continued flying through space. The two halves of the mother ship sparked wildly before exploding brightly.

"Yahoooooo!" Decade-Kuuga cheered as the Vanguard Gouram flew through space and transformed into Vanguard Kuuga again. Dread Kuuga shifted back into its regular Dread form.

"Wow!" Dita cried out in shock. "That was amazing! I used Alien Power! I used Ms. Alien's powers! Yay!"

"Incredible!" Jura gasped.

"How…wha…uh…," Meia gaped.

"You have to be kidding," Barnette gaped.

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Once the Dreads and Vanguard returned to the hanger, Decade powered her suit down and was suddenly glomped by Dita. The redheaded pigtailed girl nearly toppled over when she lost her balance.

"Hey, Dita!" Ranma-chan called out. She was in no mood to get glomped again.

"Amazing! From now on let's share Alien Power together!" said Dita happily.

"Fine! Fine! But leggo, ok?" Ranma-chan yelled at her. "Darn it, the only girl here who likes me and she acts like Shampoo."

The other Dread pilots were staring at the pair. How exactly had Dita's Dread change and how was Ranma-chan able to execute the combo attack with her. It all had to do with that belt and cards and Jura REALLY was interested to know their secrets.


	87. Decadread 3

When the Dreads and lone Vanguard returned to the ship, they discovered that their ship had changed. New crystal formations had appeared on it. Duelo and Parfet had worked like crazy to get the bypasses for the impurities finished, allowing the ship to complete the cleansing. Once it was finished, the ship came back online. Of course, a new friendship seemed to have been forged between the doctor and the engineer.

At the moment, everyone was in sickbay where Duelo had finally gotten the results as to why Ezra had fainted.

"It seems that she has a parasitic organism feeding off of her inside her abdominal area," Duelo reported, showing pictures.

"No!" Ezra cried out. "That's not it at all! I…I'm…I'm going to have…a baby."

The reaction was instant from the bridge crew and the others who were in attendance. They all crowded around the new mother-to-be with bright smiles and dozens of questions for her.

"When did you become a Fahma?"

"Who's the Ohma?"

"What are you going to name the baby?"

Meanwhile, Bart scratched his head in confusion, "But I thought that babies were grown in factories."

"Nah," Ranma chuckled. "Women are able to grow babies inside of their bodies. Their bodies were made for it. They just need genetic material to get the process started."

"Intriguing," Duelo nodded. He was always happy to learn about how female bodies worked. This would be an opportunity to see the process from beginning to end.

The three men just continued to crowd around the mother-to-be, congratulating her on her little miracle. Ezra herself was flushed at all the attention and apologizing for hiding it, but they wouldn't hear of it. Even the captain was more than happy for her and the little one she was carrying.

-MEANWHILE-

Parfet sighed as she gave the Vanguard Decade and Dita's Dread examinations. The Vanguard was as weird as ever but nothing was wrong with the Dread. The odd thing was that the components that made the humanoid figure weren't there. It was like they didn't exist. However, the battle data was there.

"How interesting…" Parfet murmured as she read the data. "Guess that Ranma guy really knows how to make the impossible possible."

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Meia wasn't happy. Sure, they'd won, but Ranma's showing off was messing with her Dread team. She needed to show that man up and put him in his place before he got too cocky. Sure, he got along fine with Dita but Meia needed to separate them. Of course, Meia's other problem involved Ranma being able to turn into a woman. While many had heard the rumor, they probably wouldn't know it was Ranma if he walked through the halls as a girl. This was also something confusing since many of the women were just trying to get used to having men around, but a man capable of changing genders was taking them for a loop. It was hard to treat him as a just a man when he turned into a girl.

This was just giving her a headache…

Even Barnette didn't like Ranma, but that was possibly out of jealousy. He was capable of fighting alongside them and pretty powerful with that gear of his. Still, what irked her the most was that he could disguise as one of them perfectly. Aside from his personality, it was impossible to tell that he was really a man when in female form. The thought of a man capable of switching genders disgusted her. It was just so…wrong.

Ranma wasn't new to all the curious looks though. It was just normal with him. He just did things as normal, training his body in the Bio-Park since it had a lot of open space. The place was beautiful since it mimicked an open field and had trees and grass. Truly a wonderful piece of work. There was more than enough space for him to train. The downside was that it brought curious eyes who were trying to figure out if he really could switch genders or not.

"Mr. Alien!" a familiar voice cried out. "I made lunch!"

Ranma blinked at the mention of food and turned to see Dita waving to him. She was certainly a welcome face since she was probably one of the few friendly females on the ship. The fact that she made him lunch under the impression that he had to eat those awful food pills from Tarak made their friendship sweeter. The quickest way to Ranma's friendship was indeed through his stomach.

"Oh, hey Dita," Ranma waved, leaving his stance. Picking up a towel, he walked to a bench where the pair sat down. "You really don't have to cook for me you know. They have a cafeteria filled with food."

"But I like cooking for you!" Dita insisted. "It's fun!"

"Well, if you really don't mind," Ranma shrugged. With that out of the way, he dug into the bento that Dita had created. The friendly redhead just smiled brightly as she enjoyed watching Mr. Alien eat. It made her feel good knowing that he liked her cooking.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I haven't seen an organ like this before," Duelo pondered as he looked at images of the baby growing in Ezra's abdomen. "It's not in a man's physiology."

"It's called a uterus," Ezra answered, already achieving that motherly glow.

"Yes, Ranma mentioned that women have a reproductive organ inside of them," Duelo nodded. "Most interesting."

"Well, I wanted to be a Fahma so I decided to carry the seed," Ezra explained. Seeing Duelo's confusion she continued. "When someone wants to have a child, the Oham donates an egg and gets it spliced with the genes of the Fahma. Then it's implanted in the womb of the Fahma. Anyone can be a Fahma where I come from."

"So I can be one too?" asked Duelo.

Ezra sweatdropped before she decided to try and explain it a little better.

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Bart was being made to train in the Navigation Well. Now he actually needed to learn HOW to do it since they'd been lucky the last few times. He was made to train at least 5 hours a day. Ranma didn't pity the blond male. While on the road he pretty much had to train longer and harsher. Compared to him, Bart got off easy.

"Hello, Ranma!" Jura called to the young Rider. Though she, like most of her fellow females, didn't like men, she considered Ranma an exception since he could turn female. Learning from Paiway of how Dita could get close to Ranma through food, Jura was going to try a similar tactic with him.

"Oh, hey, Jura," said Ranma. It took him awhile to learn how to look at her without blushing. Her dress showed off her figure and didn't cover much. He could see parts of her breasts and her toned stomach. The women here sure knew how to keep in shape. "What is it?"

"Well, I saw what you did with your Vanguard and Dita's Dread and I was wondering if we could also do the same," she said. "So, whaddya say?"

Ranma wasn't sure what to say. The thing that happened with Dita's Dread during Final Attack Ride had caught even HIM by surprise. Parfet was examining the Dread as well to find out what had caused the transformation. It was connected to his belt and probably the Paksis too.

Jura wanted her Dread to change into something elegant and cool too. Maybe if she managed to win Ranma over, she could get the desired result. Barnette was with her and just frowned. She didn't like Jura talking to this weird male. His ability to change genders was just so unnatural and went against the law of nature. Of course, there was nothing she could do about it. He was as much as part of the crew as the men. He was useful, for now…

"Gee," Ranma blinked. "Well, it's probably possible. I mean, if it worked for Dita then it might work for you."

"Excellent!" Jura smiled brightly. Grabbing a box from Barnette, she handed it over to the martial artist. "I heard you liked hand cooked meals from Dita so I thought this would make the perfect gift for our new partnership. I made it myself."

Barnette had to work hard to keep her face straight. When Jura hadn't been looking, she had splashed some of the hottest sauce they had. It wasn't the kind of payback she wanted against Ranma, but it would do for now. Besides, just the thought of him red-faced and screaming would be worth seeing.

"Wow thanks!" Ranma grinned as he opened the box. "Hey, it looks good."

"Why thank you!" Jura giggled teasingly. "Give it a taste."

That's what Ranma did. He took a fork and got a big bite of Jura's food. He instantly tasted the hot sauce, but it was nothing to him. He had to deal with Akane's dishes regularly and she put everything from the spicy to the sour in it. Real hot sauce was nothing compared to his first fiancées cooking. With that in mind, Jura's food was pretty good.

"Hey, not bad," Ranma nodded with a grin. "You're a good cook."

"Why thank you!" Jura smiled with a polite laugh. "Just remember to partner up with me in the next battle."

"If I figure it out, I'll probably partner with you sooner or later," Ranma nodded. He then walked past the pair with the food. "Thanks for the grub."

"Well that was easy," Jura smiled as she watched Ranma leave. She then turned to her friend. "Now, let's go see Parfet to find out the secret."

Barnette was gawking. She had added hot sauce and the male had walked off unfazed! He should have his tongue on fire after the first bite! Who was this guy?

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Ranma had to admit that Jura knew how to cook. That hot sauce was a pretty nice touch. Otherwise the meal would be pretty bland. Still, he was iching for some action and wondered when something would the alarm suddenly sounded he got his answer. Ranma acted quickly, knowing that their ghost-like enemy was after them again. He ran towards the hanger and did a quick transformation.

"Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

When his armor formed, his Vanguard came to life. He quickly launched it out of the hanger to engage the enemy. Once again, he was faced with several Octo-Fighters. Well four large ones anyway. It was nowhere near the sizable attack forces that had attacked them twice before.

"Hm, better end this quick," said Decade. "Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Caucasus**

The Vanguard Decade transformed into Vanguard Caucasus as Decade himself changed into the gold Rider who could move at god speed. Seeing the enemy approaching, Decade-Caucasus activated his next card.

"Take this!"

**Attack Ride: Clock Up**

Time seemed to stop around the Vanguard and its pilot. Of course, Decade-Caucasus was actually moving too fast for them and was blurring around them. They couldn't catch his movements and in the end they were all destroyed.

The Clock Up ended and Decade reverted to normal as did his Vanguard. Suddenly, a screen appeared in front of him and an irate Meia was staring back at him. "What do you think you're doing!?" Meia demanded.

"My job," said Decade frankly. What was this woman's problem?

"You went out without authorization! You committed a violation!" she shouted.

"Hey, those Octo-Fighter things were heading right for us! I just decided to go and fight them and not waste time with all that technical stuff," retorted Decade.

"You're still just a prisoner!"

"Correction: your captain placed me on the crew," said Decade.

"Are you rolling your eyes at me!?" Meia shouted. This man was disrespectful and infuriating. It was time to teach him a lesson in humility and to listen to his betters. "Hey! Listen to me when-" Decade 'accidentally' shut off the link and whistled. He knew he would get hell later, but he wasn't in the mood for it. He knew that Meia was a good person and just wanted to protect her home and friends on the ship, but her prejudice against men made her really annoying in Decade's eyes.

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BRIDGE…

"He's a loose cannon that won't listen to orders!" Meia complained to Magno as she tried to please her case. "He won't follow the squadron placements and he keeps making Jura and Dita break formation to try that stupid partnership thing with him!"

"Anything else?" Magno asked, knowing that Meia was far from finished in her rant.

"He has no respect for the formations and he barely listens to me! He's always ignoring my orders to fight on his own!" Meia argued. "Plus he's just so…infuriating!"

Meia wasn't kidding either. He didn't have any respect for her authority and disregarded it regularly. Oh sure he'd defeat the enemy, but there were formations and such for a reason. If he was in over his head, who would back him up if he went ahead of the squad? No one would be there until it was too late, that's for sure.

"I admit that he's a character to work with," Magno shrugged. "But the other Dread pilots don't complain about him and Dita seems downright fond of him."

"The other pilots aren't in charge of the squad as a whole!" Meia insisted.

"Point," Magno nodded. "Well, if you're so sure that he's a danger to your squad, then we'll see how a reassignment of duties suits him."

A smirk came over Meia's face.

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"OK, captain, you asked me to come and see you," said Ranma.

"Yes. You're now being reassigned," Magno informed him.

"Reassigned? To where?" Ranma questioned.

Magno held up a data pad. Meia still had that smirk on her face as Ranma warily took it.

Magno answered, "You've been reassigned to…"

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The Reg System…

'_Here? I have to work here?_' Ranma thought to himself as he saw where he had been placed. It was the supply depot where the weaponry for the Dreads was kept. Most of the women there were dressed in waitress outfits. The only one who wasn't was an older woman who seemed to be in charge. That was Gascogne and she was in charge of all the Dread supplies.

"Hmm?" Gascogne blinked as she looked up to see Ranma. A smile overcame her face. "Ah, the new arrival is here. Girls what's our motto here?"

"Smile, smile!" the supply girls smiled with a uniform wave.

Ranma felt a headache coming on. However, he didn't get much time to complain about it. Gascogne had already taken his arm and dragged him off.

"If you're going to work here then you'll have to look the part," Gascogne explained. She reached some storage lockers and pulled out a bundle and handed it to Ranma. "Here. This will be your uniform while you're with us D-boy."

"D-boy?" Ranma blinked. That was a new name for him.

"You call yourself Decade in that armor don't you?" asked Gascogne. Getting a nod, she continued. "Well D is for Decade. And Boy is for obvious reasons. Now, go get dressed."

"Uhh…I…sure," Ranma gulped. No sense in arguing with this lady. She was being nice anyway and didn't give him much reason to be a jerk towards her like he was with Meia.

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"WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING A SKIRT!?" Ranma yelled out in anger and humiliation. He'd been forced into a uniform like the girls. On a female form it would look attractive, but currently…use your imagination.

"You gotta wear the uniform, and remember our motto," Gascogne said.

"Smile, smile!" the girls chorused.

"But I'm a guy and-"

SPLASH!

"Now, it looks cute on you," said Gascogne as she put down the now empty glass.

Ranma-chan sputtered. She muttered "I hate you…" She would just have to get used to wearing the frilly uniform. He'd worn worse in the past. This was nothing special. At least it didn't reveal too much.

"Remember to smile," Gascogne reminded.

Ranma-chan put on a strained and forced smile. This was definitely going to be a LONG assignment.

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As Meia sat in the Jacuzzi, she smiled widely. With her in the large tub was Dita, Jura and Barnette.

"You seem oddly happy," said Jura. "Did something happen?"

"Oh yeah…something good," said Meia with a relaxed smile.

"I haven't seen Mr. Alien around," Dita pondered. "I wonder where he went."

"Who cares?" Barnette sighed as she sank in the water. "I just want to enjoy the water."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Working in the Reg System wasn't the worst job Ranma-chan ever had. At the moment she was delegated to the small jobs like stacking ammo cases and mopping floors since she was the new girl. She didn't mind really. The other supply girls were nice and didn't mind having her around, but being a girl at the moment might have had something to do with that. Gascogne (or Ms. Gasco, a name she hated) was pretty cool in her opinion too. The muscular woman always treated her fairly despite her gender at the moment. During some of their free times, she attempted to teach Ranma-chan cards, which Ranma-chan proved as terrible as ever. Gascogne had never gone up against such an easy opponent before. She had to admit that Ranma-chan could cheat with the best of them though.

Ranma-chan had to sit out some battles, but she did get to sit in on the supply ships as they restocked Dreads that were taking on the odd bunches of Cube Fighters and Octo-Fighters. It made Ranma-chan tense but she took it like a woman and smiled through it like the rest of the Stagehands. Gascogne did say that if the battle got really bad, she kept the Vanguard Decade stocked in case it was needed. That made the redhead feel better.

At one point, Gascogne and Ranma-chan were sharing a coffee in one of their bonding moments over cards.

"So what's Mejele like?" Ranma-chan asked. "I mean, I've got a pretty good picture of Tarak from Bart and Duelo, but I never got the chance to ask Dita or any of the other girls about Mejele."

"Well, it's definitely not like Tarak," Gascogne shrugged. She pulled out a small device and a green planet appeared in a hologram. "This is Mejele. On the outside it looks like a pretty nice place. However, it's anything but pleasant. The people constantly waste resources on trivial pursuits like who has the better garden or the nicer house. It's ridiculous in my opinion."

"No kidding," Ranma-chan snorted. She never got the reason why some girls worked so hard on looking pretty. Sure pride was one thing, but there was such a thing as taking it too far. Not that she could talk.

"These contests usually take priority over what needs doing," Gascogne sighed. "At one point it got so bad an entire residential district had to be shut down. Our captain lived there and that's when she started the whole pirate gig. It worked great for a lot of us who didn't have a home anymore. We all work hard, but we all get the rewards too."

"Amen," Ranma-chan sighed. "My old man always made me work hard or used me for some stupid reason so he could get something for free while I either had to work my butt off or got in trouble."

"Sounds like a piece of work," admitted Gascogne. She guessed that this 'old man' of Ranma-chan's was a parent of some kind.

"Oh, he is and he's a big lazy bum who takes the easy way out. Sold me out so he could fill his big fat stomach! Stupid panda!"

"So, you decided to be a space traveler to get away from him," said Gascogne.

"Let's just say I had enough and the rest is history," said Ranma-chan. "Still being part of this crew…it feels like family." She smiled.

"Yeah, we are a big family, aren't we? The captain looks out for us and we do our best to help her since she's done so much for us," said Gascogne. "So, I heard that those cards you have got a story behind them. Mind sharing one?"

"Sure," Ranma-chan shrugged as she drew out the Ride Booker. Pulling out the Kamen rider cards, she flipped through them until she landed on Faiz. "Okay, I had ended up on this planet where the people were splitting off in two different strains of evolution, human like us, and Orphenochs…"

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Dita was skipping towards Registry. When she heard Ranma was being assigned there, she got to work in making her friend a delicious bento. Ranma probably needed his strength if he needed to work there.

"Mr. Alien!" Dita sang out as she looked for her friend. "Where are you? I made you lunch again!"

Turning a corner, she saw Ranma-chan talking with Gascogne at one of their break tables. Smiling brightly, she began waving wildly as she called out, "Ms. Alien!"

As she was running closer, there was a snapping noise. One of the restraints that kept the missiles stacked broke. With a metal clank, one of the missiles began rolling down the stack. Dita looked up to see what the noise was and her eyes widened in shock when she saw the missile coming down towards her.

"AHHHHHH!!" she screamed.

"DITA!!" Ranma-chan cried, racing from the chair towards his redheaded friend. Gascogne gasped in shock, way too slow to do anything.

Dita closed her eyes and prepared for a hit like she never had before. Of course, she was a little surprised when it never came. Instead, she opened her eyes and gasped when she saw what happened. Ranam-chan was pressing her back against the missile to keep it from rolling any farther and even lifting the large explosive so to keep it from hitting Dita. Her face was turning red from the exertion and she was trembling fiercely from both strain and pain.

"Ms. Alien!" Dita gasped.

"D-girl!" cried Gascogne.

"Move! I can't hold it!" Ranma-chan snapped. Gascogne reacted quickly and yanked Dita out of the way, allowing Ranma-chan to leap up and let the missile hit the ground with a metal clang. The pigtailed girl landed on the ground and panted, trying to ignore the pain in her back from the impact. It was like fighting the Orochi in Ryuzengawa again.

"Ms. Alien!" Dita cried as she ran to her friend and checked her for injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm…fine," Ranma-chan panted as she wiped sweat off of her brow.

"Regardless D-girl," Gascogne sighed. "I'd feel better if you had the doctor take a look at you. No one can take a hit like you just did and not have something to show for it."

"Fine…fine," Ranma-chan panted.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You don't seem to be injured," stated Duelo. "But I did manage to find some old scars. Care to tell me about them?"

"It's from my past and something I don't wanna talk about," said Ranma-chan. Those were the scars from the Neko-ken training. Just thinking about it caused her to shiver.

"I should suggest you take a rest from working," said Duelo. "But from what I can see all you need is just a day of rest."

He'd heard about Ranma-chan's heroic feet. A normal person would not be able to move so fast or stop that missile like Ranma-chan had. It was simply amazing how someone like Ranma could become so strong and fast.

"Well, I don't need rest but thanks for the advice, doc," said Ranma-chan.

"Well, all I know is that Dita would be grateful."

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"And she saved my life! Ms. Alien's power really is amazing!" Dita gushed out.

"And she did this without the Decade suit? Now that's impressive," admitted Jura.

Dita was in the cafeteria with her fellow Dread pilots at the same table. Along with Jura was Barnette and Meia.

"Well, it just proves that we women are better since she was a girl in that form," said Barnette. She may not like men, but all she was doing was praising women in general. Ranma was still an oddity but seeing how well he moved at a she would just prove how women were better than men. Too bad she didn't know that Ranma was physically stronger in male form than she was in female form. However, she was faster in female form too.

"Well, Mr. Alien is amazing no matter what form he's in," Dita insisted.

**BOOOOOOOOMM!!**

"Wagh!" Jura cried as she was knocked onto the floor from the sudden lurching of the ship. Alarms began blaring as the crew began to scramble.

"Another attack," Meia hissed as she got up.

"More bad aliens!" Dita huffed angrily.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"All right girls! You know the drill!" Gascogne called to her team. "And remember, no matter what!"

"SMILE! SMILE!" the girls cheered as they began getting orders of ammo ready for transport.

While they worked, Ranma-chan came running inside. She just finished tying her apron on as she looked around. Everyone was working and she was trying to find her spot to get working.

"I thought you were off for the day D-girl," Gascogne commented as she eyed the redhead.

"I'm not the kind who stands still," Ranma-chan shrugged. "Besides, I've taken worse hits."

"No doubt," Gascogne nodded, remembering the stories Ranma-chan told her about her adventures. "Okay, you stick with me. We have to get ready to move now!"

"Got it!" Ranma-chan smirked.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The enemy was in a new configuration along with a new ship to help them. The mass of the force was the Cube Fighters, but the new ship was much different. It was a spherical mass of orbs which was behind the Cube Fighters. What the odd thing was that beyond the first shot, none of them were attacking. Bart tried evasive maneuvers, but the ships just kept themselves from losing the ship. It did give the Dreads enough time to get into position. Meie was confident that they could take down the enemy without Ranma's help.

"I wish Mr. Alien was here," pouted Dita.

"We don't need him…her…I mean!" Meia insisted. "We don't need Ranma's help!" She ordered, "Now, girls, get ready for battle!"

The battle began. Dreads and Cube Fighters flew at each other with weapons blazing. However the sphere ship didn't remain idle. From each of the orbs, a tendril extended, deflecting any of the weapons which was aimed at it. All in all, it appeared to become a giant sea urchin.

"How gross," Jura grimaced at the sight of the enemy.

"Just shoot it down!" Meia orderd of her team.

All the Dreads opened fire at the Urchin-Fighter, but the machine managed to evade it. It used its tendrils as a propeller to move at incredible speeds. It then retaliated with spines from its main body which collided with several Dreads. The machines were knocked out of commission while the others were in a hurry to get out of the way.

"We need Mr. Alien!" Dita cried out. She was fast enough to avoid these attacks!

"WE DON'T NEED HIS HELP!!" Meia snapped. "HE'S A MAN! MEN ARE THE ENEMY!"

"But what if he's a girl when he helps?" asked Dita. "Would it be okay then?"

-SUPPLY SHIP-

"This is getting serious," Ranma-chan frowned. "That thing is way faster than any of our Dreads and it can protect itself from any range."

"No kidding," Gascogne agreed as she restocked another Dread. "Think you know a way to get it?"

"I have a couple Riders which might be able to," Ranma-chan replied. "Caucasus, Blade, heck, even Ranki should be able to deal with it."

"So you think you can beat it?" Gascogne pressed.

"Sure do," Ranma-chan nodded. "Coz Ranma Saotome never loses." She then ran off to help the Dreads as Gascogne smiled.

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Ranma-chan got in her normal clothes. She didn't have time to get hot water. This was serious. Once she was in her Vanguard, she activated her belt.

"Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

The Vanguard was soon launched out of the ship and into space. From what he could see the enemy was using a large ship shaped like a sea urchin. "Hey, Dita!"

"Ms. Alien, you came!" Dita cheered happily.

"What are you doing here?" Meia asked.

"I came to help," Decade answered.

"We don't need help from-"

"A man? At the moment I'm all female so you can't argue about gender right now," said Decade.

Meia didn't like how Decade contradicted her, but the armored warrior was right. While Meia didn't like men helping her, she knew that they needed assistance. Having Decade assume female form was easier…almost.

"Fine. I hope you have a plan then," Meia snorted.

"Sure do," Decade snickered as she drew a card. This one depicted a silver-faced Kamen Rider with a horn and red eyes. "Henshin!"

**Kamen Rider: Blade**

A blue rectangular field flew out from the Vanguard Decade. It had an insect with a spade on its back on the front. The Vanguard just flew forward through the field, and emerged changed. The pain job had turned blue and the armor on the torso, arms, legs, and shoulders had turned silver. Spades were etched into the torso and shoulders. The head was mainly blue save for the face which was silver with a single horn. The Vanguard Decade had transformed into Vanguard Blade.

"Wow! Another alien form!" Dita gasped in delight.

The Urchin-Fighter wasn't impressed. Instead, it opened fire on the approaching Vanguard. Its spines cut through space as they aimed to destroy the new machine. Inside her machine, Decade-Blade snickered as she drew a new card and slipped it into her Decadriver.

**Attack Ride: Metal**

The entire machine suddenly turned monochrome as the spines hit. To the surprise of Meia and Dita, the spines just bounced off the hull or exploded harmlessly. No damage was done to the Vanguard Blade.

"My turn," Decade-Blade replied, drawing a new card.

**Attack Ride: Mach**

The Vanguard Blade suddenly sped up to a speed even the Urchin-Fighter couldn't match. Before it could attack again, the Vanguard Blade was already within striking range. Inside of it, Decade slipped in another card.

**Attack Ride: Beat**

The Vanguard Blade reared back a glowing fist and punch at the enemy ship. The fist impacted against it and crippled several of the tentacles from the force of the blow. The Urchin-Fighter immediately used its tentacles to speed away while using spines to shoot the Vanguard Blade away.

"So you wanna play rough eh?" Decade-Blade frowned. She drew a new card depicting both Blade and a large sword. "I'm game then."

Meanwhile, Meia was speeding towards the fight between Decade and the enemy. She wasn't about to stand by and let someone else fight for her. No way. That wasn't her style. Hitting the acceleration, she sped faster towards the fight. of course, Duta was close behind in her own Dread.

"Ms. Alien! Partner up with me again!" she cried, hoping to destroy the bad alien like she and her friend did last time.

"Here goes," Decade-Blade spoke as she slipped the card into the Decadriver and activated it.

**Final Form Ride: Bl-Bl-Bl-Blade**

The transformation seemed odd. On the back of the Vanguard a panel with a spade symbol on it formed and then red cards fanned out. The Vanguard's arms and head vanished into the body and then the body twisted around so that the spot where the head was now connected to the legs, which turned at a 90 degree angle. The Vanguard's sword then joined with the legs, which gained bladed edges as the sword became a tip. It also began to grow bigger until it matched the size of a Dread. Anyone seeing this would just see a large floating sword.

Suddenly, Meia's Dread went into autopilot. She tried to get it back under control but it was beyond her capabilities. As it flew closer to the weapon, it began to transform. Pieces and sections reconfigured to form into a humanoid body with red eyes, a single horn, and spade markings. Dread Blade.

Dread Blade flew up to the Vanguard Blade Blade and gripped its handle, wielding the weapon for itself. Still, Meia finally got control of the device once the two were connected. Of course, she was getting new readouts and data on her new Dread's form and weapon.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Meia shrieked at Blade. "I DIDN'T WANT TO PAIR UP WITH YOU!"

"Not exactly thrilled myself," Decade-Blade sighed. "The point is that we did pair off and we have to deal with it." She then drew a gold card with a spade symbol on it. "Deal with it for a little longer and then we can separate."

**Final Attack Ride: Bl-Bl-Bl-Blade**

Dread Blade gripped the sword as the spade marking began to shine with electric light. The voltage traveled through the blade, sparking in the blackness of space. Although Meia hated the thought of partnering up with that showoff Decade, male or female, she knew that she couldn't waste this chance. Controlling the arms of her Dread, Meia raised the huge sword up as the voltage grew to a new level. Then with a battle cry, she slashed down, slicing the Urchin-Fighter down the middle. Electric voltage flew away from the attack, frying the Urchin-Fighter before forcing the two halves to explode.

"Finally," Meia sighed as she tossed the Vanguard Blade Blade away, allowing it to shrink down and transform into Vanguard Blade again. Her own machine transformed back into a regular Dread again. "Don't do that to me again," she frowned deeply at the armored figure.

"I didn't choose you," Decade-Blade huffed.

"Awww! I wanted to share the Alien Power again," Dita pouted sadly.

"Next time, Dita," said Ranma-chan after banishing her armor. "Next time."

Jura was upset since she didn't get a chance to show off her elegance along Decade…but there was always next time, right?

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The Dreads returned to the ship and everyone departed from their respective machines. Parfet was instantly on the Vanguard Decade, trying to figure out how it changed. She had previously asked Ranma-chan several times why it changed all the time, but Ranma-chan had just said that it always did that. Now the female engineer was on a quest to try and figure out just how it changed forms so many times. Well, next to her quest to find how the Dreads changed with Decade's forms anyway.

As Ranma-chan was stretching to get the stiffness out of her shoulders, she noticed Meia stepping up to her, "Yes?"

"If you ever force that change to happen to my Dread without my permission, I will personally throw you out of the airlock!" Meia snapped before she turned on her heel and walked away.

"You're welcome for the help!" Ranma-chan waved to the departing Dread captain.

"Ms. Alien!" Dita cried as she ran over to her otherworldly friend. "Promise me that you'll partner up with me next time!"

"Huh?" Ranma-chan blinked.

"Oh no you don't!" Jura frowned as she grabbed Ranma-chan's arm. "You and Meia had your turns. It's my turn next!"

"But Ms. Alien partnered up with me first!" Dita cried as she got Ranma-chan's other arm. "We're friends so I should partner up with her next!"

"This is getting too much like home," Ranma-chan sighed between the two tugging women. At least these two were nicer about it.

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Later, Gascogne was playing some solitaire when she spied Ranma in male form walking into the registry. He was wearing the uniform for the stagehands, but had modified it for a man. Most notably, pants and a better fitting shirt. All in all, he looked like a waiter as compared to the regular uniform's waitresses. The muscular woman had to admit that the man knew his way around threadwork. It looked great on him. For some reason though, she found the sight interesting to look at.

"Welcome back D-boy," Gascogne smiled as she took in the sight. "Didn't think we'd see you around here anymore after the captain cleared you for combat again."

"Well, I needed something to do," Ranma shrugged. "Next to training, eating, fighting, and sleeping I didn't have much else to occupy myself. So I decided why not hang out here a little more. If it's all the same to you though, I'd prefer to try out my guy form here."

"Don't matter to me," Gascogne shrugged. "I just hope your male form can put up as well as your female form did."

"That I can guarantee Miss Gasco," Ranma laughed, making the older woman snort.

"Then get to work D-boy, you know what needs doing," Gascogne laughed. "And watch it with the name. It's Gascogne."

"Just like my name's Ranma," the pigtailed boy grinned. "Oh, and don't forget the motto, right? Smile! Smile!"

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	88. Decadread 4

Meia was going over a recording of the battle and while she couldn't admit it to the others, she could confess to herself that the power of the Blade Blade was truly amazing. Still, the fact that Ranma had helped her irked her slightly. That guy/girl was just so arrogant and sure of himself that…

"You both are very similar, you know that," Meia heard and she spun around in her seat to see the captain.

"Captain!" Meia stood up and saluted.

"You and Ranma are very similar. You're both confident and know how to fight. You both also care about the crew," said Magno. "Even if he is male most of the time he does make a pretty good woman too. Maybe, if he'd been a she the whole time, you both could get along."

Meia thought about it. Maybe the captain was right, but Meia's pride was too great. "Well, Ranma maybe a good fighter, but he still needs to ask permission and follow orders."

"True, but he's new and still learning about how to work on a team with someone else in charge," said Magno.

"Is that why you agreed to put him on Register?" Meia asked.

"Well, he's working under Gascogne and isn't complaining," said Magno. "So, what do you think of him after the battle?"

"His abilities gave us the power we needed to defeat the Urchin Ship," Magno answered. "Maybe he could be useful if he could be a little less arrogant."

"Only time will tell, child. A person can't change overnight," said Magno. "Good night."

"Good night, captain."

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"So, have you thought up for a name yet?" Buzam asked the captain.

"I actually asked the crew to submit their own suggestions. Parfet, can you pull them up on the monitor?" requested Magno.

"Sure thing, captain!" said Parfet. Magno scrolled down and found one.

"Hm…the Nirvana. That sounds like a good name," said Magno.

"And I agree," said BC.

"From now on the ship is now known as the Nirvana."

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At the moment, Dita was trying to decide what to make for Ranma next. He loved her cooking, but Jura was trying her hand so she could partner with Ranma during the next battle and the energetic redhead wasn't going to lose. She was going to make a dish that would WOW Mr. Alien. As she was walking past a pair of gossiping officers though, she overheard them.

"You know what I heard?"

"What?"

"I heard that men have some kind of weird tube between their legs."

"Really? Gross! Do you think those three…?"

"Well, except that one. He might lose it when he changes into a girl."

Dita stopped as the gossiping pair walked past. Did Mr. Alien have what those two were talking about? Maybe he did. But…he was a girl sometimes so did he keep it or did he loose it when he became a she?

This needed investigation!

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Ranma was in the bathroom and about to take off his pants when he suddenly noted an unwelcome presence. Acting quickly, he pulled his pants up and looked around. He quickly found Dita perched in a spot ready for observing. Ranma frowned and yelled, "Dita! What are you doing here!?"

"Can you show it to me?" she asked innocently. She was holding up a camera.

"Show what to you?"

"I heard that men have a tube between their legs. Can you show it to me?"

"What tube…?" Ranma stopped in mid-sentence. Now he knew what she was getting at. "Dita, I'm not showing that to you!"

"Why not?"

"Because it ain't proper, so please get out!"

"But Mr. Alien…!!!"

"OUT!!!"

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"So, the women are going to be using the Vanguards, huh?" asked Ranma as he and Gascogne were in the Register playing cards. They were doing that a lot recently as Ranma spent his time there when he wasn't busy with something else. Gascogne enjoyed having someone to play against and the registry girls didn't mind him there either. However, they couldn't understand why they preferred to see him in the waiter uniform.

"Yup," Gascogne answered. "We have them in storage where the old section of the men's ship was. We might as well put them to good use."

"Better than just collecting dust," said Ranma. "So, what are they doing with the Vanguards now?"

"Paintjobs," answered Gascogne. "Dita wanted to repaint yours too."

ZOOM!!!

Gascogne saw the trail of dust and chuckled. "Fast guy." She picked up the cards he'd left behind. "Hm…he would've almost beaten me too. Oh well."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma raced into the hanger where the Vanguards, including his own, were being held up for maintenance and painting. Right before his eyes, Dita had a paint sprayer at the ready. Judging by the canister attached to it, it was full of pink paint ready to be used.

"Dita! No!" Ranma cried as he ran towards the redhead.

"Oh, hi Mr. Alien!" Dita waved. "Don't worry! This won't take long! I'll have your partner all nice and pretty in no time!" She squeezed the trigger and a spray of paint burst out the nozzle.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Ranma moved quickly and jumped up to block the spray of pain which now coated him instead of his Vanguard.

"Wow, a pink alien, how cute!" Dita gushed.

Ranma thought bitterly, '_This girl is nuts…_'

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Ranma got himself cleaned up and went to the bridge to ask the captain about the Vanguards being used.

"So, you want the girls to use the Vanguards," said Ranma.

"That's right," said Magno.

"Do they have training?" Ranma asked.

"Right now we're putting them through combat simulators," answered Buzam. "You can go over and check."

"Fine, I have nothing else better to do," said Ranma. He went to the door to leave the bridge but was suddenly showered by the sprinklers meant to put out fires. Obviously a malfunction of some kind had occurred. "Damn it…" Ranma-chan grimaced.

"That boy is an interesting one," said Magno.

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Grumbling about hunks of junk sprinklers, Ranma managed to find Bart and Duelo after getting some hot water. The two Tarak men were watching how Jura, Dita, and Meia were doing in the Vanguard simulators. For the three women who were used to the speed tactics of the Dreads, it wasn't going so well for them. They were tripping over each other constantly.

"Rrrrrgh!" Jura growled. "Why can't this thing move more elegantly?! That's it! I've had enough!" Following the short tantrum, the buxom blonde shut down her simulator and left in a huff. Ranma was just surprised that she hadn't left before.

However, not all the women proved to be immediate failures with the man-made machines. Barnette, despite her open revulsion to using man technology, proved to adapt very well to the mechanics and mastered it quickly. So far the other girls who were testing out the machines were learning, but it would be a while before they could master them to the degree that they had with their Dreads.

"Ha! Look at 'em squirm," Bart chuckled. This was more than enough payback for some of the treatment he had received since the women took over.

Duelo wasn't as amused. His eyes were trained on the monitors for the pilots' stats. He was looking at Meia's readouts in particular. After a few more moments, he sighed softly, "I suppose I'll be needed at the bridge."

Who would have guessed hat the best Dread pilot would be the worst at Vanguards?

"Hey, Doc, is something wrong?" asked Ranma as he noticed the critical look Duelo was giving Meia's readings.

"Well, these are Meia's readings," Duelo pointed. "It looks like she's under stress."

Ranma's eyes narrowed and then looked at the screen showing Meia inside the simulator. She was breathing hard, she looked to be lacking concentration, and was sweating. Those were signs Ranma connected to…fear.

"Doc, you better stop Meia's simulation," Ranma suggested.

"Huh?" Bart blinked. "Why?"

"Because she's about to have a panic attack," Ranma frowned.

"Agreed," Duelo nodded. He immediately hit the kill switch to the entire training program. Both Meia and Dita's simulators shut down as the program stopped. Both women looked around in confusion at what had happened.

"You're both done," Duelo spoke out to the pair. "You can take a break."

"Okay!" Dita smiled. Meia on the other hand grumbled, but Ranma could tell that she couldn't get out of the machine fast enough. Dita didn't seem any the wiser to Meia's stress. Ranma could see all the signs though. She was sweating and there was a faint shudder in her step. The health monitors just made it all the more obvious. Meia was in fear when she was in the cockpit of the Vanguard.

"I don't see why we had to stop," Meia frowned. "Things were going fine."

"I very much doubt that," Duelo replied. "Tell me, do they have medical overrides on Mejele?"

"What?" asked Meia with a deep frown. Bart was ready to make tracks while Dita was happily chatting with Ranma. The pigtailed boy was wary since the bathroom and paint incidents.

"On Tarak, doctors have the authority to ground pilots should they believe that there is psychological stress which can hamper their performance on the field," Duelo explained with a grim frown. "From what I saw, I am beginning to consider reporting this to the captain."

"You don't know anything!" Meia hissed, not wanting to make a scene.

"Then I would suggest you switch the monitor to all-fields," Duelo replied coolly. "It would make the cockpit more comfortable for you."

"I don't need advice from a man!" Meia snapped, storming off.

"Then take this as advice from a doctor, regardless of my gender," said Duelo calmly.

Meia grumbled and then heard from Ranma, "Listen to the Doc, Meia. Admit it, you were scared."

"I'm not afraid of anything!" she snapped before stomping off. She was still a little unsteady but managed to walk away without tipping over. Ranma frowned. That was denial, right there.

"You should tell the captain anyway," said Ranma to Duelo. "Right now she's going to be a danger to herself and others if she ever tries to pilot a Vanguard."

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Bart asked.

"Oh yeah and it's something I've experienced myself," said Ranma.

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Meia was not pleased. Duelo did approach the captain about the results of the simulation. She just couldn't believe that the captain was even listening to this…this…man!

"But captain, there's nothing wrong with me!" Meia shouted.

"Not from the doctor's point of view," Magno retorted.

"I don't care what he says! It was only battle fatigue!" Meia remarked.

"Right…and I'm a third class Tarark citizen," Ranma spoke sarcastically as he leaned against the wall. He'd heard the whole thing. "Meia, you better listen."

"Nobody asked you for your opinion you-" the sprinklers systems sprayed Ranma. "Man…?"

Ranma-chan looked up at the sprinklers. Was Kami torturing her again? "OK, someone REALLY needs to get that fixed," she pointed.

"I'll have Parfet look at it," said Magno. "And, Meia, you won't be using the Vanguard."

"Then who will lead the Vanguard squad?" Meia asked

"Ranma, of course," said Magno.

"WHAT!!!???"

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Ranma-chan was made the Vanguard squad leader. Since most of the crew still distrusted men, it would be easier if she remained in female form for the extent of the mission. She didn't like using her special condition to her advantage, at least like this, but if she needed cooperation from the women then she would have to compromise.

"So, Ms. Alien is gonna lead?" said Dita happily.

"Sure," said Ranma-chan. "Captain's orders."

"Well, at least the others will be more willing to listen when you're like this," said Barnette.

Ranma-chan frowned. Barnette hated men and barely tolerated her presence when he was male. She was only being nice whenever Ranma-chan was in girl form since it was easier for her to deal with. Ranma-chan thought it was a little ignorant to only accept one side of her, but if it kept things civil between herself and Barnette, she wouldn't complain.

"Well, this will be our big chance to partner up!" Jura smiled brightly. "I wonder what elegant form my Dread will take."

"Probably whatever Rider I use the Final Form Ride with," Ranma-chan answered. "I mean, I used Kuuga Gouram and Dita's Dread became Kuuga while Meia's became Blade when I used the Blade Blade. The same thing will probably happen with you."

"Oh, well then, you'd better pick something elegant!" Jura insisted. Ranma-chan sighed and shook her head. This woman had a one-track mind.

"We'll see if something comes up," Ranma-chan replied, which seemed to pacify Jura to a certain degree.

"So, Vanguard Leader," Barnette spoke up. "What's your first order as the new squad leader?"

"Well," Ranma-chan sighed. She did have experience in leading people like when she was a cook in Blade's World or rallied the students when he was undercover in the Smart Brain-sponsored high school in Faiz' World. He even had to lead a squad of police in the Kuuga's World on a raid against a Grongi stronghold. "Duelo's given me the readouts on each of you girls. I need to see how you all did in recordings though. That way I can figure out where each of you stand. I usually don't get to plan ahead on things like this so I don't want to screw this up."

Barnette nodded. That was a smart thing to do. All things considered, Ranma-chan might not be too bad of a leader. Now if only she would stay in girl form all the time…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma rubbed his eyes as he watched the seventh straight exercise of the girls who were good enough to pilot Vanguards. None of them were too shabby, but the problem was that they reacted too quickly for the Vanguard's to react. They had eyes on everything and their reflexes weren't attuned to the mechanics of the Vanguards. That could be fixed with training though. What got Ranma annoyed was the fact that some of the girls tended to panic when things got hairy. It was an odd trait since they were hardened Dread pilots, but Ranma could chalk that up to being surrounded with unfamiliar technology and still being unused to it.

Still, what stood out most was Meia's performance. She was without a doubt the worst, but Ranma could only still see the fear in her eyes. He understood it very well and no matter how much bravado Meia put out, the fear was still in her voice for those who knew how to listen for it. The bluenette Dread leader was claustrophobic and the confined space of the Vanguard cockpits were probably a nightmare for her.

Of course, Ranma would definitely get Meia's denial if confronted with it. He would need to keep Meia out of any Vanguard required missions for her sake.

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Ranma-chan had collected the girls into the training room. Now it was time for her to put the Anything Goes School into effect. If these girls were going to get used to using the Vanguards, then they'd need some training out of the machines as much as inside. This was why today she was going to hold a martial arts class for them. All she said to them was to wear something comfortable and come down to the training room.

"OK, listen up, today instead of the simulators we'll be doing some martial arts exercises," announced Ranma-chan.

One girl spoke up, "But what does martial arts have to do with piloting Vanguards?"

Ranma-chan noted the girl who was named Sally. She answered, "Martial arts can be really useful. In the Vanguard it can also help you in your movements. The Vanguard, because it has a humanoid shape, acts as an extension of your own body. Therefore, before you can train with the Vanguards, you need to train your own bodies too." That met some murmurs. "Also, it can help you keep fit and stay in shape," Ranma-chan added. She knew how these women always seemed to prioritize their looks and to hear that they could keep fit got their attention. "Martial arts can also be versatile, just in case you're in a combat situation and without your weapons. With martial arts YOU can become a weapon." Ryoga was an example. The guy was a living tank at times.

"But how good are you?" asked Meia. "All we've seen is you using that suit. Can you fight without it?"

"Is that a challenge, Meia?" Ranma-chan questioned.

"So what if it was?" Meia retorted.

"Why don't you come over to the mat since you volunteered," said Ranma-chan.

Meia cracked her knuckles. This was going to be good and maybe help her relieve some stress. She was one of the best hand-to-hand fighters on the ship and she was confident with her skills. In her mind, an unpowered Ranma-chan wouldn't make this fight last long.

She was right.

"Wagh!" Meia cried as she hit the mat with a loud slam. "Ow."

"Okay, you have the basics down," Ranma-chan nodded. "You've got experience and knowledge. But you're in such a hurry to get it done you keep overstepping and leaving big holes in your defense."

Meia growled as she got up. Her back and posterior were both sore from the sudden flight. She wanted to try for a second round, but Ranma-chan was just continuing to explain to the wide-eyed pilots.

"Now, by learning what the limits of the human body are, you can learn the limits of the Vanguards," Ranma-chan explained. "Now, I want you to pair up for basic sparring. I want to see where you all stand."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure the readings are accurate?" Magno asked as they viewed the desert planet. "It looks like a dead world to me."

"True," Buzam nodded. "However, we're getting readings from own there that indicate manufactured structures."

"And with our supplies going down, we have no choice," Magno sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to make like pirates after all."

BC smiled.

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"So, what's the mission?" Dita asked.

"The captain wants us to go down to a dead planet and raid for some supplies," answered Barnette. "Maybe we'll find something we can use."

"Well, since no one else is using them anymore, we might as well take them," said Ranma-chan.

"Where's Meia, Ms. Alien?" Dita asked.

"I told her she couldn't come," said Ranma-chan. She recalled the conversation/argument she had with Meia over it and had used the results of the simulators.

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"_What do you mean I can't come!?" Meia shouted._

_Ranma-chan remarked, "Meia, I've looked at the simulations and from what I can see you're not fit to pilot a Vanguard!"_

"_I'm squad leader!"_

"_Correction, you're the Dread squad leader while I'm the Vanguard squad leader!"_

"_I'm not taking orders from you! I'm going to the captain!"_

"_She knows and she agrees!"_

"_What!?"_

"_Meia, you don't have battle fatigue. Short of breath, trembling, cold sweat, and lack of concentration. Those are symptoms to someone who's suffering from claustrophobia."_

_Meia froze and her eyes narrowed, "You don't know what you're saying."_

"_I do know what it's like to be so scared to death that you can't control it! Listen to me, Meia! YOU'RE NOT GOING!"_

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It was a tough call to make but Meia was a liability in her current state with the Vanguards. She'd just be a danger to herself and others and Ranma-chan was responsible for the safety of the Vanguard squad.

"OK, girls, let's move," said Ranma-chan.

"Yes, ma'am!"

There was only enough room on one of the special drop ships for four Vanguards and that was pushing it. Ranma-chan, Dita, Jura, and Barnette were crammed inside of the drop ship with their Vanguards. It wasn't too long before they were launched down to the planet's surface.

The four Vanguards exited and took in the sight of the endless desert around them. It wasn't much to look at.

"Don't forget Ranma!" Jura called from her Vanguard. "You're supposed to partner up with me today!"

"No!" Dita objected, "Ms. Alien should partner up with only me!!!"

"Girls, can we please focus?" Ranma-chan questioned as she turned on the scanners. "We got a job to do."

"The planet's quiet," said Barnette. "I don't like it. It's so…unnerving."

"Well, that just means we won't have any trouble," said Jura.

"Well, that's good news then," said Ranma-chan. "Now, come on. Let's get down to business."

Still, she had an odd feeling that something was wrong.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meia was in her room, sulking. It was humiliating. She was being undermined by a mere rookie and a male of all things. Well, the male had spoken to her as a fellow female so that took out some of the embarrassment, but she was supposed to be in charge of the combat squads. This just wasn't fair. And, to add insult to injury, the captain agreed with Ranma.

"Screw it," she frowned as she stood up. "I'm responsible for them. I'm the leader and I have to look out for my team! Even if one of them is a man half the time."

Heading out to the hanger, she looked around for the drop ship that they were supposed to use. She was going to be on it come hell or high water. However, there was no drop ship in sight.

"You just missed them," Pyoro commented as he came floating by. "They left just a moment ago. Pyoro!"

"No," Meia growled. "Well, when's the next one leaving? I have a responsibility to those girls!"

"The ships only go one way and there is only one," Pyoro answered.

"What?!"

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"So, which alien form are you going to use this time, Ms. Alien?" Dita asked curiously, referring to the other Riders.

"I don't think I'll have to," answered Ranma-chan. '_At least I hope not._' Those were only meant for combat situations. He just hoped nothing came and suddenly attacked them.

"This is a waste of time," complained Barnette. "How are we supposed to find anything? All I can see is sand, sand and more sand. Ugh, it's so frustrating!"

"Wow, and so much sand!" said Dita.

"And zero life signs," added Ranma-chan. "It's as dead as dust here." She did notice some buildings, or remains of them protruding out of the sand. "Hey, maybe we can try and look in one of those things."

"Well, just remember, Ranma, that if there's trouble you can partner up with me," said Jura.

"Hey, Ms. Alien is only supposed to join with me!" snapped Dita.

Ranma-chan sighed. 'Is this just universal?' Her girl trouble seemed to have followed her here. "Stop arguing and let's go! I'm going to look from the air!" She ha her Vanguard fly up but all of a sudden a laser field formed. "Huh!?"

"What's that?" Barnette yelled out.

The Ranma-chan Vanguard hit the laser field and was instantly electrocuted. "Argh!!!" Ranma-chan screamed. Her mecha suddenly dropped.

"Ms. Alien!" Dita screamed.

Suddenly, there was a sand storm.

"What's going on now?" Jura questioned.

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Back on the bridge, Duelo was monitoring the pilots' status. "Their pulses are rising. Something is happening down there."

"Status report!" BC ordered.

"They've triggered a defense mechanism," reported Amarone.

One of the bridge girls, a blonde named Belvedere reported, "The landing party seems to be trapped by some sort of shield."

BC called, "Landing party, do you copy!" Three screens popped up displaying Jura, Dita and Barnette, "What's your status?"

"Damn it, what's going on?" Jura asked.

"The barrier has us trapped!" added Barnette.

"We need to hurry! Ms. Alien's in trouble!" said Dita worriedly.

"Calm down!" Buzam advised. "What kind of trap is it?"

"We don't know! The sand is attacking us!" Dita exclaimed.

"The sand…?"

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"What's with this sand!?" Ranma-chan exclaimed as her Vanguard was being covered. "Damn it! Got no choice now! Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

The Decade armor engulfed Ranma-chan, allowing her to change into Decade. Outside, the Vanguard Decade changed colors as panels merged with its face to give it its completed look. Drawing its weapon, it slashed at tentacles of sand that reached out for it. Jura, Dita, and Barnette were using what weapons they had to keep out of the reach of the sand tentacles.

"A trap!" Barnette growled. "This whole thing was a stinking trap!"

"But who set it?" asked Jura as she dodged a swipe.

"Mean aliens!" Dita cried out.

"Well, I'm going to end it!" Decade growled as she drew a card. "Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Ryuki**

The images of a large machine overlapped the Vanguard Decade and changed it. It was now red save for the chest, head, and arms. The face was covered with a grille and had red glowing eyes. The left arm was bigger than the right because of a gauntlet shaped like a dragon motif.

"Ooooh! I want to partner with that!" Jura gasped at the dragonic Rider.

"I only do that with Dreads!" Decade-Ryuki snapped. "We're all in Vanguards right now!"

"What?!" Jura cried in disappointment. "That's not fair! I sign on for this and I can't even partner with an elegant machine like yours? No fair!"

"Would you quit about the partnership and just fight?!" Decade-Ryuki growled. She drew another card. "I'm going to make some glass sculptures!"

**Attack Ride: Strike Vent**

Over the right arm a gauntlet shaped like a dragon's head appeared. Decade-Ryuki said, "How would you like your sand? Rare, medium rare, or well done?" She took careful aim. She didn't want to harm her comrades. "OK, here we go! DRAGON BREAK!"

A stream of intense flames burned though the air. The streams did miss the other Vanguards, but the sand got hit. It was crystallized on impact. However, smoke rose up from the attacks as well, like something else besides the sand was attacking them. Of course, that was most likely true.

"Thank you Ms. Alien!" Dita smiled.

"Yeah, thanks," Barnette grumbled as she broke free from some of the crystallized tendrils that had latched onto her Vanguard.

"Ohhhh, why can't these stupid Vanguards partner with that machine?" Jura whined. "I bet it would have been beautiful!"

"Will you just stop?!" cried Decade-Ryuki. "We have more important things to worry about right now!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meia growled as she heard what was going on down on the planet. She needed to be down there with her squad now! To hell with Ranma's lead, she was inexperienced! Meia knew what she had to do as she raced to the nearest Vanguard and leaped inside of the cockpit. Her breathing was already starting to increase as she felt the walls closing in on her. Trying to ignore the feeling, she activated the Vanguard and began the launch sequence. The engineering crew started panicking as the large machine came to life.

"Here I come weither you like it or not!" Meia growled as she hit the acceleration. With a roar of the propulsion, the Vanguard roared out of the Nirvana and out into open space. Its destination the battle against the very sand of the planet itself.

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"That sand was NOT normal," stated Decade-Ryuki.

"Well, of course it wasn't," said Barnette. "It was alive! Whoever was here before must've left a surprise for us."

"I hate booby traps," Jura muttered.

"I'm not too crazy about them either, but we can't get off this rock until we shut down whatever is making that laser grid," answered Decade-Ryuki. "I'm gonna check it out again." She drew a card and slipped it into her buckle before activating it.

**Final Form Ride: Ryu-Ryu-Ryu-Ryuki**

Vanguard Ryuki leaped into the air, doing the splits as it went. Its legs became covered in red metal armor while silver armor and metal claws extended from the shoulders. A bladed tail extended from one end while a metallic dragon head emerged from the opposite end. Vanguard Ryuki had become Vanguard Ryuki Dragredder.

"Oooooh! And me without my Dread!" Jura whined.

"Wow! Cool!" Dita gasped.

"You all keep searching," Decade-Ryuki ordered the Vanguards which followed him. "I'm going to try and find the source. If you need help then call in!"

"Roger!" the three Vanguard pilots agreed.

The robotic dragon roared and flew off into the air to get a better view of everything. The field was a strong one and the Vanguard leader doubted that the sand was the only thing there to take down whatever had come. There might be more on the way, which meant that they needed to get off of the planet NOW!

"Where are you?" Decade-Ryuki asked as she had her machine scan for the source of the field and the controller of the sand. It had to be somewhere.

As she was flying through the air, she noticed something entering the atmosphere of the planet. Frowning, Decade-Ryuki realized that it was another Vanguard that was coming down. Pulling up a communication with the machine, Decade-Ryuki hissed when she saw that it was Meia in the pilot seat.

"Kuso," Decade-Ryuki frowned. "Meia! I told you that you were off this mission! What part of that didn't you get!"

"Shut up!" Meia hissed. She was trembling and struggling to keep her machine from crashing. "Don't tell me what to do! I can take it!"

"Maybe in a Dread but not in a Vanguard!" Decade-Ryuki argued. "Now you're just a big target since you're panicking inside the Vanguard!"

"They're my squad!" Meia shouted. "I have to look out for them!"

"I'm just as capable as you are!" Decade-Ryuki growled. "Why is it you can't seem to trust me?"

"It's because…because you're new!"

"What?" That was ridiculous. Still, it was a better reason than just because Decade-Ryuki was a man. Well, sometimes a man anyway.

"That's right! I've worked with them for years and then you show up and takeover!"

"Oh…come on! Is that all? You're afraid I might mess up?"

"Exactly!"

"Geez, women," snorted Decade-Ryuki.

"What was that?" Meia snarled.

The conversation was interrupted as the Vanguard hit the planet. The sand was kicked up as the impact shook the ground. Meia was still shivering, but not from the impact. Her claustrophobia was still getting at her and it was affecting her performance. Still, as she was about to open her mouth to argue, the sandstorms started up again.

"Not again!" Decade-Ryuki groaned.

Over with Dita, Jura, and Barnette, the three Vanguards were being assaulted by the same sandstorm. This time however, things were beginning to rise from it. Rather than tentacles, it was sand copies of the Vanguards.

"Not more traps!" Jura growled.

"More mean alien tricks!" Dita cried.

"Gah!" Barnette hissed as she avoided a lunge from one of the Sandguards.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the Nirvana, the tech crew was using what links they could to try and hack the computer from the outside. They weren't about to just stand by and let their friends get killed by a mass of sand.

"It seems the sand actually contain small nanobots," Parfet reported. "A security measure, obviously."

"That explains it," said Magno. She heard a gasp.

"I've got something!" Parfet cried as she tapped at her console.

"What is it?" Gascone asked, trying to help wit her own tech knowledge.

"I have…a timer?" Parfet frowned. True enough, on her screen was a countdown of numerous seconds. Over 200 seconds. "Oh no. It's a bomb! The surface of the planet is littered with bombs!"

"What?!" Magno cried as she overhead her crew talking. "That's it! Get that shield shut down right now! I will not lose anyone to this! Do you understand?!"

"Right!" the women nodded as they redoubled their efforts.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Meia! Meia, do you copy! Meia!" Decade-Ryuki shouted. "Meia, do you hear me!"

Meia was in her Vanguard and trembling uncontrollably. She was panicking. "I'm…I'm scared. Someone…help me!" The Vanguard was covered completely in sand and all her monitors were dark. She couldn't see out and in the cramped space of the Vanguard's cockpit, she was starting to suffocate.

"Crap, I knew something was up!" Decade-Ryuki grimaced. "Meia, just listen to the sound of my voice!"

All she got was a terrified whimper in response. That was just perfect. It had hit so hard Meia had no time to adjust and was now frozen in fear. Unless something was done soon, Meia might go beyond a panic attack and go into shock. From there it was anyone's guess as to what would happen.

"Meia!" Decade-Ryuki cried, steering the Vanguard Dragredder through the blowing sand. "Meia! Keep calm!"

"Helpmehelpmehelpmehelpme," Meia whimpered, clutching her head in fear, hoping to shield herself from the compressing walls.

"Oh she's going off the deep end," Decade-Ryuki frowned.

Suddenly, the sand blasted as several Sandguards rose up. However, Decade-Ryuki did notice that one of them was Meia's Vanguard which had been covered by the sand. The machine was being used against the Vanguard Dragredder by the sand itself.

"Damn this stuff is smart," Decade-Ryuki growled. "But no one's better than me in a fight!"

Cutting through the sandstorm, the Vanguard Dragredder smashed against the Sandguards. The constructs were blown apart by the impacts, but they quickly began regenerating. Still, for every one that she destroyed, Decade-Ryuki used a stream of fire to turn the regenerating Sandguard into a crystal statue. Still, with so much sand around, there were still more

Meanwhile Meia was still gasping for breath. She couldn't breathe! Everything was crushing her! It was going to crush her just like when she was little! She couldn't get out! She was trapped!

"pleasedon'tcrushmepleasedon'tcrushmepleasedon'tcrushme—I WANT MY FAHMA! OHMA! FAHMA! HELP ME!!" she screamed, actually shedding tears.

"Gotta get her out of there!" Decade-Ryuki told herself. "Can't lose her!" She had faced her fears many times but this was the first time she was going to help someone confront their own fears. "Meia, don't let your fear control you! Listen to the sound of my voice! Meai, please, don't let your fear take possession of you! You're stronger than this!" She didn't get response except more whimpering. "Crap, gotta get her out!"

Decade-Ryuki opened up her cockpit and then leapt put of it. In her hand was a card and with a single flick of her wrist she tossed it into her belt and reset the buckle.

**Final Attack Ride: Ryu-Ryu-Ryu-Ryuki**

The Vanguard Dragredder responded as its eyes flashed and it got behind its master. It opened its mouth wide as Decade-Ryuki got into a flying kick stance before it launched her like a missile via fireball. The female Rider went sailing through the air, trailing flames, as she executed the Dragon Rider Kick towards Meia's sand-covered Vanguard.

The flaming Kamen Rider smashed into the machine, tearing through steel and sand. However, she aborted the attack as she entered the core of the machine. Tearing through glass and metal, Decade-Ryuki smashed open a hollow chamber and found Meia. She was curled in a ball and whimpering with tears in her eyes.

"Aw Meia," Decade-Ryuki sighed. This was no way for anyone to be. Unlike the Kamen Rider who could fight back with the Neko-Ken if she was deep enough, Meia had no such defense and the fear was eating away at her.

Kicking the damaged hole wider, Decade-Ryuki entered the cockpit. She gently grasped Meia and picked her up before hitting the release switch to the Vanguard. The entry hatch opened wide and Decade-Ryuki didn't hesitate in getting out.

"I hate to do this to you Meia, but take a deep breath and calm your heart," Decade-Ryuki warned the bluenette. "It's going to get a little cramped again."

"Please no," Meia shuddered. "Please don't."

"Meia, I promise I won't let anything happen to you," Decade-Ryuuki assured the terrified Dread pilot. "I have seen too many good and innocent people die. I'm not going to let it happen to you."

Meia whimpered and clutched Decade-Ryuuki tightly. As she did so, the sand leaped at the pair as it was crushing the ruined Vanguard. Before it could reach the pair, the Vanguard Dragredder soared down and caught the pair before pulling them into its cockpit.

Decade-Ryuki took her place in the pilot seat and made sure that Meia was secure in her lap before taking full control again. It was time to take down these sand constructs…and that meant hitting the computer which was controlling them.

"Where are you?" Decade-Ryuki growled. The scanners in her machine came to life and examined the energies in the air to try and find the source of the enemies. The eyes of the Vanguard Dragredder locked onto the source of the signal and Decade-Ryuki grinned savagely. "Gotcha." The Vanguard transformed back into its humanoid shape before Decade-Ryuki activated her card.

**Attack Ride: Strike Vent**

"Bye bye!" Decade-Ryuki announced as she executed the attack, "DRAGON BREAK!!!"

Vanguard Ryuki unleashed another stream of fire from the dragon-head attachment. The flames cut into one of the old buildings, the most unassuming one too. However, it wasn't so unassuming when the building exploded like it was holding something flammable. As soon as the building went up, the Sandguards collapsed into piles of sand. The same happened for the Sandguards that were attempting to bring down Barnette, Dita, and Jura.

"Yay Ms. Alien!" Dita cheered.

"About time," Barnette panted.

"You're not so bad at this," Jura grinned. "But we'd be better as a team in my opinion."

"_That's all well and good, but you guys have to get your butts off that planet now!_" Parfet barked at the four pilots. "_We just discovered several high-powered explosives that are planted on that world! Since Ranma took out the computer the field is gone, so get your asses back here!_"

"Don't have to tell me twice!"

"Here we go!"

"Outta my way!"

"Get Meia's room ready. She's going to need it."

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"How is she doc?" Ranma asked Duelo.

"I've put her under sedation," said Duelo. "But it's a good thing you got her out of there when you did. She was about ready to go into shock."

"Yeah. Her fear was killing her," noted Ranma. "She'll be alright, right doc?"

"With some rest she'll be as good as new, but I don't recommend her going on any missions for awhile," said Duelo.

"She's gonna hate that," Ranma commented.

"It's for her own good. I'm a doctor and my responsibility is to my patients."

Paiway was pulling a blanket over Meia. The young nurse looked worriedly at her friend.

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"So you found something in the mess of data you and Parfet were rooting through while trying to get our pilots out?" Magno asked Gascone, who was reporting in on the command deck. The bombs on the planet had gone off not a second after the Vanguards returned. All trace of the enemy was wiped off the planet, leaving next to nothing for the Nirvana.

"Yes," Gascogne nodded as she brought up the data on the screens. "But you're not going to like it."

Pressing a few more buttons, the message read across the screen, "_Attention. This year's harvest includes red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, lymph products, etc. All blood products are in good condition._"

"Oh goodness," Ezra gasped, placing her hands on her growing abdomen protectively.

"They didn't…" another techie gasped.

"They…harvested the people here for their blood?" another gagged.

Magno frowned. It seemed that the people of the desert planet had been harvested like vegetables. Considering the trap was left by the current enemy, it was no guess that they were the ones who took the people. Were these monsters so inhuman that they considered humans just stock for body parts?

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Meia groaned softly and opened her eyes. Everything was fuzzy at first, but she quickly gained focus. Looking around, she found that she was in the infirmary. Next to her, Ranma was in male form and looking at her with a relieved smile.

"Hey," Ranma smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy," Meia sighed."Here to gloat?"

"No," Ranma denied. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay. You were pretty far gone when we were locked inside the Vanguards."

"…" Meia frowned. "I hate being afraid. I shouldn't have been so uncontrolled."

"It happens," Ranma sighed. "It's happened to me loads of times."

"What could you possibly be afraid of?" asked Meia with a frown. "Do you have any idea what its like to be so afraid you can't move? To be crying out for someone to help you but it never comes?"

"Yes," Ranma nodded, making Meia blink. "I know exactly how to feels to be that scared."

"Then what are you afraid of?" Meia asked simply.

"C-c-cats," Ranma stuttered with a shiver.

"Huh?" Meia blinked. "Cats? But they're the friendliest animals I've ever known. They're the most popular pets on Mejele."

"It's because of a martial arts technique that's supposedly unbeatable," Ranma frowned. "My father…uh, who you'd call an ohma, I think, found a manual about it. It was called Neko-Ken. Basically you dig a deep pit and dump a bunch of cats inside and let them starve for a few days."

"What?!" Meia gaped.

"Then you take the trainee and wrap him in fish products," Ranma continued. "The trainee is then thrown into the pit. Repeat until the technique is learned." He continued, "I sometimes have nightmares about that time too. Those…things would claw at me and I would scream but nobody would come to help me."

Meia just stared. Ranma had been put through such cruel treatment all in the name of training. She didn't sense any deception in his voice. He'd stuttered at the mention of the word 'cats'. Still, she was curious. "Why are you telling me this?" asked Meia.

"Because we both have that in common. We're both scared of something that not many people would bat an eye at. It's humiliating, but we're only human. We get scared," said Ranma.

Meia paused before she spoke again, "So, you've seen people die. You told me that."

"Yes, I have. They were the victims of Grongi, Orphenochs, Fangires, and dozens of other monsters" said Ranma sadly. "I was either to weak or too late to save them. I swore to myself that I would not let anyone die if I could help it. That's why I saved you. I didn't want to lose anyone else."

Meie frowned sadly. She knew exactly how that felt. Being a Dread pilot was risky and they sometimes lost pilots to accidents or enemy fire. Meia felt responsible for every one of them and it broke her heart when she lost a pilot. Dreads could be repaired and rebuilt, but pilots, fellow crewmembers, fiends, those couldn't be replaced. Meia remembered each and every one of them too.

"I know that we never got along because of Mejele's dislike of men," Ranma sighed. "But…I was honest before, we do make a pretty good team. Well that and even though you do put up a bravado, you're still a very kind person."

Meia rubbed the back of her neck as she felt heat come to her face. Why it was happening, she didn't know. Still, it just felt nice to be able to talk to Ranma like this. She didn't have to put on a brave face and he apparently saw through the front she always put up so to keep from hurting herself too badly. Ranma was also just talking. He didn't have his swagger in his voice or the confidence. He was just being himself at the moment.

As they were considering what to say next, Paiway entered the room. She had a bright smile on her face and a glass of water in her hands, "Ah, Meia! I'm so glad you're awake! I thought you might be thirsty when you woke up so I got you a g-wagh!"

Somehow, Paiway tripped over the threshold of the room and her glass of water went flying. Ranma reacted quickly and caught it, but the glass was upside down. As a result, the water came out and splashed him, turning him into Ranma-chan. The soggy redhead grumbled, hoping to stay a guy for longer than a few minutes.

Meia blinked at the event that just happened and promptly burst into laughter. She just couldn't help herself. After all the serious things that happened, she just had to let the laughs out. Ranma-chan looked to the laughing bluenette before she broke out in a smile and giggles herself. At least Meia was finally beginning to feel better now that it was all said and done.

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	89. Decadread 5

It'd happened so fast. The Cube-Fighters, Octo-Fighters and Seed Ships had attacked the Nirvana. As usual, Ranma had joined the Dreads in combat but in the middle of the fight Meia had taken a hard hit from one of the Harvester's newest ships. When the battle was finished off by Decade using his Final Attack Ride, Meia was immediately taken back to the Nirvana.

Meia was rushed to the medical bay by Duelo and Paiway. She was badly injured and needed surgery, fast. As this was happening, Ranma was leaning against the wall in the hallway, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"It should've been me…" he murmured. "Not her, nobody else. It should've been me…"

'_Decade, you're a destroyer,_' he remembered Narutaki's words. '_You exist to ruin, not to save._'

Ranma had thought that he had proven the dimension-hopping man wrong. He thought that by saving the nine Rider worlds, he had denied the destiny which Decade was supposedly a harbinger to. Now though it seemed that he was being a herald of death to those around him. First the ship he landed on was attacked by the women, then they were being assaulted by the enemy, now called Harvesters, and now Meia had taken a deadly hit from a new Harvester ship which was much faster than any of the others previously encountered.

"Why do I always end up hurting people around me?" Ranma asked himself sadly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Surface wound on the head and a ruptured spleen," Duelo frowned as he examined Meia as she was brought into the emergency room. He looked up to the fearful nurse who was waiting to know what she could do to help. "Get me some anesthetics, now!"

"Right!" Paiway nodded as she dashed to where the medicines were kept. Moving at high speed, she returned with a syringe with the right medicine. The girl may have only been an apprentice, but she knew her medicines well enough. "Do you want me to administer them now?"

"It would be prudent," Duelo nodded as he removed Meia's top, ignorant of her breasts. He preferred to pay attention to the medical needs of his patient at the moment. Paiway obeyed the order and injected Meia with the painkillers

Meia, was barely conscious after the attack, but felt the painkillers quickly take effect. As she started slipping out of consciousness, she whispered one word, "Fahma."

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"We took a bad hit today," Buzam frowned as they reviewed the data from the battle. "That Harvester ship caught Meia completely off guard. We were lucky the Vanguards and Ranma were able to destroy the majority of the forces and force them to retreat."

"No, they didn't retreat," Magno frowned. "This was a test run for their new ship. Now that they know it works, they'll be back for more."

"But who will lead the Dreads?" asked Buzam. "I mean, Meia's been the one in charge for so long."

"True, but Jura always came second," Magno agreed. "I just hope that she has a good head on her shoulders for this sort of thing."

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Dita was looking for Ranma. After the battle he'd run off. As usual, Dita wanted to see what was wrong with Mr. Alien. Usually, he was working out in the gym or at the Register but he was in neither of those places. Then she remembered that he liked to go to the Bio-Park to think.

When she got there she could hear the sound of pounding and followed it. She went to see what the source was and gasped when she saw that it was Ranma punching a tree, repeatedly. If he'd hit it with his full strength it would've broken in half but he wasn't. The skin of his knuckles had scraped off and they were bleeding. He also looked to be in pain, but not from the injuries on his hands.

"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she ran over to him. Ranma looked towards her as she checked his hands. "You're hurt!"

"Leave me alone, Dita," said Ranma softly. Dita could see that he was troubled and if possible that he'd been crying. "I just want to be alone."

"Are you worried about Meia?" Dita asked. "Don't worry. Paiway and the doctor will be able to help her."

Ranma had faith in Duelo, but he was actually troubled about himself and his supposed destiny. Was he going to prove Narutaki right and end up causing ruin to this place? He just wasn't sure.

"I know the doc can handle things, but it's my fault Meia got hurt. I should've been watching her back," said Ranma regrettably. "I should have been keeping an eye on that new type of enemy ship. I should have expected a new enemy ship by now!"

"But you couldn't have known," Dita argued, gently of course so not to upset her friend. "We can never really know what the bad aliens are going to do next."

"But I'm supposed to try and keep you all safe," Ranma frowned. "I don't want anyone to die. I don't even want anyone to get hurt."

"No one does," Dita replied. She kept Ranma's hands gently clasped in her own so to prevent him from hurting himself some more. "Only bad people like to do that."

Ranma sighed, still feeling miserable. Dita didn't know things about his life that he did, "You know, back when I was traveling planets, there was this guy. He called himself Narutaki and he always showed up on the planets where I found other Kamen Riders. He always said that I was destined to destroy all worlds. And sometimes, after I saw people getting killed by monsters, or like now with Meia, I have to wonder, was he right?"

"NO!" Dita cried out, grabbing Ranma's hands tightly. "No he wasn't! You're a very good person Mr. Alien! You don't hurt anyone except bad people! You've saved lots of people by being there! Remember when you told me about the Grongi? If you weren't there then Mr. Kuuga wouldn't have won and his world would be gone! You don't destroy worlds! You save them! And you're going to help save us from these mean aliens too!"

Ranma smiled at Dita's innocence. Even after all that had happened she still remained upbeat and determined, never losing hope. He envied her, slightly, since she wasn't going to give up at all. Meia would probably be upset with him if he gave up too.

"Guess I gotta help out more around here since Meia will be AWOL," said Ranma. Dita grinned back.

"That's right! She'll come back and then we'll fight those bad aliens together!" said Dita in determination.

"Then we'd better get things ready for her," Ranma grinned.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Adjust the oxygen levels please," Duelo asked Paiway as the pair operated on Meia. Her internal injuries were great and needed care to fix. However, she lost some blood in the incident and needed every drop they could spare. That meant that speed was a key factor for the operation as well.

Paiway obeyed the doctor and let more oxygen out of the tanks for Meia to breathe. She had never been in a real operation like this before and it was a new experience. Still, it was scary to see and she just prayed to the Mejele deities that the bluenette Dread pilot would be able to pull through.

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"Something wrong with your hands D-boy?" Gascogne asked as she and Ranma sat down for their game of cards.

"Just working out some stress," Ranma sighed. "I felt guilty for Meia getting hurt since I knew I should have been watching her back. Especially with that new Harvester ship that was darting all over the place."

"Well, hindsight is 20/20," Gascogne shrugged as she shuffled the deck. "The point is that Meia is going to pull through and now we know about this new ship so we can prepare for it. Next time we see it, blow the damn thing out of space. That's all there is."

"That was my plan," Ranma nodded. "Hopefully Jura can handle keeping the Dreads in line until Meia's back on her feet."

"I…would hope so," Gascogne grimaced, remembering how some of Jura's formations fared in days when Meia was incapable of doing the job herself. Now that was a mess.

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The Dreads were outside the Nirvana on standby. Jura, Meia's second in command, was taking over. Of course, that was what quite worrisome. Jura's leadership skills weren't exactly what one would consider capable. Even Magno knew this. Jura was only good at supporting Meia. Giving orders was the tricky part.

"Jura! This formation is a mess!"

"Where is the rest of my squad?"

"It's too crowded on this end!"

"Where's B formation?"

Jura gritted her teeth in agitation. She was doing horribly at the job and she knew it. She was trying hard to do what Meia was doing, but the buxom blonde was so much more inexperienced at the job than Meia. She never really took the time to learn everything Meia did as leader and the bluenette never taught anyone in case she went down.

Ironically, the Vanguards were doing well. They were spaced on an outer ring of defense while the Dreads tried to get their act together. Even though Ranma was a man, they still listened to what he had to say on the subject of defending the Nirvana. Barnette and a few others gave him some lip, but they couldn't argue with the strategy. They just would have preferred to have Ranma as a woman, making dealing with her easier.

"Do you need some help there Jura?" Ranma asked with a sigh.

"No I don't!" the blonde snapped. "I'm just a little rusty! Meia's been doing this for so long I haven't had the need to fill in for her before!"

"Well, we're just lucky that no one's attacking us yet," Ranma sighed. "Now do you think it's not such a dumb idea to get in practice?"

Jura huffed again, knowing that Ranma was right. He had asked Jura if she remembered everything that needed doing as leader of the Dreads. When she was struggling for an answer, Ranma immediately got Magno to authorize a training exorcise to get Jura up to scratch. Of course, it was taking longer than anyone thought. Meia hadn't exactly been willing to train anyone to take her place if something happened to her.

"You don't have to rub it in," Jura huffed indignantly.

"I'm trying not to," Ranma sighed. He pulled up a screen pointing out the formations. "Look, the right side of the Nirvana is a little open so why don't you have the B squad move there and let the A and C squads protect it."

"But that would leave a bigger opening for the enemy!" cried Jura.

"Maybe, but the shields are thicker on where A and C are. B and D need to watch that empty side since the shields are a little thinner."

"And how would you know?" askd Jura.

"I asked Parfet when I was asking around for how well defended the ship is," Ranma shrugged. "I also asked Bart since he feels pain when the ship gets hit. He says it hurts less of he gets hit there than if he got hit where B and D would be."

"Oh," Jura blinked. Pulling up the girls of the B squad, she began to give orders. "Okay, B squad, I want you to head over to the northwest side. There will be more space for you all there and the ship will be better protected."

"Finally a good decision!"

"Guess she picked up from Meia after all."

"I hate being crowded."

Ranma smiled. Since Jura always relied on Meia, Ranma had to help Jura with combat formations. He would give her helpful advice and suggestions and she would give the orders based on them. Still, he couldn't help but feel worried about Meia. What was she going through right now while unconscious.

"Don't worry, Meia," Ranma said to himself. "I'm not going to let you or the Nirvana down."

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"This isn't good," Duelo frowned as he looked over scans of the post-op surgery.

"What is it?" asked Paiway nervously.

"A piece of Paksis crystal is lodged in Meia's head," Duelo frowned. "It must have come from that headpiece that she wears."

"Can you get it out?" Paiway asked with a fearful squeak.

"Most likely I can," Duelo nodded. He had been trained in all forms of surgery during his years on Tarak. "However, I can only guess how it's affecting her at this moment. If we have to get it out, it has to be now!"

"I'll sterilize the instruments!" Paiway nodded as she dashed to the bloody implements. After all, something in the blood that the rest of the body could fight off might wreak havoc on more sensitive places like the brain.

"Get another kit of instruments as well," Duelo ordered the young nurse. "The sterilization process can take time we can't afford to use up. We start fresh."

"Right!" Paiway nodded.

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Inside her own mind, Meia was reliving her life. She recalled the happy times with her Ohma and Fahma, living as the child of a pair of famous scientists. She loved her parents very much and couldn't imagine a life without them.

Then the accident.

Meia was never sure how it happened, but she knew the results. She was crammed into an escape pod with all the other children in the complex which was how her fear of small places started. It was her own Fahma which shoved her in there, saying it was better this way.

She died in the accident.

People blamed Meia's parents for it all and the stigma of it never left. Meia grew distant from her Ohma and took to fighting on the streets. It never made her feel better though. All it did was remind her of what a mess her life turned out to be. She was on the brink of just ending it all herself.

Then she met Magno and found family on her ship.

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"We have incoming!" one of the Dreads cried from the west end of the ship.

"Damn!" Ranma hissed as he drew his Decade card and twisted his Decadriver open. "Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

Ranma become covered by the Decade armor while his Vanguard became the Vanguard Decade. Pulling his weapon out, Decade saw the approaching Harvester fighters. Among them all were the same ships that had managed to hurt Meia so badly. Narrowing his eyes in anger, Decade took aim and opened fire.

Shots blasted through space as the two sides opened fire. Cube-Fighters went down and Dreads took hits. The Speed-Fighters darted through it all with the intent of taking down the largest threats to their attack force. In this case, it was Decade, Jura, and Dita with their modified machines.

"Woah!" Dita cried as she avoided a blast. "The bad aliens don't like me!"

"Back off!" Jura snapped as she managed to shoot down one of the Speed-Fighters by pure chance.

"Jeez. These guys don't quit!" Decade growled. He reached to his Ridebooker and drew a Kamen Rider card. "But then again, neither do I! Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Faiz**

Red lines spread over the Vanguard Decade before it flashed bright red. When the light died down it had changed. It was now black save for the torso and shoulders which were silver. The same red lines were still on the armor and the head became round with large yellow eyes and red antennae.

"Now, let's show these guys what we're made of," Decade-Faiz frowned as he prepared for the fight. "Here we go!!!"

Vanguard Faiz soared through space, blasting the enemy fighters with his gun. This was for Meia's sake. The Nirvana would not fall while he and the rest out there were fighting for the sake of this family.

"HYAH!!!" Decade-Faiz roared as he smashed his Vanguard's fist through a Cube-Fighter and then tossed it at the rest of its kin, blowing them all out. "GO TO HELL!!!"

Obviously, he was pissed.

"Wow, Mr. Alien must be angry," stated Dita.

"Hm, wonder what that wonderful machine will turn into," Jura admired. Black, silver and red really looked good on Ranma's Vanguard.

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The Nirvana was also under heavy fire. Bart flinched whenever he got hit but still made sure to keep the ship steady. He learnt how to fire some of the weapons. The bridge crew were also hard at work, determining the enemy's position. Still, the Speed-Fighters were not making it easy for them. They almost moved too fast for the ship's scanners to track.

"We're getting bombarded!" Buzam growled as she tried to keep steady.

"Keep your wits about you," Magno ordered. "Its going to get worse before it gets better."

Outside, the Vanguard Faiz had slipped past another volley of Cube-Fighters which it managed to smash. Grunting, Decade-Faiz looked over to see more of the Speed-Fighters aiming at the Nirvana, seeing it as a greater threat than even himself and the Dreads.

"Oh no you don't!" Decade-Faiz hissed as he prepared tolaunch himself at the enemies. However, before he could, his ride booker popped open and a card popped out. This one was an Attack Ride card. The Autovajin.

"But I can't use my Machine Decader here," Decade-Faiz pondered. "Well, the gear hasn't turned me wrong yet. Here goes."

**Attack Ride: Autovajin**

Suddenly, the symbol for Faiz appeared in front of the Nirvana. It then moved backwards and engulfed the ship in a red flash. Emerging from the opposite side, the ship no longer looked the same. Instead, it appeared to have taken on the appearance of a giant metal robot with a wheel on its arm and one on its back. Handlebars stretched from its neck and its visor flashed green.

"Huh?" Bart blinked inside the navigation well. "What happened?"

Looking around, he saw a bunch of Cube Fighters flying at him again. Crying gout in shock and swatting at them, he was shocked to find a metal limb reach out and crush the fighters as if he were using his own hands. Blinking in surprise, he began to grin. "Oh yeah! It's payback time!"

"What the hell happened?!" Buzam cried out as she saw an outside view of the ship. "What did Ranma do?"

"That boy is just full of surprises," Magno chuckled. She hit a button and called up Gascogne. "Are you girls in the Registry still able to work?"

"_Yeah,_" the muscular woman nodded. "_D-boy's stunt just caught up by surprise. We can still get out through the torso of this machine he turned our ship into. He kind of stunned us for a moment before we got our senses back._''

"Then keep our girls armed and flying," Magno ordered.

"_Will do,_" Gascogne saluted.

Dita was looking at the Autovajin Nirvana with a look of surprise and wonderment. "Wow, Mr. Alien's Power is awesome!"

"Now if that isn't elegant, I don't know what is," said Jura.

"Admire it later, you two. I just gave the Nirvana some new weapons but it'll only last as long as I'm in this form," informed Decade-Faiz.

The Autovajin Nirvana was shooting down the enemy fighters with ease, the wheel on its arm proving to be a weapon itself by shooting a barrage of blasts.

"Bart, make the Nirvana reach behind itself," Decade-Faiz said to the helmsman.

"Huh? Why?" Bart questioned.

"Just get ready for a surprise," was all the Rider said.

Shrugging, Bart did as told and when the Nirvana Autovajin reached behind itself, it grabbed hold of one of the handlebars and pulled, revealing a long red blade. The Faiz Edge was now in its hands.

"Hope you know how to use a sword," said Decade-Faiz. He saw the fighters surrounding him and his machine, "Now, you bastards, you better remember that I'm no normal pilot. I'M A KAMEN RIDER AND YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

Vanguard Faiz dove into the fray, shooting and punching at the Cube and Speed-Fighters. The Dreads and other Vanguards seemed to take new heart in his battle cry, taking the fight to the next level. Even the speed of the newest Harvester ships seemed to be inadequate for the battles as the Dreads and Vanguards began to find ways to compensate. Bart was having an awesome time as he swatted Cube-Fighters with his weapon. He never really got to take full part beyond firing a few guns before. Now he could pay them back for all the pain they caused him when they shot at the Nirvana.

"Fear my power!" the blonde man laughed maniacally as he shot down a few Cube-Fighters. "Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"At least someone is having fun," Buzam grumbled as she held onto Magno's chair for support.

Vanguard Faiz circled past a group of Harvester fighters. They were starting to collect together to try and use combined firepower on the Dreads and Vanguards. Well, that was going to change soon enough.

"Dita!" Decade-Faiz spoke to the redhead while drawing a card. "It's time to partner up!"

"Okay Mr. Alien!" Dita smiled, gunning the acceleration towards her friend.

"Hey! It's my turn!" Jura tried to argue, but Dita was already on her way. Decade-Faiz just dropped his card into the Decadriver and activated it.

**Final Form Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz**

A trigger mechanism rose from the Vanguard Faiz's chest while its head vanished into a metal shell. Flipping over, its arms folded onto its back and were covered with white metal. The same happened traveling down the machine's legs before finally two barrels emerged inside a metal casing at the feet. Like the Blade Blade, the Faiz Blaster also grew in size. At the same time, Dita's Dread transformed again, red lines appearing down its hull and a head with yellow eyes and short antennae making an appearance on the humanoid form. It had changed into the Dread Faiz.

Taking hold of the Faiz Blaster, Dita took aim at the cluster of Harvester ships, "Ready Mr. Alien!"

"Hit the secondary trigger!" Decade-Faiz spoke to his partner.

Dita did so and the Faiz Blaster unleashed a stream of red energy. It collided with the front of the mass of ships before turning into a red cone. An electric surge flowed through the Harvester ships, killing their engines. They were all dead in space.

"Now we finish them!" Decade-Faiz nodded, bringing out the last card.

**Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz**

"Ready," Decade-Faiz spoke to Dita as energy pooled in the barrel of the gun. "Aim…" Dita licked her lips as she took the best aim that she could. She wanted to get them all in one shot. "Fire!"

Dita did so and her Dread Faiz pulled the trigger. A column of red power shot through the empty space and right into the cone. The results were amazing as every Harvester ship exploded in a haze of heat and light. As the light died down, the red image of a Phi symbol could be seen remaining. Of course, that symbol quickly faded too.

"We did it!" Dita cheered. Her Dread returned to normal as the Faiz Blaster shrunk and reverted back into the Vanguard Faiz. Pixels covered its body as it returned to Vanguard Decade. Inside, Decade was holding the Faiz card after it was ejected. The Nirvana also turned back to normal.

"Another chance foiled!" Jura grumbled.

"Sorry, Jura, but Dita was the closest," Decade apologized.

"In the next battle we partner up!" insisted Jura.

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In the medical bay, Meia seemed to smile as tears fell from her closed eyes. Shuffling in her bed, she opened her eyes, feeling peaceful after seeing her Fahma again. Her vision was blurry, but she quickly noticed the faces of a smiling Paiway and Duelo.

"We brought you back!" Paiway smiled in relief. "I'm so glad to see you're okay Meia!"

"It was a little uncertain for a while," Duelo nodded. "Still, the surgery was a success and we managed to get you fixed up."

"Oh," Meia nodded groggily. She reached up to her face and found a certain piece fo tech she always wore missing. "Where's my-?"

"Right here," Paiway replied, holding up a tray with the headpiece on it. Meia quickly took it and placed it back where it belonged. "It must be a pretty important memento."

"It's more than that," Meia replied. "It's a lesson."

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"Yo, Meia," Ranma greeted his recovering friend. She was still in the medical bay. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than ever," said Meia, smiling slightly. "Just a few headaches and I'll be sore for a few days."

"That's good." Ranma sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Meia blinked.

"I'm sorry you got hurt. I…I was supposed to be watching your back like everyone else's. Because I wasn't quick enough, you got hurt."

"Ranma…" Meia said softly, surprised to see the regretful tone in her fellow crewman's voice. Ranma was always confident and a little arrogant. It was odd to see him this way. Then again, he wasn't like how she was made to view most men and since he could turn into a girl he knew what it was like to be both genders. Guess he got the best of both worlds. "It wasn't your fault."

"Doesn't make me feel any less lousy. I'm a Rider. I'm supposed to protect people," said Ranma.

"Ranma, I've been taking care of myself for years," Meia sighed. "While I do appreciate the sentiment, I am a big girl. I am able to take care of myself. I've been doing it for year."

"I understand that here," Ranma nodded as he pointed to his head. His hand then trailed down to where his heart was. "But it's a lot harder to convince myself of that here."

Really, Meia had to admire that kind of conviction. It was sort of how she felt about her girls in the Dread squads. She knew they could take care of themselves, but her heart always feared that if something happened then it would be her fault. Seeing Ranma here, showing something other than his brash side, made Meia see him as just more than a simple man. She was beginning to see why Dita liked him so much.

"It takes some doing," the Dread leader nodded. "Now come on. I'm hungry and I'm feeling like something big to eat. Want to come?"

"Sure," Ranma smiled. "I'm hungry enough to even eat those Tarak food pills."

"Ew, don't talk about those," Meia gagged. "As nutritious as they are, they taste horrible!"

"Yeah, and I've tasted some really bad stuff," Ranma nodded, recalling Akane's cooking.

Walking side by side, Meia and Ranma headed for the ship's cafeteria. They chatted only a little, but a new understanding had been forged between them. It was something that Ranma seemed to be doing with a number of the women onboard.


	90. Decadread 6

Dita hummed happily to herself as she worked on her little present that she was preparing. It was a pink pillow that had an extra-cute alien that resembled a squid with tentacles. Dita was just finishing the stitches on the alien's tentacles when Paiway skipped over to see what she was doing.

"What are you doing?" asked the teenage nurse.

"Just making something," Dita answered.

"Oh, are you going to give it to someone?" Paiway asked curiously.

"Ummm," Dita blushed. In fact, she was going to give the pillow to Ranma. Jura was getting pretty aggressive with how much she wanted to partner up with the pigtailed boy. Dita was slightly worried that her Mr. Alien would forget about her and start partnering with Jura all the time. So, she was making the gift to keep his attention.

"If it's not for anyone, can I have it?" asked Paiway.

"Huh!?" Dita gasped. "No! You can't! It's for Mr. Alien!" Blushing when she realized what she said, Dita dashed out of the Bio-Park. Paiway just blinked before she looked to her familiar frog puppet.

"Barf! Kero!"

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Ranma was doing some training. In the Bio-Park he could commune with nature. This way he could concentrate his Ki and practice his special techniques without any interference. He felt that by relying too much on his Kamen Rider powers would make his skills rusty so he decided to get some practice done.

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Meanwhile, an odd looking Vanguard was flying through space. It was colored black and blue with a faceplate that had several blue panels sticking out of its eyes. It also sported a gun with a rectangular design. Inside the cockpit was a young man in a waist coat, wearing a blue cap with matching pants. He activated the communications channel, "Hey, Rabat, are you out there, talk to me?"

The image of a man with an eye patch appeared on the screen, "Well, well, well…how is my favorite treasure hunter? Got anything new you wanna share with me?"

"Maybe, but we'll discuss price once we meet up. You got stuff I want and I got stuff you want," said the Vanguard pilot.

"Yeah, I got it. So, got another target in mind?" Rabat asked curiously.

"Oh yeah…" the Vanguard pilot smirked.

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The Nirvana had set its sights on one of the old stations which had come from the colonization era. They were called Missions and were set up for travelers to get some well needed rest and interact with other people. However, this Mission was abandoned for some time. Even though this one was abandoned, Magno had decided that it was worth examining to see if there was anything left worth seeing and taking. They were low on supplies. The ones going on the mission were Dita, Ranma, Pyoro, Jura, Meia, and Barnette.

"It feels like I'm about to rob a tomb," Ranma muttered as the Vanguard and Dreads docked in the Mission.

"We're going looting! Pyoro!" the NAVI robot cheered.

"It's not looting!" Meia frowned.

"Then what is it?" asked Pyoro curiously.

"It's…searching for raw materials," Meia explained. "The stuff we fix our machines with don't come out of thin air."

"Oh. Okay. Pyoro!" Pyoro smiled before he headed off to see what the others were going to do.

"Still feels like we're stealing," stated Ranma. "I know nobody lives here anymore but it's like stealing from the dead or something. We're no better than grave robbers."

"Life can be cruel, Ranma," Meia reminded. "We do what we must to survive."

"Yeah, so stop complaining!" added Barnette.

"Right, right…" Ranma rolled his eyes.

Dita had wanted to give Ranma the pillow she'd made but then this mission came up. Maybe she could give it to him later. He did seem like he could need a new pillow.

One time, Dita made the mistake of giving Ranma a cat doll. One look at the item immediately had Ranma running away, screaming. Dita was perplexed and hurt by his reaction…until she found out why he reacted that way from Meia. Dita was horrified by what she heard and solemnly promised to never hurt him like his awful parent had.

The group entered the Mission and began their salvage mission. Meia and Barnette handled some of the more technical stuff while Dita and Jura looked for anything else in terms of supplies. Hopefully the place wasn't really stripped to the bone as much as it seemed when the group had arrived. Ranma was kicking around the cafeteria for something that wasn't spoiled or gone when his instincts kicked up. Looking up, he spotted something blur past.

"What is it Mr. Alien?" asked Dita.

"Something's here," Ranma frowned. "Stay here, call if something happens!" he then took off in the direction of the disturbance.

"Wait! Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she tried to give chase.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barnette sighed as she traveled through one of the hallways of the Mission. The computer had given some good components, but nothing that she would consider real loot. Leaving Meia to pack it up, she went in search of other stuff.

Turning the corner, she bumped into someone. Startled slightly, she looked up and saw the familiar face of one of her fellow shipmates.

"Oh, Ranma. Don't scare me like that," Barnette sighed. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Dita? And where did you get that outfit?"

"Uh…" Ranma blinked. The outfit he was wearing included a pair of jeans, sneakers, a leather jacket, and a hat on his head. His hair was still in its pigtail and his eyes looked the same. Although, there was a strange look in his eyes when he took in her form.

"I…thought I heard something," Ranma answered weakly. "I went to see what it was. I found these clothes instead. Figured I needed to change."

"Perfect timing for new clothes," Barnette sighed as she watched Ranma. "Did you find anything else?"

"Not really," Ranma shrugged before he leaned against the wall. A grin then came to his face "You know, would you say that we really now each other all that well?"

"I would prefer not to," Barnette huffed.

"Ah, don't be that way," Ranma grinned, stepping closer to Barnette, gazing into her eyes. "Really, we've known each other for how long now?"

"A-a while I guess," Barnette shrugged. Why was it suddenly getting warm?

"Well, don't you think we should at least be on friendly terms?" Ranma asked with an easy smile. "I mean, we have been working together for a while, am I wrong?"

"You know why I don't like you," Barnette frowned, still feeling warm for some reason.

"Now really, are you really going to hold it against me?" Ranma smiled easily. "I mean, I can hardly be blamed for it."

"Well," Barnette gulped. That was true. It's not like Ranma chose to be a man at birth. The curse sure made dealing with him easier, but still, what was up with him right now? Usually they avoided each other like crazy. Now he's acting all cozy with her like they were best friends.

"I'm sure we can find some kind of way to work around it," Ranma smiled, drinking in her figure.

'_Is he checking me out?_' Barnette thought to herself. '_Gross! He's a man Barnette! But…that look in his eyes…it's very warm. Besides, when was the last time someone looked at you like that?_'

"Okay, enough chat!" Barnette huffed, backing away slightly. "We both need to get back to work. We can work out our differences later!"

"Fine," Ranma shrugged as he stood straight. "But I'll need one thing from you first."

"And that would be?" asked Barnette.

Ranma grinned widely. Suddenly, Barnette felt herself being tilted back and a pair of lips on her own, kissing her passionately, "MNPH!?!?"

Barnette's eyes were wide in shock. A man was kissing her! A man's dirty lips were kissing her and…wow he was good at it too. He held her gently and didn't press. Just a single long kiss which made Barnette's vision swim. She thought she could feel his tongue press against her lips, but never press inside. The conscious part of Barnette's mind told her to beat down this male who was touching her, but a subconscious instinctual side was reveling in the sensations and begging to go farther, effectively freezing her.

Finally, Ranma gently brought her back to a standing position and ended the kiss. He had a grin on his face like a kid who snuck a cookie out of the cookie jar.

"Thanks for the memories," Ranma grinned as he walked off, leaving a stunned, blushing, warm and utterly confused Barnette behind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma walked out into the man room where Meia was busy working on the components she managed to get out of the computers. Barnette had gone to find more and wasn't back yet. Meia looked up from her work to notice Ranma's red shirt glaring in the darkness, "What are you doing here?"

"I don't think we're alone on this station," Ranma frowned. "Something was hiding in the room me and Dita were exploring and it ran out here."

"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she dashed out behind Ranma. She was panting and trying to catch her breath. "You run real fast."

"Hmmm, well, I didn't see anything out here," Meia frowned as she prepared her laser ring. "It's probably nothing."

"No, someone's here," Ranma frowned. He looked up at one of the doorways shrouded in darkness. He pointed to it with a frown. "You can come out now."

"Well, well, well, you were always so sharp, weren't you, Decade-kun?" spoke a mocking voice not unlike his own. Ranma's eyes narrowed. He knew that voice.

Ranma turned and Dita gasped when she saw the man leaning against the wall. He looked just like Ranma!

"TWO Mr. Aliens!?" Dita exclaimed.

"Diend!" Ranma hissed angrily.

"In the flesh!" the jacketed boy laughed. "I've gotta say, I never expected to find you here of all places. Seems your luck with women remains the same too. Surrounded by babes. You lucky dog."

"Shut up," Ranma frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Doing what I do best of course," Ranma-Diend grinned. "Hunt down treasures and one of a kind items. I am a collector after all."

"You're a dirty thief is what you are," Ranma growled, remembering some of the exploits that he and Diend had to go through in the past.

"One man's opinion," Ranma-Diend shrugged.

"Ranma, who is this?" Meia asked as her eyes darted between the two Ranmas. "And why does he look like you?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you, did he? I'm his…" Ranma-Diend began.

"Evil twin brother," Ranma finished. Ranma-Diend frowned.

"Aw…come on. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not evil."

"That's a matter of opinion. So, what's a thief like you doing in a place like this?" Ranma asked his thieving counterpart.

"Oh, you know me. Once I see a treasure, I can't help but want to claim it." Ranma-Diend darted over to Dita. "And speaking of treasures…So, cutie, where have you been all my life, hm?"

Before Dita could respond Ranma shoved Ranma-Diend away. "Back off."

"Wow, protective are we? Does that mean she's your new girlfriend or something?" Ranma-Diend teased.

Ranma blushed, denying, "It's not like that!" Ranma-Diend then looked towards Meia who was pointing her laser ring at him.

"Oh, feisty, huh? I like feisty girls."

"State your purpose," Meia demanded. "And NO funny stuff."

"Or what, you'll shoot me?"

"If I have to," Meia frowned.

Ranma knew this was a fight Meia wouldn't win when it came to drawing speed. Ranma-Diend was an expert marksman and just as fast as Ranma despite not having the same martial arts training. However, Ranma-Diend had been all over the world learning all sorts of martial arts while Ranma had only been to Japan and China. Not to mention that Ranma-Diend probably still had the Diendriver on him still. His main weapon of choice.

"Well, since you asked," Ranma-Diend shrugged as he backed away, but the flirtatious look in his eyes when he gazed at Meia and Dita didn't leave. "I'm just here gathering supplies and stuff I can use for another sale. A guy has to make a living somehow. Am I wrong to assume you're here for parts too?"

"Are you the only one here?" Meia asked sternly.

"Actually…." Ranma-Diend began.

"AHHHHHHH!!! HELP ME! PYORO!" a certain NAVI screamed.

"That would be Utan. Rabat can't be too far behind."

"Rabat?" asked Ranma.

The group went to the source of the screams and found a orangutan clutching the white robot and licking it happily. Pyoro himself was screaming for help as the orangutan seemed perfectly happy to cuddle it and use it as a toy.

"Wow. Utan seems to have taken a liking to your toy," Ranma-Diend grinned. "Think I can buy it off you guys?"

"No way!" Dita frowned. "Pyoro is ours! You can't have him…Mr. Alien 2!"

"Mr. Alien 2?" Ranma-Diend blinked. "Wow. Never been called that before. So she's already got a pet name for you bro? Sure you're not dating?"

"Will you just stop?" Ranma growled. "You're as annoying as ever."

"Oh lighten up. It's fun!" Ranma-Diend laughed. He looked out to the metal hallways, expecting to see someone. "Hey Rabat! It's okay! These guys aren't bad. Just don't pull anything funny!"

"If you say so Diend," a deep male voice replied. A man walked out of a side hallway with his hands in his pockets. He was a tall and muscular man dressed in a poncho with an eye patch over one eye. He had long black hair which was mostly tied back with a bit sticking out in the front. He walked up until he was beside the orangutan who was still hugging Pyoro.

"Anyway, Han Solo and Chewbacca here are my business associates," Ranma-Diend introduced.

"I told you not to call me that anymore," Rabat grimaced.

"What? It's fun, Rabat," said Ranma-Diend with a grin.

"So, this is that brother of yours, huh? Looks more like a clone," stated Rabat as he eyed Ranma.

"Yeah, we look alike, but we disagree on a few things," stated Ranma-Diend.

"Sorry if I disagree on stealing," Ranma responded sarcastically.

"Wow, still as touchy as ever, I see…" Ranma-Diend smirked. "But, I'm glad you're here. You and I got a score to settle."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jura noticed that when she found Barnette, her emerald haired friend seemed a little off. Jura, worried for her best friend, asked, "Hey, Barnette, what's wrong?"

Ever since that kiss Ranma had given her, Barnette's mind was all jumbled up. She'd been kissed before by fellow Mejele females, but a kiss from a man was definitely a new experience…and not exactly as unpleasant as she was led to believe. Though she still believed that men had some sort of germs on them, she couldn't get the image out of her mind. Still, she would need to teach Ranma a lesson for invading her personal space. Maybe she could make him into a target when she went to practice her shooting.

"Hello? Barnette?" asked Jura.

…or maybe get him to kiss her again, just to see if he was cocky enough to try.

"BARNETTE!" Jura snapped.

"Wagh!" the gun enthusiast cried in shock. She looked to see the frowning Jura. "What?"

"You were spacing out!" Jura frowned. "Is something up?"

"N-no," Barnette denied. "Just…distracted, I guess."

"Must be some distraction then," Jura frowned. "Anyway, Meia gave us a call. Something came up and she wants all to converge on her position. "It seems we weren't as alone on this ship as we first thought."

"Good" Barnette grinned. She then drew her gun and shut the safety off. "I need something to get my mind back in order."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We do?" asked Ranma. "What do you mean?"

"Well, a couple of things," Ranma-Diend laughed as he walked a fair distance away from Ranma. "Like…preventing me from getting the Keroberos Ace cards or those Neo Zectors. You cost me some nice treasures."

"I weep for you," Ranma snorted. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Why, take it out of your hide," Ranma-Diend grinned. He then took out something that was hidden in his jacket. A rectangular gun with blue and black designs on it. Meia instantly raised her laser ring again, pointing at the armed boy.

"Drop the weapon!" she barked.

"Yes, why don't you?" a new voice purred before Ranma-Diend felt something poke into his back.

"Hmmm. A woman with a sword," Ranma-Diend grinned as he glanced back to see Jura with her sword at his back and Barnette pointing a gun at him. "Hey, it's you again, and you brought a friend too. Lucky me!"

"You," Barnette growled. "You're lucky I don't shoot you on principle!"

"Oh come on!" Ranma-Diend sighed. "That kiss wasn't that bad was it?"

Silence reined from the woman. The only things that broke the noise were Utan's pleased hooting and Rabat's snickers. The female pirates could only stare at their comrade, who was blushing brightly.

"You kissed this guy?" asked Jura.

"No I didn't!" Barnette snapped. "He kissed me!"

Ranma-Diend grinned cheekily as the two women argued about the kiss. Taking his opportunity, he leaped into the air, stunning all but Ranma. As he was flying through the air, Ranma-Diend drew a card which depicted a blue Kamen Rider with a paneled box-like helmet. He then landed on the ground and slipped the card into his gun. He then pushed the barrel forward, extending the weapon.

**Kamen Ride:**

"Henshin!" he called as he pointed his gun into the air and pulled the trigger.

**Diend**

Three images appeared around him a fourth one from above. The three around him turned into red, blue, and green images which converged onto him, forming a suit of armor. The fourth above, turned into several blue panels which flew down and attached to the helmet and turned part of the suit blue.

"Always a show off," Ranma sighed as he attached the Decadriver to his waist. He turned the device up and drew his Decade card. "Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Decade**

The nine symbols emerged and became body images which converged on Ranma, becoming his armor. The red panels rose from the belt and attached to his face, turning the suit red in several places. Decade sighed and drew his Ride Booker, converting it into its gun formation.

"Okay, till first blood or knock down?" asked Decade.

"Whichever happens first," Diend laughed. "Of course, I plan to make this hurt since those treasures were very precious."

"Whatever," Decade sighed as he drew a card. Diend was quick to copy him by drawing from a panel on his belt.

**Attack Ride: Blast**

Both Riders fired a barrage of bullets at each other, which collided in the air, making small explosions. The group of witnesses could only watch in shock as they saw the marksmanship involved with doing that sort of thing. The speed alone was amazing, but being able to shoot bullets out of the air was on another level altogether.

"Wow!" Dita gasped in amazement.

"As I thought," Diend sighed as he stopped shooting. "Still pretty good."

"Glad to see you haven't gotten rusty you perv," Decade sighed.

"Now that's not nice," Diend frowned. He tilted his head towards Barnette. "The green-haired babe there didn't seem to mind. I think she rather enjoyed herself."

"Maybe," Decade sighed. "But she's from Mejele I'll have you know. They don't like men there."

"The lesbian planet?" Diend laughed. "Oh, I know about that place. They only hate men because they never met a real one and their government supports hating men. When they meet a guy like you or me, their opinion will change. I'm sure you can testify to that."

Decade's eyes narrowed before charging at Diend, converting his Ride Booker to Sword Mode. Of course, Diend was good at tricks and as quickly as Decade attacked, he'd activated his own card.

**Attack Ride: Invisible**

Decade hit nothing but air as Diend seemed to vanish.

"Where did he go?" Meia questioned. Diend had just vanished.

"Can't fight what you can't see, can you, Decade-kun?" Diend's voice floated as Decade looked around for his opponent. "Where am I?"

"I can fix that," said Decade as he drew a card. "Henshin!"

**Kamen Ride: Kiva**

His body became covered in silver before shattering into the form of Kamen Rider Kiva. He then activated another card.

**Form Ride: Kiva Dogga**

Chains surrounded his arms and chest before shattering as the eyes turned from yellow to purple. Purple and silver armor that was bulky and looked bolted together replaced the Kiva Form armor. He placed the Ride Booker on his waist as he gripped the large fist-like war hammer that appeared in his hand.

"Now, to find you," said Decade-Kiva DF as he pulled a switch at the back of the hammer, opening up the fist to reveal an eye in the palm. The eye was connected to Decade-Kiva DF's visor and it scanned the area before it found the invisible Diend. "There!" He then tossed the hammer at Diend who suddenly reappeared and dodged the hammer as it smashed against a wall.

"Heh, nice, but you're still too slow!" Diend boasted before he rushed at Decade, moving at super speed. Decade-Kiva DF was struck from all directions as Diend blurred around. Several shots bombarded off his armor as he was sent tumbling and changed back into his default form. "And I thought you were the best."

"I am," Decade said as he got up. "You just use those tricks to win."

"Hey, they may be tricks, but they've saved my skin. And…for my next trick I will call on some volunteers!" Diend reached to his card holder and pulled out two cards before sliding them into his gun.

**Kamen Ride: Delta**

**Kamen Ride: Drake**

Diend shot his gun and two blurs of green, blue, and red images burst into the air. The first one forms into a man in black armor which had white lines running on it. There was a Delta symbol on the chest and the shoulder pads looked a little like wings. The helmet was black with white markings and orange eyes. In between the eyes was an upside-down delta marking flanked by two antennae. In his hand was a gun which looked similar to a camcorder from Earth.

The second was a man in a black bodysuit wearing chest armor that looked like dragonfly wings. His right shoulder looked like a dragonfly's head. In his hand was a gun that was styled after a dragonfly. His helmet was mainly silver with two large blue eyes which looked almost like wings.

"Hey! Three against one isn't fair!" Dita cried out in defense of her friend.

"War is never fair sweet thing," Diend shrugged as he and his two summoned Kamen Riders took aim. "Let's light him up!"

**Kamen Ride: Caucasus**

As the bullets began to fly, Decade's armor changed to the gold configuration of Caucasus. The bullets were flying closer as he managed to draw a second card and throw it into his belt.

**Attack Ride: Clock Up**

Decade-Caucasus vanished, leaving the bullets to deflect off the steel floor. The trio of Riders stopped firing to try and see where their target went, but they were too slow. Decade-Caucasus roared past, making sparks fly off their armor and all three hit the ground. Drake and Delta both vanished in a flash of rainbow images. Diend groaned as he sat up, staring at Decade. The tip of his blade was at his throat, indicating a victory.

"Oh man," he sighed. "Okay, okay. I give. You win this time."

"Was there any doubt?" Decade snorted, grabbing his counterpart's hand and pulling him up to his feet.

"Hey, this just means I'll have to think of something new," Diend warned. "I'll pay you back eventually.

"YAY MR. ALIEN!" Dita's cheering voice called out as she tackled Decade's side, hugging him tightly. "You beat Mr. Alien 2!"

"Hey, if you're done playing, Diend, we got a job to do," said Rabat.

Diend nodded. "Right, I nearly forgot about that." He yawned as he stretched his arms. It had been a while since he got a good fight. "Gotta get back to work and make a living." He saluted his twin and his friends. "Hope to see you in another part of the galaxy, Decade-kun."

Suddenly, the entire Mission began to shake and tremble. The assembled group losing their balance as something within the Mission began happening. Outside the Mission though was what was happening. The asteroids which surrounded the place ejected large machines which shot out dozens of smaller robotic spacecraft. All of them began targeting both the approaching Nirvana and the ships which were docked.

"All hands report for battle!" Buzam ordered the crew of the Nirvana.

Inside the station, the people from the Nirvana managed to hear a report from outside. They knew that they were in trouble now.

"Time to go," Diend sighed. He turned to look at Decade. "See you out there."

"Just like old times," Decade grumbled.

Decade, Dita, Jura, Barnette, and Meia went running for their ships to attempt to get out. Rabat, Utan who was holding Pyoro, and Diend raced for their own ships. Everyone quickly got to their machines and hit the activation sequences. All the ships exited into space, seeing the Drone Ships flying through space and fighting against the Nirvana and its Dread squadrons.

"Here we go," Decade frowned as he flew at the battle.

"Mr. Alien! Let's partner up!" Dita called to the modified Vanguard

"Oh no, it's my turn Dita!" Jura demanded.

"Can you deal with this later?!" Decade growled. His eyes were trained on the oncoming drones which were already taking pot shots at them. As the ships came closer though, new shots cut through space and destroyed each of the ships. "Huh?"

"Yeeeeehhaaaaa!" the voice of Diend cheered as his machine flew into the thick of the battle. It certainly looked like a modified Vanguard, but it seemed to be of the same configuration as Decade's. It was even bigger than the regular Vanguards like Decade's

"Mr. Alien 2?" Dita blinked in confusion.

"My name's Diend," the blue Kamen Rider sighed. "Repeat after me, Di-end

"Why are you helping us?" asked Meia with a frown.

"Well I can't get out of here without fighting anyway," Diend shrugged. "Besides, I really can't let a bunch of beautiful women fend for themselves in a battle, no matter how capable they really are."

"Keep talking and they're going to shoot you," Decade warned.

"Just being my charming self," Diend shrugged. He turned his view screen to see the drones still attacking. "Well, might as well blow some more stuff up."

Diend opened fire on the drones with his mecha's gun. The shots cut through the enemy ranks and missed the Dreads which were fighting them. His marksmanship was as sharp as ever as he blew up the enemy machines.

"You're not leaving me out of this," Decade frowned as he got the Vanguard Decade flying towards the battlefield.

"Wait for me!" Dita cried out.

"Hey! We're supposed to partner up!" Jura added, flying after the machine.

Decade ignored him as his mecha's own weapon was cutting down the drone's numbers. He slashed at them with his sword as his thieving counterpart shot at them.

"Now, isn't this interesting? First we fight each other and now we're working together," stated Diend.

"Whatever," snorted Decade.

"Hm…better cut these things down quickly," said Diend as he slipped a gold card into his gun. He then inserted the barrel into an interface on the console.

**Final Attack Ride: Di-Di-Di-Diend**

Diend's Vanguard pointed its gun forward and nine rings of rectangles formed, creating a tunnel between him and the drones. On closer inspection, it was revealed that the rectangles were cards. The nine rings of cards spun, creating a vortex which kept the drone fighters in place with a vacuum. With the attack charged up, Diend pulled the trigger. A green and black surge of energy burst from the gun, absorbing the cards before finally crashing against the drones. They all exploded when the beam hit them.

"Boo-YAH!" Diend cheered. "Beat that, Decade-kun!"

"I intend to," Decade snorted as he drew his next card.

**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De****-Decade**

Nine gold projections emerged in front of the Vanguard Decade and were aimed at the machines which were sending out the Drone fighters. Blasting into the air, the Vanguard Decade moved into a kick position and fired its rockets. The giant machine flew through the projections before emerging from the final one and smashing though several of the deployment machines, destroying the source of the drones.

"Let's see you beat THAT!" Decade snorted.

The bragging was short lived when more deployment drones erupted from the asteroids. Groaning, both of them began fighting the deploying drones. However, backup swiftly came in Rabat's red ship. On top of it was a machine which seemed loaded to the teeth and looked kind of animal-like.

"Uh-oh," Diend gulped. "Utan's on the triggers. Let's make tracks!"

"Huh?" Decade and his three Dread comrades blinked.

The red mecha let out a hoot from its radios before unleashing an unbelievable amount of ammunition into space. The drones were all hit and were exploding all over the battlefield. Utan was hooting and hollering in glee, loving the attention. The Dreads and Vanguards quickly began fleeing so not to get shot by accident. Inside the ship, Rabat sighed as he watched the weapon stores get depleted. So much for the profits he got from his last sale.

However, for every deployment drone of fighter drone that went down, another one started coming out of nowhere. It didn't take long for the mecha pilots to believe that they were going to be eventually outgunned by the sheer number of machines that were fighting them.

"This isn't going well!" Barnette grimaced.

"You're right about that," Diend sighed as he eyed the Mission. "Hey Rabat, are you sure there's nothing good left in that place?"

"Didn't get long to look," the merchant replied. "If you have to destroy it, try to leave it mostly intact would ya?"

"No promises," Diend sighed as he drew another card.

**Kamen Ride: Arc**

Diend's mecha's gun fired of a blast which then formed into a Rider…a BIG Rider.

The Rider was clad in black bodysuit, with golden bracelets on his wrists and ankles. Golden armored gloves covered his hands. His torso armor had chains crisscrossing over his chest and his chest plate looked like a demonic mouth with sharp teeth. His shoulder pads had curled spikes that pointed upwards. The helmet that covered his head was black with golden eyes and a pair of demonic horns settling atop of it like a crown. A green gem rested in the middle of his forehead.

"That…is a big alien," Dita gasped.

"What…what…what…what IS that?!" gasped Jura.

"Kamen Rider Arc," Diend explained with pride. "He used to exist on Kiva's world, but was destroyed by none other than Kiva himself. He only exists as a copy that I have under my control. Arc! Destroy the Mission!"

"Raahhhhhhhh!" Arc roared as he flew towards the station. He was in the form of a Vanguard, which allowed him access to rockets. Raising his arm, a golden tipped demonic trident appeared in his hand. Coming to a stop at the Mission itself, he raised that Trident and brought it back down into the Mission. The space station cracked like and egg and split in half. At first Diend thought nothing happened, but then he saw something flash in the centre of the station. The flash grew and turned into a horrendous explosion which engulfed Arc and made him vanish.

"Blast. Perfectly good loot wasted," Magno sighed on the bridge while the enemy fighters slowed down and became inert.

"_That's my line,_" the voice of Rabat spoke up, his face appearing on a viewing screen. "_Hey, if it's not too much trouble, think I can come aboard? My engines were damaged in the fight._"

"Hmm? And why should we do that?" asked Magno.

"_Hey, I'm a guy who decided to be nice and help that's all,_" Rabat shrugged. "_Besides, seems my buddy Diend did you all a favor by summoning that freak and stopping the defenses cold._"

"You are aware that we are pirates, right?" Magno snorted.

"_True, but I have something you want,_" Rabat smirked. "_Show 'em Utan._"

The happy orangutan leaped into view, waving Pyoro around with glee. The white robot made groaning noises and its eyes were swirly. The crew on the bridge gasped as they saw the machine that they considered part of their crew being held hostage.

"I see," Magno frowned. "Very well. You may come aboard. However, if you or that Diend fellow make one false move, we'll show you why we're so feared."

"_We'll watch our step,_" Rabat nodded as he shut the connection down.

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Rabat and Diend boarded and immediately the Nirvana's guards were on them, pointing their weapons at the duo so that they didn't try anything funny. Of course, Diend was admiring their looks.

"So, a ship full of beautiful women," said Diend. "If they weren't pointing weapons at us, I'd consider it paradise."

"Yes, you would," agreed Rabat.

Utan was still hugging Pyoro.

"Get out of that armor and hand over your weapons," one of the women said.

"Ah, and one already wants me out of my clothes," Diend chuckled. "Of course I'll comply."

Reaching to the Diendriver, he removed the Diend card. When it was gone, the armor vanished in a haze of red, green, and blue. Tossing the Diendriver over to the girl in question, he gave his charming grin, "So, what would you like me to take off next?"

The girl in question tried to ignore the words, but the blush was unmistakable.

"You're insatiable," Rabat sighed. He reached into his pockets and began pulling out some of the minor pieces of merchandise he had on him. Things like earrings, hologram cubes, things of that nature. "Here. I come bearing gifts. Something for each of you."

As Rabat was making nice and Diend was attempting to flirt, Parfait came into the room and found Utan still hugging Pyoro. Dashing to the orangutan, she snatched the NAVI robot back and began examining it, "Are you okay Pyoro-kun? Did anything get damaged?"

"I don't think sooooooo," the tiny robot beeped.

"Ahh, your little friend will be okay," Ranma-Diend smiled, walking over to the stunned Parfait. She couldn't believe the resemblance that this guy had to Ranma. "I've got to admit, this is an amazing ship."

"Well, it is my pride and joy," Parfait smiled.

"For good reason. I find it amazing," Ranma-Diend nodded. "I mean, every girl on this ship is gorgeous. I suppose that having such a gorgeous crew member like yourself is what makes this ship so beautiful."

"Oh…oh my," Parfait blushed with a giggle. Was he hitting on her? Even if he was a man, no one had hit on her before. Well, she usually looked dorky with her braided hair and large glasses.

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"So, this Diend is your twin brother?" Magno questioned Ranma regarding one of their guests.

"That's right," answered Ranma, "But we're very different."

"How different?" Magno questioned further.

"Well, as much as he claims to be a treasure hunter and a collector, he's more like a thief," stated Ranma.

"And his fighting abilities?"

"He's not as good as me at hand-to-hand even thought he knows more styles than I do, but he's good with a gun. If you put a gun in his hand you can guarantee that he knows how to use it," said Ranma.

"So, he's dangerous?" Magno asked because she was concerned for her crew.

"Well…not exactly, but you can't exactly trust him 100 percent," Ranma warned. "He's also a flirt."

"A flirt?" Magno knew the term but wanted Ranma to elaborate.

"He's a smooth talker and can persuade people to give away their entire life savings and more," Ranma added. "Of course, considering all the attractive women on this ship, he may just try his hardest to score."

"Score?" asked Buzam while Magno frowned slightly. The aged captain knew what that term meant.

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	91. Decadread 7

As Rabat, Utan and Ranma-Diend were being escorted, Ranma-Diend was admiring all the women that walked by. They were incredibly attractive. Guess the inbreeding enabled Mejele to bring out the attractive traits of women, particularly the physical aspects. Of course, with his smooth tongue, he'd have these women eating out of his hands.

"So, what do you think this ship is worth?" Ranma-Diend asked his occasional business partner.

"Won't know until I see it all, but I'm guessing a pretty penny," Rabat shrugged. "What's your call?"

"With all these hotties on board? Priceless," Ranma-Diend grinned. He then looked at the sections of the ship they were passing. "Unless I miss my guess though, all this is powered by a Paksis crystal. Equipment like that is hard to come by and is very expensive."

"Still the eagle eye," Rabat nodded. "Now, how do we get even a bit of it? Think we can count on your silver tongue?"

"Probably," Ranma-Diend nodded. "However, I might be a little distracted. I'm sure you can understand why."

"I might be able to do business with these ladies too," Rabat nodded. "But you've got your mind on something else besides business though, don't you?"

"You know me well," Ranma-Diend grinned before he eyed the attractive woman that was walking next to him. "So Miss, how long have you been a pirate anyway? Judging by the way you dress, I say you do real well."

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"You never mentioned that you had a brother," Gascogne commented as she and Ranma played another game of cards. Ranma was doing better for a change.

"He's not someone I care to talk about," Ranma sighed. "We've run into each other on some planets and I've went to. We've clashed over some issues."

"No doubt," Gascogne nodded. "Sounds like a piece of work."

"You have no idea," Ranma grumbled. "Be careful when you see him. He'll flirt with you like there's no tomorrow. It won't matter if you're older than him. If you've got the right body shape and looks, he'll flirt with you."

"Ha!" Gascogne laughed. "Might do my feminine confidence some good. On Mejele I was considered too bulky and masculine to be considered really attractive by their standards. My muscles and all."

"I can name dozens of guys on dozens of worlds who would make a fan club for you just because of your looks," Ranma retorted. "And not because of your muscles, but because of your face and your curves."

"Quit trying to butter me up D-boy," Gascogne chuckled as she drew some cards. "You're not good at it."

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"It's been awhile since I've gotten a decent meal!" said Ranma-Diend as he sat down in the cafeteria with a mountain of food piled up in front of him. Even Rabat managed to help himself to the delicious cafeteria food. Utan got some fruit too.

"Yup, and the sight ain't bad either," Rabat pointed to all the women.

"I almost feel like a king surrounded by his harem," said Ranma-Diend smugly and then something caught his eye. "And…speaking of which." He zipped off.

"He chases skirts faster than treasure and food," Rabat commented.

Dita was looking for Ranma and so she came to the cafeteria since eating was one of his favorite past times. She hadn't checked the Register yet. Maybe she should have since now Ranma-Diend was standing in front of her.

"Hello, sweet thing," flirted Ranma-Diend.

Dita blinked and managed to recognize who was speaking with her. She would not mistake this for her Mr. Alien. They dressed differently and behaved differently too. "Hello, Mr. Alien 2. Do you know where Mr. Alien is?"

"Oh, you mean Decade-kun? Sorry, but I haven't a clue." He leaned in closer, "Why don't you forget about him and talk to me? I'm far more interesting."

Dita wasn't liking how this second Mr. Alien was looking at her. She felt like a piece of meat put on display. "I'm sorry, but I really need to look for him." He placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from escaping.

"Aw, come on. Just a chat won't hurt, right?" Of course, before he could continue, Ranma-Diend felt another hand grip his wrist. "Oh?"

"Mr. Alien!" Dita exclaimed happily.

"Hands off Dita," Ranma warned.

"Or else what?" Ranma-Diend countered.

"Or I'll break both your hands," Ranma threatened.

Ranma-Diend did let go of Dita and Ranma released his grip on Ranma-Diend's wrist. "Wow, touchy, aren't ya?" Ranma-Diend said as he massaged his wrist. He then turned around and walked back to the table where Rabat and Utan were sitting.

"Sorry about him being a jerk, Dita," Ranma apologized. She shook her head.

"That's alright, Mr. Alien. He may look like you, but he's not special like you."

Ranma didn't know how else to take that statement but smiled nonetheless.

"I don't think I've seen you shot down very often," Rabat chuckled as he watched Ranma-Diend pout.

"Ah, my brother's been here too long. He's got them wrapped around his finger and he doesn't even know it. Such a waste of potential!"

"I don't know," Rabat snickered. "I think he's doing pretty well on his own. Have you seen how that redhead looks at him?"

"Hnnn," Ranma-Diend sighed. Why had the little redhead taken to such a liking to his Decade counterpart? Still, it wasn't like there weren't other girls on board to try and hook up with. Plus, with them all being from Mejele, they had never been with a man before much less met a real one before Ranma and the other two men on board. Okay so maybe they were wary around men, but he could work with a challenge. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I've got a few things I'd like to drop off," Rabat shrugged. "A few things I can use to cover my butt if things get messy. Besides, I'm hoping they decide to trade for some of their spare parts."

"Ah yes," Ranma-Diend nodded. "Paksis technology is pretty spectacular. Shame I don't have any to spare."

"Yeah, too bad," Rabat shrugged.

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Parfet was looking over the Vanguard Diend which had been docked alongside the Dreads and the Vanguard Decade. It seemed that the configuration between the two modified Vanguards was similar. In fact, she was positive that the two machines were both from Tarak.

"Find something interesting about my machine?"

"EEP!" Parfet squeaked as she whirled around to see a grinning Ranma-Diend. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ranma-Diend laughed. "So, did you find something interesting about my machine?"

"It's just that it seemed to be similar in construction to the Vandread Decade, which was made on Tarak and modified by the Paksis," Parfet replied. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, I stole it from Tarak, the man planet," Ranma-Diend grinned. "I managed to sneak onto that sausage factory in a tiny ship. Of course, the only thing I really found interesting was this ship they were building to fight you girls on Mejele. Called it the Ikazuchi or something."

"Ooooh! That's part of the ship which fused with our ship and became the Nirvana!" Parfet gasped excitedly.

"Ah, so you know what I'm talking about," Ranma-Diend nodded. "Good. Well, I discovered the Paksis crystal that powers their ship. I couldn't realistically take the whole thing with me, but I did manage to get a piece. However, I sorta got caught so I had to steal one of their new Vanguards."

"So what happened after that?" asked Parfet excitedly.

"Well, you can guess they opened fire like it was going out of style," Ranma-Diend laughed. "I got hit and dropped my Paksis shard. To my surprise, it enveloped my Vanguard and turned it into my Vanguard Diend. As you can tell, this puppy is way bigger than the average Vanguard anyway. I can use my Rider System on it too. I managed to get away from the guys and was cruising around ever since."

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Barnette was in the holographic firing range, shooting at targets with one of her antique guns. She was venting out her frustration, anger and embarrassment upon the targets.

Her mind kept reeling back to the kiss Ranma-Diend had given her and while part of her was disgusted that a man had touched her in such a way, another part actually liked it. That part was what was giving her trouble and she needed to silence it before she got even more confused and angry.

"Damn him!"

BANG!

"Damn him!"

BANG! BANG!

She was picturing Diend's face on the targets.

"Damn that disgusting man!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Jura came in to see her best friend shooting like mad and decided to exit. "I better leave Barnette alone."

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Rabat eyed the engines of the Nirvana as he explored the room, mentally tallying the amount of money that the engine alone would bring in. These pirates certainly didn't half-ass anything. The schematics alone would bring a nice penny. Of course…a certain Vanguard which belonged to Diend's brother would certainly be profitable too. Diend himself was rather protective of his machine and his Diendriver. Maybe Decade would be a little freer with his…

"What are you doing here?"

Rabat turned and spotted a frowning Buzam glaring at him. She looked upset with her arms crossed under her breasts. She definitely wanted an explanation and she wanted it fast. Fortunately, Diend wasn't the only one with a silver tongue.

"I was exploring and got a little turned around," Rabat shrugged. "Guess my sense of direction isn't as great as I thought."

"Obviously," Buzam frowned. "I was just checking on your ship. There don't seem to be any kind of damages on it at all."

"I was able to finish repairing it faster than I thought," Rabat shrugged. "I was hoping to do up a little more business with the crew and then I'll be out of your hair. Of course, you might have to use some extra force to send Diend away. He does love women after all."

"Ranma warned us about him," Buzam frowned. "How did you meet him anyway?"

"Ahhh, you run into lots of people in our business," Rabat shrugged. "I was in a scrape with some people who were unsatisfied with my wares and he stumbled onto us. I gotta tell you, that Final Attack Ride of his is pretty impressive. I've been trying to buy that Vanguard and Diendriver off of him for as long as I've known him."

"Something you've failed at," Buzam smirked.

"Ah, hope springs eternal," Rabat shrugged. Taking an opportunity, he sidled up next to Buzam and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know, I may not be a flirt like Diend, but I do know how to appreciate a woman. Care to see how?"

"Tsk!" Buzam frowned as she pressed her laser-ring into his side. Rabat sweatdropped slightly and backed away.

"Okay, okay, I can take a hint," Rabat chuckled weakly. "Still, I wouldn't mind getting next to a lady like you. Think about it."

Buzam frowned as she watched Rabat walk away. Unclenching her hand, she revealed a data storage drive which had been in his clothes. Maybe it was one of his wares, but why wasn't it in his cases then? Still, it was probably best to have Parfet take a look at it.

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Barnette was walking back to her room. After taking her anger and frustration out on the targets, she felt exhausted. Maybe some beauty sleep would do her wonders and…

"Hey, babe."

She whirled around and saw Diend leaning against the wall. His eyes drank in her figure. He'd obviously checked her out and that outfit of hers, which was skintight and resembled a swimsuit-like bodice, left little to the imagination. "You!" she snarled and whipped her gun out at him. He put his hands up.

"Woah, woah, take it easy there, cutie. I don't want any trouble," said Ranma-Diend.

"You disgusting male! Do you have any idea how much mouthwash I needed to use!?"

"Well, I bet a lot," said Ranma-Diend nonchalantly. "I mean I have been known to leave an impression."

"Well, the only impression you'll be getting is several bullet holes," Barnette said.

"Say, that's a pretty nice looking gun," admired Ranma-Diend. "An antique, right? Don't see many of those in this day and age."

"So, you know your guns," said Barnette, not lowering her gun.

"I've seen, collected, traded and sold some a while back," shrugged Ranma-Diend. "Got a pretty penny for them too."

"Is money all you think about?" Barnette questioned.

"Well, money AND beautiful women," said Ranma-Diend. "And speaking of which, you are one beautiful woman. What more can a guy possibly want? By the way, what's your name, sweet-cheeks?"

"Barnette Orangello," the irate woman answered. "If only so you can know who put a bullet in your head."

"There's an image," Ranma-Diend grimaced. "Listen, Barnette-chan. I honestly didn't mean any harm when I kissed you. I just saw a beautiful woman and I just honestly wanted to kiss her once. Is that so wrong?"

"Would it be so wrong for me to shoot you for invading my personal space like that?" Barnette snickered as she kept her gun trained on Ranma-Diend's head. Although her inner woman was very pleased to hear that she attracted people like she did Ranma-Diend.

"If you honestly didn't like that kiss then you would have hit me," Ranma-Diend shrugged. "Really, it was pleasurable for the both of us. Neither of us got anything bad out of the deal."

"Says you," Barnette frowned with a gagging motion.

"Oh? Then answer me this Barnette-chan," Ranma-Diend grinned. He leaned in closer, with Barnette's gun almost touching the middle of his forehead. "If you had the chance for another kiss from me or some other man you know, would you take it?"

"…" Barnette blinked. The thought of receiving another kiss from a man, this man, made her face turn red and it wasn't in revulsion either. He was pretty good at it and he never once touched her in a way that was deemed offensive. He just held her arm and waist to keep her off balance so he could kiss her in peace. "Of course not! Don't be ridiculous! I'm from Mejele! We hate men!"

"So you say, but you had to think about it," Ranma-Diend grinned as he leaned back. "Word of advice Barnette-chan. Spend some time with men like my brother and I. You'll see men who can appreciate women like you. We won't treat you like monsters, freaks, or unnatural beings. We'll see you as the beautiful beings you are."

Barnette blushed. Was he lying? He had to be…but it sounded so sincere. Ranma warned that Ranma-Diend had a tongue for words, but he wasn't trying to sell her anything or the like. It was stating an opinion. It felt weird for her to hear it coming from a man…but it still felt nice. After all, every woman liked to be complimented no matter how hardened they are.

"Just think about, okay?" Ranma-Diend winked as he tipped his hat. "See ya!" Ranma-Diend whistled as he walked off.

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"Captain, I don't think that we should let Diend and his friends stay on this ship any longer," said Ranma.

"And I agree," added Buzam.

"So, they've proven to be untrustworthy then?" asked Magno.

"Trust me. Diend has landed me in plenty of trouble. It doesn't help that he looks like me. Sometimes I get blamed for the stuff he pulls," said Ranma.

"Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with the way he tried to woo Dita?" Magno smiled knowingly.

"No, of course not," Ranma denied, blushing.

Magno had seen the pair's interaction and knew that there was something going on between them. Of course, now was time to get serious. "Buzam, do you have reasons to believe that these…traders are not trustworthy?"

"I caught Rabat exploring our engines," Buzam explained. "He seemed rather interested in them…a bit too much in my opinion. Parfet also told me that he was asking questions about the Vanguard Decade and the modified Dreads."

"Always thinking about money," Magno frowned. "While that does give me grounds to start putting the pressure on them to leave, I need something solid to get the pair of them to leave immediately."

"But aren't you all pirates, you get to do whatever you want?" asked Ranma in confusion.

"Normally true," Magno nodded. "But remember that Rabat and Diend are merchants and they can get around. Before we knew it, word about us could spread and every anti-pirate and bounty hunter hoping for a reward would be after us. I'd prefer not to have that."

"Makes sense," Ranma shrugged.

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Parfet was studying the Diendriver gun. It worked like a regular gun but it was also similar to Ranma's Decadriver. Unfortunately, Diend hadn't given her his cards to study. Maybe that way she could figure out how it worked. From what she found out, it enabled Diend to summon other Riders after slotting the cards inside. It could still use Attack Ride cards like Ranma's Decadriver. How it could actually summon other Riders she couldn't tell.

Buzam had also given her Rabat's data storage drive.

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Rabat, Ranma-Diend and Utan were sitting in the bio-park. They were discussing a plan but when Rabat checked his pockets, his eye widened.

"Oh, fuck!" he cursed.

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Parfet gaped at what she was looking at. The data was conclusive and couldn't be denied. Each piece was descriptions of various planets with humans on them and how the defenses stacked up. It also gave data like populations, density, where the largest cities were, and other things. It even offered weaknesses in the defenses. What the most disturbing thing was that where the data had been sent.

It was the frequency which the Harvesters transmitted data to their drones.

Rabat was selling data on planets to the Harvesters.

Reeling form the information, she hit the communicator which connected her section of the ship to the captain, "CAPTAIN!! DETAIN RABAT NOW!! HE'S SELLING US OUT TO THE HARVESTERS!!"

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Rabat was searching on the ground frantically for something, which Ranma-Diend had no clue. Both he and Utan just watched him look desperate for something. However, it wasn't too long before several armed guards burst into the area with their laser-rings aimed at the trio. Ranma-Diend blinked and Utan hooted in confusion.

"Uhhh…what did we do?" Ranma-Diend asked.

"You have some nerve to ask that," Buzam's voice replied as she stepped out from between the guards. She glared at Rabat with the most hateful glare she could muster. "You should keep your pockets better protected."

Rabat was silent as he stood up with his hands raised.

"OK, I know Rabat's a slimeball…" began Ranma-Diend as he held up his hands.

"Hey!" Rabat snapped.

"But do we deserve this kind of treatment?" Ranma-Diend asked.

"Of course, since your friend here has been selling planets out to the Harvesters!" Buzam accused.

Ranma-Diend's eyes widened as he stared at Rabat. "Rabat…this isn't true, is it?"

Rabat's only retort was, "The Harvesters would've gotten to them anyway. Sides, business is business…"

POW!

Everyone was stunned when Ranma-Diend's fist met with Rabat's face and gave his good eye a bruise. The merchant fell on his rear and looked up at his occasional partner in shock. Ranma-Diend's eyes were narrowed as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Diend…what…"

"If I had my gun right now I'd shoot you where the sun don't shine, you dirty, stinking, lying traitor!" Ranma-Diend snapped.

"Hey, you've done some bad stuff too, so don't lecture me!" Rabat snapped in defense.

"Oh, I've stolen stuff, and cheated people, but I've NEVER done something like this. I'm a lot of things. I'm a liar and thief, but I am NO murderer!"

"And neither am I," Rabat frowned. "They offered, I complied. I'm a merchant. I sell things. They wanted information and I got it for them. I didn't kill anyone. It was the Harvesters who did that. Besides, you were the one who told me about half of those planets."

"SHUT UP!!" Ranma-Diend roared, lunging at Rabat. Several of the woman grabbed him by the arms and held him back. "YOU BASTARD! I HAD FRIENDS ON THOSE PLANETS! YOU SOLD THEM LIKE PIGS! YOU LET THOSE FREAKS BUTCHER THEM!"

"That's enough," Magno spoke in a stern voice. As she stepped past the guards, she looked at Rabat. "Your stay here is officially over. Get off of my ship before I decide to have you shot."

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Ranma-Diend bellowed. "He's helped murder planets! He doesn't deserve to live!"

"Maybe, but unlike the Harvesters, I am going to give him a sporting chance," Magno replied. She looked to Rabat again. "Get going."

"Whatever," Rabat sighed, heading for the exit and back to his ship with Utan. Ranma-Diend slumped in the arms of the people who were holding him.

Rabat's shipped detached and exited from the Nirvana as he hit the acceleration. Inside the bridge, Ranma watched as the traitor was getting away. Looking up, he tried to figure out what the aged captain was doing.

"So what are we going to do about that guy?" Ranma asked darkly. Parfet had been more than willing to explain what Rabat had been doing. For the first time in his life, he wanted to murder someone. The man had been responsible for the deaths of world populations by aliens who cut people up for their body parts.

"Now, we're going to shoot him out of space," Magno frowned. "Prepare weapons!"

"_You got it,_" Bart nodded from within the navigation well. However, before he could get the proper weapons aimed at Rabat's ship and get a single shot off, there was an explosions from the engine room. "_Woah! What happened? That hurts!_"

"Sorry! It's that part Rabat sold us!" Parfet cried from her station "It was faulty! It blew up on us. It took out a bunch of components with it! We can't move!"

"Blast. And by the time we're finished, he'll be long gone," Magno frowned.

"He's always thinking ahead," Ranma-Diend sighed as he was held at the edge of the navigation room. "He planned this out when he got onboard. Never trust pirates when you're practically one yourself."

"You'd know," Ranma frowned.

"Hey, I didn't sell that information to the Harvesters!" Ranma-Diend growled. "I didn't even know he was doing it!"

Ranma stared at his doppelganger. Ranma-Diend wasn't lying. "You didn't know."

"Hey, when I told Rabat about those planets, I never thought he'd cause world-wide genocide. It was just idle chatter." He snorted. "Serves me right for trusting the guy. No honor among thieves, huh?" He asked, "So, what are you going to do to me? Throw me in the brig? I guess I deserve it since I was an accomplice."

"Oh, you'll be in the brig all right," Magno nodded. "We'll get to what we're going to do to you later though."

"You're the boss," Ranma-Diend shrugged as the guards took him away.

"You know," Ranma commented as he watched his counterpart leave. "I have never once seen him look sorry for anything he did. But today, he looked like every death Rabat sold was on his shoulders."

"That proves he's your brother then," Magno nodded. "He has a good heart underneath all that flirting and thievery skills."

"Yeah, he does," Ranma nodded.

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Ranma-Diend choked back a sob as he sat in the brig. He knew of several planets he had visited that were wiped out by Harvesters. He had friends on those worlds that he met in his adventures of thievery and fighting. They were good people and pretty nice. Not to mention a few were hot women.

"You alive in there?" a female voice asked.

Ranma-Diend looked up and saw Barnette looking back at him. "What do you want? You came to shoot me or something?"

"Part of me is tempted and even if I don't like men all that much I can see when someone's hurting," she commented.

"Well, I feel dead inside. All those worlds are gone and it's my fault."

"How did someone like you get mixed up with a bastard like Rabat anyway?" Barnette asked curiously.

"Saved him from a little scrape and we've been buddies since," Ranma-Diend answered. "We had plenty in common. I just never thought he'd betray me like this, but I should've seen it coming."

"You know, for a man, you're not so bad," Barnette admitted.

"Thanks, but that doesn't help me feel any better. I'm no better than Rabat. The only difference is that I was never paid," Ranma snorted. "If I knew what he was going to do with that info I would've never told him."

"He was your friend, so you couldn't help but trust him," Barnette rationalized.

"Why are you talking to me anyway? I thought you hated men," stated Ranma-Diend.

"Look, I've been working alongside your brother for a while now and while I was not comfortable around him earlier because of his…condition, it made working with him easier when he turns into girl. So, I've met a guy who can see things through a girl's perspective, sort of," answered Barnette.

"So, you may not like my bro when he's a guy, but you still respect him enough when he's a girl?" Ranma-Diend questioned. "Weird."

"Hey, it's not every day you meet a guy who turns into a girl when you splash him with water," said Barnette. "I just wasn't sure how to treat someone like him."

"He's got a lot to learn about women, even if he does turn into one," responded Ranma-Diend. "But compared to me he's more human than I'll ever be."

"You feel guilt and regret over what Rabat did. That makes you human enough," said Barnette. "Oh, and I came to give this to you." She took the Diendriver out of her gun holster. "It's not a bad gun."

"Aren't you afraid I might bust out?" Ranma-Diend asked.

"Do you plan on busting out?" Barnette asked.

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Everyone was watching this on the bridge. "Why did you send Barnette?" Jura asked.

"She volunteered," Magno answered.

"You sent the girl who collects guns and hates men to talk with a thief who stole a kiss from her?" Ranma pointed out, not seeing the logic.

"Well, while Barnette is like most women on Mejele who dislike men, her interaction with you has changed her a little, and also she may have been affected by your brother's charm," said Magno.

"I bet she'll shoot him if he ever tries that stunt again," Ranma snorted.

"Well, I don't think Mr. Alien 2 is a bad guy," said Dita. "Even if he was friends with Mr. Rabat."

"Yeah, Diend's not a murderer," said Ranma. "And I doubt he thinks of Rabat as a friend anymore."

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"So, what are you going to do if we let you out?" Barnette asked.

"I guess wander around the cosmos," said Ranma-Diend. "Don't got a home to go to."

"Why not stay on the Nirvana?" Barnette suggested.

"Me?" Ranma-Diend blinked. "What's in it for me?"

"Well, we could just toss you out in space," Barnette shrugged, "Or you can use your skills to help us. Either way, I don't really care."

Ranma-Diend thought it over and then said, "Well…it might help me make up for all the bad stuff I did."

Barnette shut down the energy bars and said, "Welcome aboard."

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"Wow, never seen Barnette just talk to a man before," said Jura. Jura had known Barnette for years and how much she hated men. This was the strangest thing to her. Usually she would shoot a man before actually saying one word to him.

"Guess people can change when you least expect them," said Meia as she glanced at Ranma.

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"So, you understand your situation here?" Magno asked Ranma-Diend.

"Well, I'm already an outlaw. Being a pirate won't be much different," replied Ranma-Diend. "Except I won't be alone."

"Just use your skills to assist us," said Magno. "Oh, and I've already thought of where to place you."

"Oh?"

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"Diend, at your service!" Ranma-Diend saluted. Like Ranma he'd been assigned to the Register.

"Well, welcome onboard," said Gascogne. "And girls…our motto."

"Smile! Smile!" the girls chorused.

Ranma-Diend looked at all the pretty girls. The smiles just made them prettier. He then looked and saw Ranma-chan in uniform. "Decade-kun, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," said Ranma-chan.

"Nice outfit. Looks cute on you," Ranma-Diend snickered.

Ranma-chan grimaced. "So, the Captain assigned you here."

"Well, I might as well be useful, and I'm good at inventory. How else do I keep track of my loot?"

Before Ranma could retort, the door to the Register opened and Dita came happily bounding in with her gift for Ranma. When she spotted Ranma-chan, she smiled.

"Ms. Alien!" She ran over and then handed the gift over. "This is for you! A nice and comfy pillow!"

"Wow, thanks Dita," Ranma-chan said as she accepted the gift. The alien on it was odd, but still cute. "My old one was getting pretty lumpy." That much was true. The quarters for the men weren't built for comfort like the women's rooms were.

Dita beamed.

Ranma-Diend stood next to Gascogne with a grin on his face. It was so obvious that Dita was trying to get close to Ranma. Well, if it was for the partnering thing, the novelty of being friends with an 'alien', or just because she had feelings for him, no one was sure. Still, there was one thing that Gascogne and Ranma-Diend could really agree on.

"He is so clueless," Ranma-Diend chuckled.

"Dita's the naïve kind too," Gascone snickered. "Ranma might never get what she wants."


	92. KONATA'S BOYFRIEND: A LUCKY STAR FIC

**KONATA'S BOYFRIEND**

Konota Izumi was a short girl who looked like she was still in grade school and acted like it too. She had long blue hair and a beauty mark under her left eye. She was also an otaku, obsessed with manga, anime and games. It was all she ever thought and talked about. While Tsukasa and Miyuki tolerated her hobbies enough to enjoy them, it always grated Kagami's nerves whenever Konata would use anime/manga/game references for everyday life. It was like she didn't have any life outside of those things…

Of course for the past few weeks Konata seemed to have mellowed out a bit. Sure, she still smiled a lot and would talk about games but it was like her mind was preoccupied with something, which was something that made Kagami curious. Tsukasa didn't notice it but Kagami was sure something was up.

Kagami Hiiragi and Tsukasa Hiiragi were twin sisters who were as different as night and day. Kagami was responsible and got good grades because she studied really hard. Tsukasa, however, was no good at sports and studying but was a good cook. She was also good-natured, friendly, but clumsy and often an airhead at times. They were also good friends with Konata. Miyuki Takara was also a member of their little foursome and was wealthy, beautiful, smart, well-mannered and polite, often explaining topics like an encyclopaedia when inquired. However, Konata's strange behaviour was something she could not explain.

"Maybe she's just tired from playing games all the time," Miyuki offered.

"Nah," denied Kagami. "If she was spending all her nights playing games she wouldn't be doing her homework and she'd be sleeping in class." That much was true. Konata was actually doing her homework. There was no real explanation. Maybe it was because they were all in their senior year and Konata wanted to catch up. Maybe she was becoming more responsible…

'_Yeah, when pigs fly_,' thought Kagami scornfully. She wasn't being mean. She just didn't think Konata would do so much without a reason.

"Kona-chan is still Kona-chan, Onee-chan," said Tsukasa.

Kagami sighed at that.

But, even with the changes, Konata was still Konata.

Of course there was something else. When Konata smiled there was something else there. It wasn't the smile whenever a manga/game she liked had become an anime or she had won something in a lucky draw or something. It was the type of smile someone wore when they were in bliss. Like they were…

Kagami couldn't imagine it! It couldn't be true! Could Konata…their little game/anime/manga otaku…have a crush on someone?

The idea of Konata showing interest to anything/anyone outside her hobby just seemed so ludicrous. Still, there was only one way to prove it. Konata still worked at that cosplay café after school so maybe her mysterious beau would be there and then Kagami would get the answers.

It wasn't that Kagami was jealous of anything. Rather, she was worried about Konata. The guy could be some pervert with a loli-complex and was just stringing Konata along. She was awfully cute and fun to hang out with.

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"OK, girls! I gotta go!" said Konata as she rose up to her feet after packing away her things. "See ya!" She exited the class quickly with Tsukasa, Kagami and Miyuki watching.

"OK, let's tail her," said Kagami.

"Must we really spy on Konata-san?" said Miyuki.

"Yuki-chan's right, Onee-chan," said Tsukasa. "If this is something private, we can't pry."

"It's a guy," said Kagami firmly. "It has to be. I mean what else could it be?"

"Even if it is a guy, why are we prying?" Miyuki asked.

"We aren't prying. I just don't want her getting hurt, that's all," said Kagami. "She's annoying as heck, sure, but that doesn't mean I want stuff to happen to her."

"So, Onee-chan just wants to be a good friend," said Tsukasa. "I'm glad."

"Well, then let's go," said Miyuki.

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They really couldn't sneak into the cosplay café that Konata worked at since she would somehow be there to greet them. Today, she was dressed up as a tsundere character. She was dressed as Louise from Zero no Tsukaima, complete with the pink wig. She wore a white blouse with a short black skirt, knee socks, leather shoes and a cloak.

"Welcome, Masters," Konata greeted with a wink.

Kagami sighed. She along with Tsukasa and Miyuki entered with Konata leading them to a table. She wasn't in character, yet, but it was only a matter of time. Working in the cosplay café was another student, a freshman and a foreign exchange student named Patricia "Patty" Martin.

"OK, guys, I'll be back to take your orders!" said Konata with hr cat-like smile before she walked off.

"It doesn't seem like she's acting strange," said Miyuki.

"We better keep an eye on her. Anyone of these guys could be the one she's crushing on," said Kagami.

Tsukasa gasped and pointed.

"Tsukasa-san, it's not polite to point," said Miyuki.

"But, there! Look!" Tsukasa said and her friends turned to look.

Konata was talking to a guy wearing a costume. Kagami had guessed it right. It was another otaku like her. Of course the costume he was wearing wasn't from an anime, manga or game.

He was wearing a black bodysuit with a silver gloves and boots. He wore padding on his chest that was parted wide in the middle for a triangle pattern in the centre. Hanging from his neck was a yellow scarf. He wore a blue helmet with red eyes like a bug and complete with antennae with a black chin strap and exposed the lower half of his face. His costume was Riderman. He was also a head taller than Konata and as they spoke Konata was smiling and blushing.

"What is that costume?" questioned Miyuki.

"Oh, that's a Kamen Rider," said Tsukasa. "One from the old shows in the 70's. You can see it from the scarf."

"Really? How interesting," said Miyuki.

Kagami grimaced. Could this guy be twice Konata's age? Now she was worried.

"I'm back!" said Konata, smiling wide. "So, what do you wanna order?"

"Who was that guy?" blurted out Kagami.

"Oh, he's a co-worker," said Konata with a shrug.

"Don't give me that! You were blushing when you were talking to him. Now who is he?" said Kagami.

"Can we talk about this later?" Konata said uncomfortably.

"Seriously, Konata. I'm just worried that you're dating guy twice your age."

"Twice my age?" Konata cocked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"He's wearing a costume based on a TV show character from the 70's," said Kagami. "He must be some middle-aged otaku or something."

"He's not middle-aged," Konata remarked.

"He isn't?" blinked Kagami.

"Onee-chan, you were jumping to conclusions again," chided Tsukasa.

"Konata-san, would you mind introducing us to him?" said Miyuki.

"He's just a co-worker," said Konata softly, her index fingers touching as she blushed a little.

"_Just_ a co-worker?"

Konata sighed. "I'll introduce you to him during my break, OK? Just, please, lay off."

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As Konata continued to work, playing the part of Louise from Zero no Tsukaima, Patty came to the three girls' table, beaming. Her costume was that of Mikuru Asahina in her maid outfit.

"Patty-chan, hi," said Tsukasa.

"Hello, sempai-tachi," said Patty.

"Hey, Patty," said Kagami. "Do you know anything about Riderman there?"

Patty looked to the masked man and shrugged. "Nothing much. He started work two months ago, but we've never seen him without his mask. Every time he comes to work he dressed up as a different Kamen Rider. Only Konata-sempai has seen him without his mask. I don't even know his name."

That was when Konata came over, holding the gloved hand of Riderman and dragging him along as he followed, smiling. "Girls, let m introduce you to my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend!?" Tsukasa, Miyuki and Kagami exclaimed in shock. Kagami and Tsukasa's jaws dropped and Miyuki's glasses nearly fell off in an almost 'moe' fashion.

Riderman smiled and nodded. "That's right. We've been going out for a few weeks now."

"Did I forget to mention they are dating?" Patty said, twiddling her fingers. "Gotta go!"

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"And that's how we met," finished Riderman.

"It was so romantic!" beamed Konata.

Kagami just stared. "So, you were both reaching for the same anime when your hands touched?"

Konata and Riderman nodded. "It was _Karas_. I happen to be a fan of the Henshin Hero genre," confessed Riderman. "Stuff like Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and Ultraman. My favourite has to be Kamen Rider, though, both the Showa and Heisei Era."

"I can see that," said Miyuki.

"How sweet," cooed Tsukasa.

"So, are you going to take off your mask?" Kagami asked.

"Kagami!" gasped Konata. "You must never ask a Kamen Rider to remove their mask! They wear them for a reason. They must hide their identities."

"It's okay, Konata-chan," said Riderman as he undid his chinstrap. When he took it off, he revealed himself to be a man of their age with amber eyes, fair skin and short black hair with the bangs framing his face. His hair was parted in the middle. Just looking at him made Kagami blush. This gut was an otaku!? He wasn't one of those stereotypical fat geeks with pimples all over. He was…bishonen!

"I'm Tobei," he said. "Tobei Tachibana."

"He's named after an important character in the franchise," boasted Konata.

"Really?" Kagami questioned. "Which one? I don't really recall a guy named Tachibana, except for that guy in _Blade_."

"Oh, he's an important character from the Showa Era. He's the guy that builds the bikes. My dad was a fan of the show and so he named me after _Tobei Tachibana_," answered Tobei.

Kagami narrowed her eyes in suspicion. From what she knew of Konata's dad, Sojiro, he didn't want her daughter dating anyone. He was overprotective and possessive of his daughter who resembled his late wife. "So, have you met Konata's dad?"

"Sojiro-san?" asked Tobei. "Yes, I did. He's a nice man too. Konata-chan introduced us. It was funny how he almost fainted when I told him my name."

Konata's dad was as much as an otaku as Konata and it was his influence that made the blue-haired girl the way she was. It wouldn't be impossible for Konata's dad to be a fan of Kamen Rider as a kid or still be a fan now that he was an adult.

"Well, our break is over," said Konata. "Gotta get back to work! Come on, Tobei-kun!"

"Right! I gotta get back into character too," said Tobei as he put his helmet back on and strapped it on tight. "See ya."

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As the three girls waited at the train station, Tsukasa spoke, "Tobei-san seems nice."

"Yes, he is," said Miyuki. "Don't you think so, Kagami-san?"

"There's something about him I don't trust," muttered Kagami.

"Come again?" blinked Miyuki.

"I don't trust him," said Kagami aloud. "I mean he could be a closet pervert with a loli-complex."

Miyuki placed a hand on Kagami's shoulder and said, "Kagami-san, you have nothing to worry about."

"I can't help it," pouted Kagami as she crossed her arms. "I swear if that guy hurts her, I'll-"

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Tobei was dressed in his school uniform after getting out of costume. It was a white shirt with a blue and white striped tie and dark blue slacks with a matching dark blue blazer. He was leaning against a bike parked near the cosplay café and waiting for his little girlfriend to show up. He was her ride home.

Tobei smiled as he flipped open his cell phone. On it was a picture of Konata, smiling and winking at the camera with a victory hand sign. The day he met her, it was love at fist sight. Well, not exactly, but he did think she was the cutest girl he'd ever met. He didn't mistake her for a grade-schooler either.

After their first meeting, they got to talking and hit it off quite well. They had a lot in common. They were otaku and loved playing games. Though they had different tastes in genres, with her loving anime and manga while he favored tokusatsu, it didn't make a difference. He liked her. It took him days after that to see her in the same store and then asking her out on a date.

Spending time with her was fun and he loved her. He really did. He also couldn't help but want to protect her.

He was a student studying at Shirogane High School. There he was a bishonen with plenty of fangirls but they were too shallow for his taste. He needed a girl that shared his tastes and hobbies and finally found her in Konata.

"I'm here!" said Konata as she skipped towards him. "Sorry if I kept you waiting, Tobei-kun!"

"It's alright," smiled Tobei as he handed her his spare helmet. "Let's go."

Konata beamed and on impulse she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her so she could give him an Eskimo Kiss. This made Tobei blush deep red when she let go and she was still wearing that beaming smile of hers.

"I love you," she said.

"Me too," he replied. "Now, hop on, Konata-chan!"

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-TO CONTINUE OR NOT TO CONTINUE…?-

A/N: So, what do you think of my first attempt at a Lucky Star fic? There's still more, much more, in store for you, but I may need help. Like Tobei? He's a bishonen and otaku who likes Kamen Rider. You think we should add a touch of fantasy/supernatural or just make it slice of life? Pls, send me ideas, OK?

Here's my OC's bio

**NAME: TOBEI TACHIBANA**

**AGE: 18**

**SCHOOL: SHIROGANE GAKUEN (Can also be called Shirogane High School or Shirogane Academy)**

**DESCRIPTION: He has short black hair that is parted in the middle, fair skin, amber eyes and bishonen looks.**

**BIO: Tobei is named after **_**Tobei Tachibana**_** from the Showa Kamen Rider Era. This is because his father was a fan of the series. As such, Tobei has also become a fan of Kamen Rider and every other tokusatsu series. He works at the same cosplay café as Konata, wearing Kamen Rider costumes from both the Showa and Heiser eras. He met Konata at the video store as they were both reaching for the same **_**Karas**_** DVD and they instantly hit it off. He rides a bike and even maintains it himself like his namesake.**


	93. Rosario to Wraith

**ROSARIO+WRAITH**

**WRITTEN BY: SHADOW ELEMENT 13**

Spring time in Japan. A day when teenagers were returning to school for another year. A small school bus driving down a country road. An average situation that many would see, except on the bus there was only one student instead of many. Another oddity was that the one student was not Japanese. The lone student was a young teenager with a bored expression. He was about 16 years old. His hair was hidden beneath a large black cowboy hat and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. His name was Warren Smith. Typical American students would wear whatever they felt like wearing; however since he was attending a Japanese school he had no choice but to wear the proper attire. This attire consisted of green suit-jacket, a dress shirt, a black tie and tan pants with white sneakers.

"So you've decided enroll in Yokai Academy. You know what you're getting yourself into?" inquired the Bus Driver to his passenger on board the small school bus. The driver was man around his late thirties to early forties he was a very shady figure speaking in a figuratively deep tone. He smoked a cigar while his eyes were almost hidden underneath the visor of his cap, though they still gave off an eerie glow.

"Don't really care," replied Warren. "I just do what I'm told to do. Frankly, I'm just glad to get away for a while."

Warren sighed as he heard his phone rang. He quickly pulled it out and answered it. "Yeah?" … "I'm on the bus; heading there now" … "We're about to go through the tunnel, I'll call you when I get there." He quickly hung up the phone. "God she's annoying…" said Warren as the bus went through the tunnel. The bus went into a long dark tunnel. For a moment all went black and visibility dropped to zero. How anything could travel in such darkness was a mystery to anyone.

"This is an extremely dangerous school. Are you sure you want to attend?" asked the driver in a creepy voice.

Warren simply smirked at the Bus Driver.

After the darkness left, the bus arrived at its destination. Warren could see a completely new environment. It looked like he had arrived at a barren rocky cliff which bordered what looked like an ocean comprised of blood. There were also several dead, withering trees around which had many crows perched on them.

"This is it." The bus driver opened the door allowing the passengers to exit. Warren stepped off the bus to see a scarecrow with a Jack 'O Lantern for a head on the of the bus stop sign. Warren was the last one to get off the bus. "You got a name kid?"

"Warren. Warren Smith."

"Don't get yourself killed."

"Who's to say I'm afraid of death?" With that, the bus turned around and left, stranding him in what looked like a bad horror movie set. Warren smirked, "I think I'll like it here."

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Warren picked up his luggage and started walking towards the school. The immediate area looked to be desolate and barren. The only kind of vegetation around was the scraggly trees and some moss that grew on them. The sky was murky and foreboding, offering no comfort. The most terrifying thing in the scenery was the almost obscene amount of tombstones that were littering the grounds. Of course, that meant little to the young man.

Warren was used to his fair share of terrifying experiences and places. If anything, Yokai Academy was par for the course. "That Bus Driver is full of it. For a normal person this would be scary, but having to deal with that sadistic prick on a daily basis this is pretty nice."

**Ding-Ding!**

"Watch out!" he heard and he turned to see a girl coming towards him on a bicycle. He was frozen in fear and unable to move out of the way. Luckily, before she crashed into him, Warren's training took over. Angling himself correctly, Warren kicked the base of the front tire. The bike shot into the air, as did its rider.

The rider came down first. Warren cradled his arms and caught the girl. She was definitely an attractive girl in every sense of the word. She had a slim curvy figure which seemed to be perfect in all the right ways. Her eyes were bright green and her cheeks had a flushed rosy hue to them. She wore the same thing he was wearing, just instead of a pair of pants she wore a short skirt that really showed off her legs. Also, she wore no tie but instead a black collar that that a cross with a red gem in the centre attached to it by a chain. She also had long and bright bubblegum pink hair. Warren suspected that it might be dyed, but her roots said otherwise. Odd.

Warren looked at the girl and smiled. "You OK, little lady?" asked Warren.

"Ano…" began the girl as she pointed upward.

Warren looked up…

**BAM!!**

And immediately got an up-close look at the girl's bike.

"Ow…" Warren groaned right before he collapsed backwards with the girl still in his arms. The girl scrambled off him and panicked.

"My goodness! Are you alright? Please, speak to me!" she began to cry.

"Can you…get your knee…off my crotch?" Warren murmured.

She blushed and got off him. Her bike was lying close by after bouncing off him too. Warren sat up, rubbing his head. "OK, next time look up when you send a bike flying coz it will come down…"

"Excuse me, but are you okay?" the girl asked.

Warren groaned, "Aside from the tire-shaped imprint on my skull I'd say I'm fine." Suddenly, he felt her hands on his face and he blushed at the contact. '_What is she doing?_'

"You smell nice," she said huskily. He wanted to tell her to stop but his mind was simply unable to form the words. She then slowly leaned in to…

Bite him!

He jerked and flailed a bit and she removed herself from him. "Gomen. I was just so hungry. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." She stood up and said, "My name is Moka Akashiya. What's your name?"

"Uh…Warren. Warren Smith, nice to meet you. Um…did you just drink my blood?"

"It's because I'm a vampire," the girl answered.

'_Vampire!? No way!_' Warren inspected her. She was WAY too cute to be a vampire. Of course, Warren knew that vampires could be good or evil. Still, she didn't feel like a vampire at all, except for the bite she'd given him.

"Do you hate vampires?" Moka asked nervously.

"Well…not exactly. I don't hate them…I mean, I've meant a couple who are real pricks, but otherwise, I don't hate them."

"Oh, thank goodness!" the girl sighed in relief. She then noticed his foreign appearance. "You're foreign?" asked Moka. "Where are you from?"

"Born in the United States of America, raised in Britain" Warren grinned. "So…are you really a vampire? You're way too cute to be a vampire."

"Oh," Moka blushed again. She then smiled. "Well, I really am a vampire! Ano…do you want to be friends?"

"Sure!" Warren grinned. "Always nice to have friends. Especially the cute kind."

"Really?!" Moka gasped in delight. Her eyes seemed to take in a sparkle of some kind. "That's great! I was so worried that I wouldn't know anyone here!"

"Hey, at least you're in your own country," Warren commented. "I'm a long way from home so having a friend is something good for me."

"You're right," Moka nodded softly. Warren was a long way from home. She was just a couple of cities away from her home. He was just as much in need of a friend as she was. He was probably hiding it better than most though.

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Warren had lost Moka during the entrance ceremony, but he got over it. Finding his classroom was very easy. Still, no one really went out of their way to talk to him. That was fine by the young man. Blending in and becoming invisible made his job easier. Entering his classroom, he picked out a desk that was out of the way so no one would seek him out for anything.

As more and more students filed in, an older woman wearing bright clothes and glasses entered the room with a wave. She was a pretty woman with short blonde hair and what looked like cat ears on her head. Waving lazily behind her, a yellow-furred tail was connected to her. Warren had to admit that she was very cute, even if it wasn't out loud.

"Welcome, everyone, to Yokai Academy!" she cheered, bringing equal cheers from the students on the classroom. "I'll be your homeroom teacher, Miss Shizuka Nekonome!"

Warren remained quiet through the cheering. He had to admit that it was nice that the school seemed like such a nice place. The scenery could use a little bit of work, but the people didn't seem to be too bad. Still, there were a few things…and people…that he missed back home.

"Now, as I'm sure you're all aware," Ms. Nekonome continued, drawing a pointer. "This school is a school for monsters!"

That was nothing new to Warren. He had entered the school fully expecting this. He had been warned about it when he was given this job. His boss had also warned him about the nature of most monsters and how they preyed on humans. If Warren wanted to go to Yokai Academy, he would have to keep his human ancestry hidden. It wasn't as if he hated his mother, but a lot of people would discriminate against him because of his human blood which would make his mission more difficult.

"So, like it or not, humans run the world!" Ms. Nekonome continued. "That means we monsters have to learn to co-exist with them. That is the mission of this school! Peaceful co-existence with the humans! That brings us to rule number one!" the catty teacher continued. "You will retain your human appearance at all times!"

Warren felt a wave of relief at that announcement. Even though he wasn't completely human, his true form wasn't exactly monstrous. Now he didn't have to worry about students forcing him to show his true form. Maybe he might be able to fit into school after all.

"Does everyone understand this?" Ms. Nekonome asked seriously. "This is our first key of survival among the humans. To practice the art of disguise, please do not reveal your true nature, even to your fellow students."

"But can't we just eat all the humans ma'am?" asked one of the students. He had long brown hair that reached his neck and some piercings on his face. "I could start with all the cute girls."

Warren gripped his desk at hearing that. This guy, whoever he was, had already made the top of his list. Warren couldn't stand people who took advantage of or targeted women.

"You try that and you'll put the whole monster world in danger," Warren commented.

"What was that!?" snarled the guy who'd boasted about eating humans.

"You attack humans, and sooner or later you'll get caught. Then you'll expose the monster world and while humans are weak individually, they can gang up on us and not to mention humans have a lot of advanced weapons," said Warren. "You really want to face a tank or an army of them? Go ahead! Just don't drag us along with you." Warren and the student glared at each other. Secretly, Warren was hoping the other student would throw the first punch, so Warren would get out of trouble in the fight by claiming self-defense.

It felt to everyone that a fight was about to break out when the door suddenly slid open. "I'm sorry!" a familiar voice spoke up as the door opened. "I got lost after the ceremony and well…sorry I'm late!"

"That's okay," Miss Nekonome smiled. "Just take a seat anywhere."

Warren looked to see who had come in and his eyes widened. It was Moka! She strolled into the classroom, catching her breath after apparently running to find her classroom. All of the boys in the room (save for Warren) seemed to drop into trances as they watched her try to find a desk.

"That hair…"

"Those eyes…"

"That body…"

"No way that's a disguise," one of the boys drooled. "She's just too…"

"BEAUTIFUL!!!" the collected boys roared. The only one who wasn't was Warren and he was chuckling weakly. Apparently Moka was going to be more popular than he thought. As Moka came closer, he decided to be a friend.

"Howdy Moka," Warren smiled, tipping his hat to her. "I didn't expect to see you in my class."

"Huh? Warren?" Moka blinked as she turned to who addressed her. She broke out in a huge smile when she recognized his face. "Warren! It is you!"

Leaping forward, Warren found himself grabbed in a hug by his vampire friend. He couldn't help but grin. He liked how Moka greeted her friends. Plus it was kind of funny to see how the other boys were reacting.

"Hey! Who is that guy!?"

"How does a gaijin rate a hug!?"

"I heard Americans were forward, but to hug a girl in the middle of class?!"

Warren thought this was a great way to start the year.

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Since it was the first day of school, the new first years were given a free day to explore the school. Moka happily dragged Warren along the hallways, happy to not be alone for once in her life.

"Wow," she smiled. "The main halls are so clean! Neat!"

"Yeah," Warren nodded.

While Moka was taking in all the sights in the school with sparkling eyes and happy smile, Warren had noticed the people around them. Males were all stopping and staring at Moka as she went past them. It was obvious that they were lusting after her from the way they stared at her.

"W-woah."

"What a babe!"

"I've gotta date her!"

"Who's the guy with her?"

"Who cares?!"

"If he gets in my way, he's dinner!"

Warren sighed as he heard the subtle threats against him. He really didn't want to be noticed, but it looked like as long as he was friends with a beautiful girl like Moka, he would be getting a lot of the wrong kind of attention. Being friends with Moka was good since she was really nice. Still, being ostracized because of who he was friends with wasn't something he wanted to go through. He had seen enough of that going through his childhood.

"How do you like Yokai Academy so far, Warren-kun?" Moka asked as they stopped by a vending machine. She got herself a can of tomato juice while he got some nice and cold ice tea.

"Oh? It's been pretty good so far," he said. He really couldn't lie to her but he could tell her that much.

"That's good," Moka smiled. "I think we're both going to have a lot of fun here. Don't you think so?"

"Sure" Warren nodded. "Oh, and you can just call me Warren. I know they're important and all, but the honorifics can just get really confusing sometimes."

"You speak Japanese pretty well," Moka noticed.

"You can thank Walter for that" said Warren.

"Walter?" blinked Moka.

"Uh…he was the guy who taught me before I came here. Closest thing to a father I ever had."

Smiling, Warren and Moka headed out to explore even more of the school. Warren was amazed at how much energy Moka had. Walking along the school hallways again, Moka and Warren were subjugated to the lustful/hateful stares of the males in the general vicinity. Moka was again oblivious to the looks, but Warren was all too aware of who they were aimed at. Turning a corner, the pair of new friends was suddenly cut off by a taller student; one who Warren could remember had a taste for humans, especially female ones.

"Hey, babe," the boy said as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and looking at Moka. "Moka Akashiya, right? Man, looks like I'm not the only one who thinks you're cute."

"Um, thanks," Moka nodded. "Who are you?"

"Ah, the name's Saizou," the boy introduced with a grin. "I'm one of your classmates."

"Oh…um," Moka nodded. "Good to meet you…I suppose."

"I'm sure. By the way," Saizou grinned before he reached out and suddenly grabbed Warren by the lapel of his jacket, knocking Warren's hat off, revealing him to have spiked black hair with the spikes being colored white. Moka gasped in shock. "Why is a girl like you hanging out with a complete wimp like this?"

Before Moka could try and ask Saizou to let her friend go, the taller boy suddenly began to cringe in pain. Looking over at his hand, he saw that Warren was gripping his wrist and digging his fingers into the soft part of his flesh.

"You'd do well to let me down," Warren frowned, putting more pressure on Saizou's wrist.

"Che!" Saizou snorted as he released Warren who landed on his feet. He dusted off his jacket and picked up his hat before returning it atop his head.

"Anyway," Saizou frowned as he gritted his teeth. He leaned in close to Moka, who could practically feel the leer in his eyes. "What do you say we ditch this loser and find some real nice spots in this school?"

"Um…" Moka stepped back; not liking the way Saizou was looking at her when Warren stepped in.

"I suggest you leave," Warren commanded. Saizou sneered.

Saizou drew his fist and then punched a nearby wall, making a crater in it. The walls of Yokai Academy were thick so there was only so much Saizou could do in his human form. "Say that again, wimp?"

Warren smirked, further enraging Saizou. "I said; you should leave before I take you by one of those piercings and show you that it is physically possible to shove someone's head up their own ass."

Moka immediately got between Warren and Saizou. "I'm sorry, but we're in a hurry! Bye!" She grabbed Warren's arm and dragged the protesting her friend away quickly to safety.

Taking refuge in one of the smaller hallways, Moka took a moment to catch her breath while Warren tried to smooth his uniform out. He was also trying to keep his temper in check. He really hated bullies.

"Woo! That was scary!" Moka sighed. She turned to her friend. "That was amazing, Warren! I would never have thought you would be so strong!"

"Thanks," Warren nodded. "I don't like doing it, but I didn't like how he was treating you."

"But we're both okay thanks to you," Moka smiled. "Thank you!"

"No problem," Warren smiled, tipping his hat to her. "It's what I do."

Moka didn't think she could smile any brighter if she tried. Warren was really turning out to be a wonderful friend, "Still, I don't want my only friend to get in trouble."

"What do you mean your only friend?" asked Warren in confusion. "I would have figured a nice girl like you would have made a whole mob of friends by now."

Moka giggled and stepped forward to stand in front of Warren. She had a shy blush on her cheeks and she averted her gaze. Warren couldn't help but think she was even cuter when she did it.

"Well…I'm not too good at making friends," Moka admitted. "And besides…"

"Besides what?"

"You've already let me suck you blood!" Moka smiled with a flush on her face, causing Warren to facefault. "You should be proud since your blood is just awesome! The texture, the aroma, the vitality, and there's even something in it I've never tasted before! Delicious!"

Rubbing his neck, Warren joked, "Geez, I never thought a friend would comment how great I tasted. I feel like a snack plate."

Moka giggled again. Taking part in the laughs, Warren and his new friend headed for the exit. They still had to deal with some gawkers who fell for Moka on the spot and started cursing Warren for his luck to hang out with such a hot girl.

"By the way, Warren," began Moka. "What kind of monster are you?"

"Isn't that against the rules?" he reminded.

"Oh, I forgot! But you already know I'm a vampire so I thought it'd be alright," she said.

"I'm a bit more complex," he told her. "And, well, you don't look like a vampire to me."

"Oh, that's because of this seal," Moka said, pointing at the cross hanging from her choker. "If it gets taken off, I can get REALLY scary."

Warren quickly imagined Moka dressed like the scariest vampire he had ever met…and immediately burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but it's just impossible for me to imagine someone so cute actually being scary."

"Oh. Um," Moa blinked. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Part of her was a little miffed that Warren didn't believe she could be scary like other monsters, but another part was relieved and quite flattered that he wasn't afraid of her and found her so cute at the same time. Mentally shrugging, she decided to ask a question. "Tell me, did you ever go to school in the human world?" Moka inquired.

Warren shook his head, "When I was younger I did, but for the past couple of years I was homeschooled."

"Oh. Well I think human schools are the worst," Moka huffed. "All through middle school everyone ignored me. They made fun of me and told me monsters and stuff didn't exist. Eventually I thought it would be better if I really didn't exist. I just hate humans!"

Warren flinched for a moment, feeling like Anderson had just punched him right in the heart, "Hey, hold on there. Some humans may be jerks but they aren't all bad."

"Huh?" Moka blinked. "How can you be sure? How do you know not all humans are bad?"

"Because I'm human!" Warren snapped. "Because the only people that ever meant a damn to me were human! Because the only people that ever cared about me were human! That's how I know!"

Moka gasped. "Y…You're human!?"

Warren frowned and glared, "That's right, but I guess this human isn't good enough to your friend, huh? Guess this is where our little 'friendship' ends, huh?" '_Then again, if only she knew why I was really here…_' Warren turned and began to walk away. "Don't worry, girl like you will have plenty of friends. Have a good life Moka." Warren then walked away.

Moka wanted to cry out, to apologize, and to run to Warren. However, she could only stand at the spot as she watched her only friend leave.

She felt utterly miserable after that.

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Warren was walking back towards the bus stop when he pulled out his cell phone. Normally such devices wouldn't work in the Yokai Realm, but this one had been specially designed to work in this realm. He quickly dialed the number. "Integra, its Smith. I'm scrapping the mission." … "Don't worry. The girl may hate humans, but she's about as much of a threat to the world as Anderson is to kids." … "Integra, I know my orders but you know my rules. I don't care if I'm ordered to kill her or not, I don't attack women, you know that." … "Yeah, I'm on my way toward the bus stop now."

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Moka was walking sadly in the forest, alone once again. She'd just driven off her only friend in the entire school because she said she hated humans. She never even suspected that he was human but his blood did have an interesting flavor.

She shook her head. She needed to find him and apologize. She heard rustling behind and spun around expectantly, "Warren!"

"Sorry, babe," Saizou grinned ferally. "It's just you and me now, alone."

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Warren walked through the forest towards the bus stop. He hated having to yell at Moka, but it was for her own good. If she got to close to him then…

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Warren's eyes snapped wide open. "Moka!"

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Saizou had Moka pinned against a tree, her shirt ripped open to reveal a pink lacy bra. Saizou grinned lewdly as his head filled with lecherous ideas of what he would do to her body. His tongue hung out as he began to lick her face.

"You know you want this, Moka. Just let it happen," said Saizou lustfully. "ARGH!" roared Saizou as he felt a grip on the back of his head.

"Hey jackass, don't you know the rules?" asked whoever had Saizou by the back of the head. "First date: NO TONGUE!!!" The man then pulled Saizou back and slammed his head into the ground. Moka gasped when she saw her savior.

"Warren!" she cried happily.

Warren could hear Saizou growl. Warren grabbed Moka's arm. "Talk later, run now!" He then took off, dragging Moka with him.

"GET BACK HERE!" Saizou roared as he quickly gave chase.

"Damn, doesn't this guy know when to quit?" grumbled Warren. He had to deal with this guy, personally. Warren watched as Saizou had assumed his true form, an Orc, and he looked hungry in more ways than one. He was a hulking creature with thick veins and bumps running over his skin. His teeth were razor sharp and his tongue was longer than before. In all, he looked like the real definition of a monster.

Saizou grinned as he stalked towards Warren and Moka. The pink-haired girl shivered as she saw the hungry look in Saizou's eyes. Warren had come to rescue her too, despite the fact that he was human. They were friends so that was all that mattered. She didn't care that he was human. However, because of her, he was going to die.

"Moka, I'm sorry," he apologized, "I'm sorry for just leaving you like that and for what I said. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I do," said Moka. "You're my first and most precious friend."

"Thank you," Warren smiled.

"What a sweet little scene. Too bad I have to kill you now!" roared Saizou.

Warren looked serious and said, "Moka, I wasn't completely honest with you. It's true that I'm human, but I'm only half-human…" Obsidian energy began to surround Warren. "The other half…is demonic!" A wave of black energy burst forth from Warren, also engulfing him in it. When the energy died down, Warren looked different. His hair had become shoulder length and chalk white, while his skin had turned a pale, ghostly white. Removing his sunglasses with his left hand, he revealed that his eyes were all black without a trace of any other color in them. His eyes were like infinite voids of pure darkness.

Saizou and Moka gaped at his transformation.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" demanded Saizou.

"**Your worst nightmare, punk**," said Warren in a demonic voice. He turned to Moka and removed his jacket. "**Here Moka. You should cover yourself up.**" He then removed his hat. "**And please, look after this for me.**" He then placed the hat on her head, smiling at her before facing Saizou. "**By order of the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, you will surrender now…Or I will be forced to beat the fuck outta you."**

"Protestant Knight?" murmured Moka. Why did that sound familiar?

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!" roared Saizou as he lunged at Warren.

WHAM!

His left fist met with Saizou's face, snapping it to the side and knocking out some teeth.

WHAM!

Warren's heel met with Saizou's chin, snapping his head upwards.

WHAM!

CRASH!

The heel of Warren's foot came back down and smashed Saizou's face into the dirt.

Warren spat, "**Weakling.**" He then turned around and began walking back to Moka as the shadows once again surrounded him. They dissipated and Warren returned to normal. "Geez, can't believe I had to go that far against someone like him."

"Warren!" cried Moka, pointing behind him. Warren turned just in time to be hit with a massive punch from Saizou, sending him flying toward Moka. His hand, conveniently, caught on her Rosario as he flew past, the cross trapped between his fingers, before he went skidding across the ground.

Saizou spat out some blood. He had a broken nose and one of his eyes was swollen shut. "Che! You are going to die…" He then ceased his words when the sky turned dark and a huge amount of demonic aura began to manifest itself. "What the hell!?"

Warren recovered and looked towards Moka. "Moka…?"

Moka's hair had turned from pink to silver, her skin had become paler, and her eyes had become narrowed and red with the pupils slitted. She had also gained more pronounced curves as she gained an extra cup size, giving her an even more perfect hour glass figure.

This was Moka's true self, the S-class monster known as…

"Vampire!!!" Saizou shrieked.

'_OK, she definitely looks more like a vampire now. Still a lot sexier than Alucard though.' _Warren thought dumbly to himself. Gone was the sweet girl he met, this new Moka was completely different. A combination of sexy and dangerous in one tight little package. Warren cracked his neck before turning into his true form again.

"Hmmm, how interesting," Moka-sama purred as she took in the sight of Warren. "I don't think I've ever seen a monster like you before. An American monster?"

"**Sort of,**" shrugged Warren. There attention turned to Saizou.

"I'll take him myself" Moka-sama smirked.

"**You sure?**" asked Warren.

"I can take care of myself, Warren Smith" she said coldly. "When I'm done you have some explaining to do."

"**What did I do?**" Warren complained.

"You lied to my other half and said you were you human. The power you possess is certainly not human."

"**Hey! I didn't completely lie!**" defended Warren. "**Sure I didn't exactly tell the truth, but… well, it's just a long story.**"

She snorted, "Whatever. I'll deal with you after I deal with this filth." She began to hop in place and then she stretched her arms. "It's been a long time." She cracked her knuckles and flexed her fingers while popping her neck. "Looks like this might be a decent workout at least." She yawned a little. "Now, come on. Didn't you want to play with me?" she taunted.

Saizou growled. So what if this bitch was a vampire? He would not be beaten! He let loose a roar and then lunged at Moka who just yawned. When he got close to strike, all of a sudden Warren got in front of him. He delivered a powerful uppercut to Saizou. He then leapt into the air and delivered a powerful kick into Saizou's chest, causing him to slide back. Saizou fell to the ground.

As he was about to finish Saizou off, he was hauled backwards by Moka-sama.

"Allow me," said Moka-sama before she drew her leg back and kicked Saizou's chest. "KNOW YOUR PLACE!!!" the kick sent Saizou flying and then finally there was a huge explosion as Saizou's body collided with something hard. Warren whistled as Saizou was taken down. However, now he was faced with an angry Moka-sama. She grabbed him by the collar of his vest and shouted, "I am not some damsel-in-distress! I did not require your assistance!" before she pushed him backwards. "So what am I going to do with you?" the S-Class mused. The power that this boy had shown interested her. Maybe he could be a challenge.

Warren, on the other hand, had different thoughts. This new Moka was almost as arrogant as Alucard…almost. He was sure that he could take her if she wanted to fight. However, he didn't want to hurt Moka as well, or any girl for that matter. It went against his code. He then reverted back to his normal form.

"What exactly are you? You have the scent and blood of a human, but you also have powers which are certainly demonic in nature," Moka-sama assessed. "You also have a different form. And what was that about Protestant Knights?"

"It's a pretty long story," Warren answered. "Let's just say, for a human, I'm really complicated."

"Hmph," Moka-sama grabbed the Rosario from his hand. "If you won't answer me, then you will tell my other self. I do hope to see you again, Warren Smith under more…appropriate conditions." She snapped the Rosario on and her powers receded, her hair turning back into the bright shade of pink as her eyes shifted to green. She also started to fall over when Warren caught her.

"Man, this job is never easy, is it?" murmured Warren.

Meanwhile, watching them from the trees was a figure with red eyes and reptilian features. He let out a hushed, "Gi-gi!" before leaping away.

"Moka?" he called. "Wake up, Moka." Moka's eyes fluttered open. "Thank God, you're…"

"WARREN!" Moka cried out loudly as she hugged him tight, surprising him. "I'm so sorry about what I said! I really am!"

"It's alright Moka, it really is," replied Warren, returning the hug.

She then asked Warren, "Warren, who are you really?"

"Well, I guess I can tell you. After all, we did help each other, right?" Moka nodded. "OK, well, it all started when I was adopted by Hellsing when I was a young boy. I was actually raised and trained to become a full-fledged vampire hunter." He heard her gasp. "Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you." Well, he was originally, but things had changed. "Anyway, I was considered one of the best in Hellsing's history. Of course, there are better hunters like Walter and a few others. Then there's Alucard."

Moka thought that the name Alucard sounded familiar so she asked, "Who is Alucard?"

"He's the biggest, meanest and most evil vampire I have ever met," said Warren. "He's the biggest prick in all of existence. He's also the reason I couldn't believe you were a vampire. And well…the reason I'm here is because of my mission."

"What mission?" questioned Moka.

"I was sent here to find the S-Class vampire that would be attending, assess their threat level, and, if need be…exterminate the threat."

"But that would mean…" her eyes widened in horror and realization. "Your target is me!"

"Was you" corrected Warren. "Past tense. I have no intention of going through with the mission, for several reasons."

"Like what..?" suddenly feeling very uncomfortable near Warren.

"Well, first and foremost, I never hurt a lady. Never. Vampire or not. And two…I never thought I could become friends with someone like you. I could never hurt you Moka. That's why I decided to leave, because I knew I wouldn't be able to go through with it."

"Oh, Warren…" She began to cry.

"Ah, crap, please don't cry…" pleaded Warren. He hated seeing girls cry. "Look, I'm sorry for lying to you! It's just…man…" He rubbed the back of his head in discomfort.

"I'm no crying because I'm sad, Warren. It's just…I've finally found a friend!" She hugged him tightly.

Warren happily retuned the hug, glad that Moka didn't hate him.

And then…She bit him.

"Chu!"

"YEOUCH!!"


	94. Rosario to Wraith 2

**ROSARIO+WRAITH CHAPTER 2**

**BY: SHADOW ELEMENT 13**

A week had passed since Warren enrolled in Yokai Academy. At first he wanted to leave since he couldn't bring himself to hurt Moka as his mission had requested. She was in fact the S-class vampire he was supposed to kill if proven to be a threat but even after her display of power when unsealed, he could not do it. In fact, the girl was lonely and only wanted a true friend. He just couldn't abandon her like that.

Despite being a school for monsters, it was still high school and in high schools there was always the rumor mill. They were still talking about Saizou's defeat from last week and the weird Yoki they felt. Warren knew they were talking about him and Moka.

As much as he liked the girl, however, there were some things about her that annoyed him.

"Warren!" Moka called as she met him at the gate.

"Oh, hey, Moka!" Warren greeted.

"Warren, I couldn't get any breakfast. So, could I…" she twiddled her fingers.

Sighing, Warren loosened his collar and said, "Bon appetite."

"Oh, thank you, Warren!" She looped her arms around him and bit down on his neck.

CHU!

It hurt, but Moka was a vampire and needed blood. However, he couldn't help but feel that his role as a friend to Moka meant being her breakfast, lunch, dinner and occasional snack. But, he was a guy known to go far for his friends.

Once Moka had her fill, she pulled away, licking her lips. "Warren, your blood is so exquisite! I just love the flavor and texture! I just can't get enough! I think I'm becoming addicted to you!"

Usually, when a girl said she was addicted to a guy, she meant sexually. Moka's addiction was for Warren's blood. He was a little more than a food source for her.

"Hey, lay off, Moka!" he snapped. "I need blood too!"

Moka, startled by his raised voice, responded, "Warren…"

Sighing, Warren said, "Look, let's head to class, OK?" He went to the school's entrance, followed by Moka.

From behind a tree, a girl was watching them with narrowed eyes and a cruel smirk.

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It was lunch time and Warren just needed time alone. He couldn't handle Moka right now. She was just hoping to get a bite from him when he left in a huff. Warren was also a little nervous. He had seen the end result of people who had too much blood drained by a vampire. They became mindless Ghouls who thought of little more than devouring everything in their path. In the past, Warren had the unpleasant task of having to exterminate Ghouls, and never wanted to be on the other side of the equation.

"I'm nobody's food," he murmured, but then he stopped himself, "But, she's not really bad. She just needs blood. It's just my blood tastes good to her." He felt remorse for giving her the cold shoulder. "Guess I should apologize to her." As he turned, he heard moaning. "Huh?" He followed the sound, despite his better judgment, and found the source to be a girl who was kneeling on the ground. "Hey, are you okay?" He looked her over. She wasn't wearing the standard uniform, save for the skirt and blouse. Instead of the green jacket she had on a yellow sweater vest. She had blue hair with a purple ribbon and when Warren looked down; he noted that she had immense mammary glands.

For those who need a dictionary, mammary glands are a fancy way of saying breasts, boobies and tits.

Now, back to the story.

"Um…miss? Miss, are you okay?" Warren asked, a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, it's just…it's my chest," she said, looking up at him with purple eyes. "It…hurts."

'_Wow! She's a hottie_!' thought Warren. While he was a specially trained agent of Hellsing, he was still for all intended purposes a teenage boys and as a teenage boy he appreciated hot girls. "I think you need the infirmary, Miss…"

"Kurumu," she answered as he helped her up. "Kurumu Kurono." Her chest touched his and he could feel her soft breasts while she could feel his hard muscles. '_Yummy_!' she thought.

Ignoring the sensation, he introduced himself, "I'm Warren Smith."

"Oh, I know," she smiled.

"You do?"

"We're in the same homeroom. I sit at the back," she explained.

"Oh." He blinked.

"Can't you feel my chest? It feels really hot?" she said, taking his hand and putting atop her chest. "Can you feel that?"

Warren blushed and he jerked his hand away. "Now, hold on!" he said, looking her in the eye.

'_Chance! CHARM!_' Her eyes were locked with his as she activated her power that would turn him into a submissive slave.

Warren blinked suddenly. '_What the hell was that?_' "Uh, I really should get you to the infirmary Miss Kurono. I think you may have a fever."

Kurumu blinked and gawked in surprise. '_Huh, why didn't it work?_' She calmed down and responded to his suggestion, "Right…the infirmary." She added mentally, '_I can try my charm again in there. There's also a bed so all I need to do is make him relax_.'

As Warren helped Kurumu to the infirmary, he bumped into Moka. "Oh, Moka," Warren said. Kurumu's eyes narrowed at her.

"Warren, when you didn't come and have lunch with me I got worried," she said. Her eyes fell on Kurumu. "Who is this?"

"Oh, she's Kurumu. A classmate of ours. She's not feeling well so I'm taking her to the infirmary," he answered. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria later, OK?"

Moka nodded and watched but then she caught the blue-haired girl glaring back at her with an evil smirk.

Once in the infirmary, which was vacant, Warren helped Kurumu onto a bed. She lay on it, an arm draped over her head. "Thanks," she said.

"Well, I should go," he said, standing up. "You rest here." She grabbed him by the back of his coat. "Huh?"

"No…please stay…" she pleaded. "I…hate being alone."

Warren frowned sympathetically. '_I guess I could stay. I'll explain to Moka later. She'd understand._'

But the girl on the bed tugged harder and pulled Warren on top of her, just as the door opened. Moka came in and gasped, "WARREN!"

"It's not what you think!" he exclaimed, but as he sat up he noted that he was straddling the girl on the bed. Quickly jumping off, he went to chase after Moka but she had run off. "Damn it!" he growled. He looked to Kurumu, then back at the door. He chose the door and gave chase.

Kurumu growled. "Why that pink-haired little-!!!"

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Up until after school, Moka had avoided Warren, who wanted to apologize and explain to her. He couldn't talk to her during class and even in the breaks between classes she went out in a haste to either get some tomato juice or go to the bathroom. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was avoiding him.

By the time the final bell rang, Warren stopped her from escaping. "Come on," he said. "Let's go take a walk."

The two walked out of class and walked into the hall. They were heading toward the exit when they heard a shout, "HEY!"

Both friends looked up to see a girl jump down from the second floor railing and land on her feet. Her arms were folded under her breasts. The boy who'd seen her quickly eyeballed her and exclaimed.

"Wow! Look at her!"

"White panties!"

"She's so small but her breasts are so big!"

"BEAUTIFUL!"

Ignoring the girl-starved boys, Kurumu pointed at Moka. "Moka Akashiya, I challenge you!"

"Challenge?" Moka gulped.

"Hey, Kurumu, what's this about?" Warren demanded.

"Oh, hey, Warren!" she winked. The boys enamored with her quickly growled in envy at Warren. This was just what Warren didn't need. "Well, if you don't know then I'll explain it to you! You see, I, Kurumu Kurono have a plan to collect a harem of boys to serve my every need, but you are in my way! Moka Akashiya, just disappear!"

"Hey!" Warren snapped. "I don't know where you get off threatening my friends (even if you are hot), but nobody threatens Moka while I'm around!"

"Oh, Warren…" Moka blushed. Kurumu scowled.

"I've heard the rumors. She's a vampire! She'll just suck you dry and leave you as nothing but skin and bones!" Kurumu snapped.

"So what? She's my friend and I stick by my friends!" Warren proclaimed.

"Oh, Warren!" Moka's smile widened as she began to cry tears of joy. No one had ever defended her like that.

"Well, then, Warren Smith…" Kurumu purred as she strode towards her, swaying her hips which hypnotized the horny boys, "I guess this is where I have to do something." She was going to use her strongest Allure on him. It might turn him into a drooling slave but she did not care. Anything to tear Warren away from Moka. Her eyes locked with his. '_Charm!_'

Warren was suddenly hit with a barrage of images of Kurumu in revealing attire, or completely naked. In mere seconds it felt as if they had been a couple for months and every night she fucked his brains out. Of course, something was keeping the Charm from taking complete effect. Warren grabbed the sides of his head and started to growl. "Get out…Get out of my head!"

"Huh?" Kurumu gasped as she backed away from him. Was he resisting her Charm? All her life she had never encountered anyone able to resist.

"What are you doing!?" Moka demanded, grabbing Kurumu's shoulders. She shook the girl. "Stop it! Stop hurting Warren!" Moka had guessed that Warren's pain was caused by Kurumu. She had seen Kurumu's eyes glow for just a second. Warren finally stopped and seemed to be out of breath.

Warren looked at Moka. "Moka…did you just hit me with your bike again?" he asked before collapsing.

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The two girls helped Warren to the infirmary where Kurumu had tried to seduce him earlier. They helped him onto the bed where he sat down. Moka got him a cup of water from the dispenser.

"Thanks," he said, before taking a huge gulp. "Ah…" He eyed Kurumu who flinched under his gaze. "What did you do to me?"

Kurumu sighed. "It was my ability. It's called Charm or Allure. It's an ability my race, the succubae, have."

"You're a succubus," Moka realized.

"That's right," nodded Kurumu.

"OK, that explains the how, but not the why," Warren pressed on.

"Well, you see, we succubae are a dying breed so I came to Yokai Academy on a mission. I'm supposed to find my one true love, my soul mate, my Mate of Fate, my Destined One," said Kurumu.

"So, how come you can't pick one of your loyal harem boys?" asked Warren.

"It can't be anyone," Kurumu said. "It has to be someone special. Someone who can make my heart race. Someone strong who can challenge me." Her eyes fell on Warren. "And…I think that person is you."

Warren choked on the sip of water he had been drinking. "Me!?" he coughed. "Why me? I mean, I'm not really anyone special. I'm just a normal guy."

"No, you're not," Kurumu denied, "A normal guy would not be able to shake off my Allure like that. You're something else."

Moka pulled Warren away. "Please, could you leave Warren alone?"

"I understand," nodded Kurumu as she stood up. "Look, you may not believe me, but I'm really sorry. I just never thought anyone would ever get hurt when I used my power." She then exited the infirmary in disgrace.

"You know, even if she did try to turn me into a love slave, she's not really all that bad," stated Warren.

"But she was hurting you!" said Moka.

"Moka, I know a lot about different types of monsters. The powers of succubae don't cause pain. The pain was caused by something on my part. A memory refusing to go away."

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In the forest, Kurumu was walking back to her dorm. She had much to think about. "I know he's my Destined One, but…" She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see three male students with sunglasses. They were in their 3rd year.

"Say, wanna have some fun?" one of them asked as he leered at her body. They then moved quickly. One grabbed her arms while the other grabbed her legs. She let out a scream but then a rolled up handkerchief was shoved into her mouth. They all pulled her to the ground. She struggled against them.

Kurumu was pinned to the ground as one boy held her wrists and another held her ankles. "Get her panties off!" the lead boy ordered as he started to undo his belt.

She was gagged by a handkerchief and couldn't scream. Also, they were wearing sunglasses so her Allure could not affect them. '_No!!! Not like this!!!_'

"Get ready to feel a nice hard cock in you, baby," the lead man said as he began to drop his pants. He suddenly felt a vast amount of killer intent being targeted at him. He turned and saw Warren and Moka standing there. Moka looked shocked and disgusted, while Warren…Warren looked downright murderous.

"Filth like you…" sneered Warren. "Filth like you should simply disappear!" He waved his arm and a burst of dark energy shot forward, knocking the three backwards. When the darkness subsided, Warren was revealed to be in his true form.

Kurumu gasped as Moka helped her up. She spat the gag from her mouth. "Wa…Warren?"

"Damn it! Respect your seniors!" one of the 3rd years shouted as they began to transform. Small goat horns appeared from their heads as their ears elongated. Their legs then shifted into double-jointed legs with hooves, like those belonging to a goat.

They were satyrs, the perverts of the monster world. They were known for assaulting and raping nymphs. Nymphs, once raped, became subservient to the satyrs. They were no female satyrs so they had to crossbreed with other races.

"**Well, even though I can beat you three myself,**" boasted Warren, "**I do believe we should make this fair fight. Plus, Kurumu deserves payback**_**.**_"__He turned to look at the girls.__"**Moka? Kurumu? Can you fight?**"

Kurumu and Moka nodded. Kurumu glared angrily at the satyrs who tried to gang rape her. Her bat-like wings sprouted out from her back as her tail slithered out from under her skirt. She was indeed a deadly and sexy creature as he nailed elongated.

"**Now, watch closely**," Warren said as he removed Moka's Rosario.

That was when her true power and form were released, her hair turning silver, her curves becoming more pronounced, and her eyes becoming blood red.

Moka-sama had arrived. Kurumu gaped. '_So, it was true. She really is a vampire…but what is Warren?_'

Warren popped his neck from side to side. "**OK, ladies…let's show these guys what happens when you try to take advantage of someone.**"

"Che, you woke me up to fight this filth?" The satyrs became angered by the vampire's words, despite trembling at her appearance.

"**Please, Moka,**" requested Warren.

"Fine," nodded Moka.

Both parties charged at each other. Moka-sama's fight ended quickly as she raised her leg and sent the satyr flying, shouting, "KNOW YOUR PLACE!" He went flying through several trees, skidding to a half a mile away. "Too easy." She ran her hand through her hair and flipped it.

Kurumu was angry. They tried to take her virginity. Only her Destined One deserved the honor. With her claws, she made short work of the second satyr. She tore his clothes to shreds and left deep bleeding cuts in his skin. She was too fast for him in her true form and he went down when the heel of her foot smashed into his crotch. He whimpered in agony as he held his crushed package. The last thing he saw were Kurumu's panties as she brought her heel down on his face, breaking his nose.

And as for Warren…well, his opponent was running for his life. Warren was slowly stalking him, letting the satyr become afraid. Warren suddenly appeared in front of the satyr. "**It's because of filth like you**," Warren lifted up his leg and brought it down on the satyr's head, cracking a horn. "**It's because of filth like you!**" Warren then straddled the satyr's chest, and began punching the satyr repeatedly in the face. "**It's because of filth like you that I never had a family!**"

POW!

"**That I had to stay in that horrible place!**"

POW!

"**That the one thing in this world that I loved was taken from me!**"

POW! POW! POW!

Warren began to pummel the satyr, taking pleasure as he felt the monster's skull beginning to cave in.

He was one more strike away from killing the satyr when he felt a strong hand wrap around his wrist. He turned his angered eyes towards Moka-sama.

"He's not worth it," she said to Warren.

Warren was breathing hard, seething almost. He took a deep breath and calmed down before reverting back to his normal form. "You're right…he's not."

"Care to tell me what that was about?"

Warren looked away as he placed his sunglasses back on his eyes. "It's…complicated."

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The trio regrouped at the gazebo overlooking a lake. Moka was back in her sealed state as Kurumu was in her human form. It was time for Warren to fess up more about his past.

"Well, where do I even begin?" Warren asked.

Moka was the first to speak. "Ano…if you don't mind…could you tell us about your family?"

Warren let out a sigh. "Not much to tell. Mom died at childbirth and I never knew who or what my dad was. From the pieces that I was able to put together, I wasn't exactly a wanted pregnancy. My mom was raped and I was the end result. As for the other stuff…let's just say that there are some things that I just don't feel like talking about."

"Oh, Warren…" Kurumu felt sympathetic. Taking a hold of his head, she pressed his face into her chest. "Just cry into my soft bosom."

"MMPH!" was Warren's muffled cry as Kurumu began to smother him.

"Kurumu-san!" cried Moka as she tried to pry the succubus off Warren.

This looked like the start of a beautiful friendship, or a tragic yet humorous love triangle.

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Warren came into school with Moka who he once again met at the gate. The vampire, like she did always since meeting him, took a bite and sucked out a bit of his blood.

"Did I satisfy you, Moka?" Warren asked.

"Yes," nodded Moka.

"Yoohoo! Warren!"

GLOMP!

Kurumu had her arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist from behind. "Good morning!"

"Hey, Kurumu," Warren greeted with a sigh.

"Get off him please," Moka ordered. Kurumu huffed and let him go.

"Warren, I know yesterday you got upset so I made you something nice," said Kurumu. She showed what she had. It was a basket filled with cookies. "All for you, my Destined One!"

"WHAT!?" shouted Warren in shock. "Wait! Hold on! I never agreed to this!"

"Now, don't worry about it, Warren. You'll make a fine husband for me," purred Kurumu.

As Moka grabbed Warren to drag him away from the overly-amorous succubus, the trio heard music. It was loud, fast, and quite fun.

"Hip-hop?" Warren wondered aloud. Students were crowding around something. "Come on, let's go check it out." He was curious to see what was going on. The trio went towards the group of students and looked to see what was interesting. That was when they saw a student, a boy. Instead of wearing his jacket like a normal person would, he had the sleeves tied around his waist as the jacket hung from his waist. The sleeves of his white shirt had also been torn off. Also, he wore his necktie as a headband. He had messy black hair and a smile on his face as he break-danced in front of the crowd of cheering students. At his side was a boom box.

"Who is that?" Kurumu asked as she got into the rhythm, shaking her hips.

"Oh, that's Daisuke Yamamoto!" a random bespectacled girl informed them.

"Daisuke Yamamoto, huh?" Warren nodded. "He's good." He saw Daisuke perform a head spin.

When the music came to an end, Daisuke stood up straight with one arm held up high and pointing to the sky. Everyone clapped and cheered.

Daisuke's brown eyes then locked upon Warren and he pointed at the Caucasian. "You," said Daisuke.

"Huh?" All eyes were on Warren.

"You are Warren Smith. Then, Warren Smith will fight Amazon!" declared Daisuke.

"Uh…sorry, I don't really like to fight unless I have to," said Warren waving his hands in denial.

Smirking, Daisuke said, "Well, then Amazon will make you!" He pressed a button his boom box to restart the music. He the lunged towards Warren with a kick. Warren stepped to the side, avoiding the kick and letting Daisuke fly right by him.

"Hold up!" called Warren. "What the hell did I do to you!?"

"Amazon wishes to be strong so to be strong Amazon must fight the strong and you are strong, Warren Smith!" shouted Daisuke. He went into a break-dancing fighting pattern with Warren dodging. As Warren dodged the strikes, his wallet fell out of his pocket.

Moka curiously picked up the wallet and was shocked at the first picture she saw…A picture of a smiling baby girl with black hair and a bow. Holding her and smiling widely…was Warren. "What is this?" Moka murmured.

Daisuke swung his fists at Warren and leapt up for another kick. Warren grabbed Daisuke's leg and swung him to the ground. "OK, stop hopping around and speak like a normal person. Why the hell do you want to fight me?"

"To be strong," said Daisuke.

Warren sighed, "Fighting someone to be strong makes no sense."

"It is the way of Amazon's people."

"Hey, what you got there, Moka?" Kurumu asked. She looked at the photo and squealed, "Oh, what a cute little girl! This must be Warren's baby sister!"

Warren froze when he heard that, giving Daisuke the chance he needed to land a heel kick into Warren's face. "Warren shouldn't ignore Amazon, or Amazon will seriously hurt Warren."

"Shut…UP!" Warren roared.

POW!

The fist met with Daisuke's face and sent him flying across the schoolyard and slamming into a nearby wall. When the dust cleared, Daisuke was revealed with swirlies in his eyes. Warren stomped towards Moka and Kurumu and snatched the wallet out of her hand before walking into the building. The students gave him a wide berth.

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Warren was incredibly angry right then. Not just at the cheap shot Daisuke took, and not that Moka had invaded his privacy by looking in his wallet, but because they had seen the picture. He was trying to keep his past secret and they saw the most painful part of it. "Linda…" said Warren sadly. He walked past a classroom and froze. He looked out the window and saw him. He was dressed completely in black. A black leather bodysuit, black gloves, and black boots. The only thing that wasn't black was what was covering his head. It was a large, chrome helmet, designed like a skull. Warren's face immediately paled as a sense of dread came over him. The dread was immediately replaced by something else. Rage. Pure, unstoppable rage. "YOU!!!!" roared Warren as he charged through the classroom and leapt out the window.

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	95. All Riders VS GINSHOCKER

Bernkastel was sitting in a rocking chair with Lambdadelta asleep while sitting in her lap as she rocked gently, back and forth. The bluenette's hand tenderly stroked the blonde's hair as she spoke softly, "A story can have many beginnings, many outcomes and many endings. I've seen and experienced many stories begin the same way, but run their course and end differently. I've seen friends betraying each other, only to discover the strength of faith and trust in the end. I've seen people who've lost loves ones, only to gain strength to rise from their hardships. Indeed, the same story can be told in many different ways. There are many different versions of the same story. Thus, there can also be many different worlds."

Bernkastel wrapped her arms gently around Lambdadelta's waist and pulled the blonde closer, kissing her forehead. She continued, "Let us see this story in a _different_ way…"

* * *

"Send me, Warren-san!" Shinichi pleaded. "Let me stall them!"

"No!" Shiori protested. Shinichi stared at his mother. She looked frightened, despite her eyes being narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed. "Shinji, you can't!"

"I have to," said Shinichi. "If I don't then the village and everyone in it will be destroyed." He said to Warren, "Get me down there. I'll stall them until reinforcements arrive."

"OK, just don't die," Warren said to Shinichi.

"Hey, who do you think I am," Shinichi said with a cocky grin. He turned to his mother and gave her a hug. She didn't want to let him go, however. "Don't worry, Kaa-chan. I'll be fine."

"Hey, Shin-chan," said Mion, "You better come back. You have a punishment game to perform."

"I got it, Mion," said Shinichi. Rena grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pressed their mouths together in a passionate kiss. She broke the kiss, looking him dead in the eye.

"Please, come back to Rena," she pleaded.

"I will, Rena-chan," he promised.

"Shinji, be careful," Shiori said to her son.

"I will, Kaa-chan," he said with a nod.

The dining car door opened as the ChronoLiner flew over Hinamizawa. They were really high up. They were now over the quarry and Shinichi could see the GIN-SHOCKER army marching towards the village, prepared to raze it to the ground.

Shinichi formed his belt and he jumped out of the ChronoLiner, freefalling straight down to the quarry. "HENSHIN!" he called out loudly and his armor formed on him, completing the change once his eyes flashed. "LET'S RIDE: SHOWA!"

* * *

Showa fought valiantly and was soon joined by the NEO-NUMBERS. However, even with the seven of them fighting together they were vastly outnumbered. They needed a miracle.

Suddenly, a large silver veil erected itself behind the assembled NEO-NUMBERS and a new character riding upon a white motorcycle burst out of it. He was clothed in black with silver gloves and boots. Around his neck was a red scarf and on his chest was a green reinforced chestplate. He wore a green helmet on his head which possessed an insect-like look, complete with a pair of red eyes and antennae. Around his waist was a belt that had a fan inside the buckle.

This was Kamen Rider Ichigo, the first Rider. Ichigo then jumped off his bike and kicked a shocked KoumorieBorg in the chest, sending him sprawling.

However, Ichigo wasn't the only Rider to come to the NEO-NUMBERS' aid. Running out of the veil as it collapsed were the other Legendary Kamen Riders. In order they were Nigo, V3, Riderman, X, Amazon, Stronger, Skyrider, Super-1, ZX, BLACK RX, ZO, and J. Among them was also Skull Rider Wraith, the Rider form of the Director of ARMOR.

"How can you be here!?" demanded an outraged KoumorieBorg in disbelief.

"There is no way we will let GIN-SHOCKER win!" declared Nigo.

"As long as evil exists, the power of the Riders will always be needed to combat it!" added Ichigo. "We will never die!"

"Well said," agreed Wraith.

"Warren-san, how did you gather them all?" asked a shocked Showa.

"They're old friends, and more are coming," said Wraith.

As if to punctuate his statement, another silver veil appeared. The GIN-SHOCKER army froze, fearing the appearance of more Riders, their natural enemies. They were not disappointed as three Riders emerged from the silver wall. All three were donned in the armour of Dark Riders. Specifically, the armours of Orga, Dark Kiva, and Dark Kabuto.

"Hello, Papa," Orga smiled beneath her helmet. "Are we late?"

"Fashionably so," Wraith chuckled. "Still, I hope you and your brothers can give me a good excuse why you are late." Showa blinked at Wraith's tone, wondering why he seemed so calm. It was like he didn't know they were surrounded by Kaijin and soldiers.

"We got a little held up with some friends," Dark Kiva laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But once they heard what was happening, they just had to help," Dark Kabuto shrugged. "You might recognize them."

Gesturing to the veil, two new figures emerged from it. Showa's eyes bulged as he recognized both figures who emerged from the dimensional barrier, "Decade?! Diend?!"

"Hey Shinichi," Decade waved. "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Ah, it's nostalgic to be in a world I've visited before," Diend laughed as he spied Showa. "Ah! Hi! Has your mother managed to write any new books? I've already gone through the ones Warren traded me for your Magatama."

"Uh…wait," Showa frowned, looking to Wraith. "Traded?"

"An offer he couldn't refuse," Wraith laughed.

"Perverted tastes aside, you look like you're in pretty deep here," Decade spoke as he and Diend stood at either side of the Dark Riders. "Why don't we give you guys a hand? All fifteen of us?"

"Fifteen?" asked Showa, blinking.

That was when the veil collapsed, revealing ten new Riders who walked casually to the side of Decade, Diend, and the Dark Riders. All of them stared down the enemies of the Riders and began preparing themselves for a fight.

"I think an introduction is in order," Decade spoke. "I don't think they know who we are."

"Good idea, Decade-kun," Diend laughed. "Start us off, Kuuga!"

"Ha!" the red Rider with gold horns laughed. "Champion of the ancient civilization! Kamen Rider Kuuga!"

"Harbinger of evolution! Kamen Rider Agito!"

"Champion of the Mirror World! Kamen Rider Ryuki!"

"Guardian of the human race! Kamen Rider Faiz!"

"Master of the Rouze Cards! Kamen Rider Blade!"

"The wild demon of pure sound! Kamen Rider Ranki!"

"Disciple of God Speed Love! Kamen Rider Caucasus!

"Ore Sanjou! Coolest Rider of all! Kamen Rider Den-O!"

"Champion of the twilight! Kamen Rider Kiva!

"**Hardboiled detective extraordinaire! Kamen Rider Double!**"

"Herald of the end! Kamen Rider Orga!"

"King of the night! Kamen Rider Dark Kiva!"

"Breath of God's shadow! Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto!"

"He who will shatter the bonds of Fate! Skull Rider Wraith!"

"Hunter of treasures in the Multiverse! Kamen Rider Diend!"

"Chosen fighter of the Multiverse! Kamen Rider Decade!"

"Kamen Rider Ichigo!"

"Kamen Rider Nigo!"

"Kamen Rider V3!"

"I am Riderman!"

"Kamen Rider X!"

"A-MA-ZON!"

"The heavens call...The earth cries out...The crowds roar...All calling on me to strike back against evil. Now listen up, villains! I am the warrior of justice, the Kamen Rider Stronger!"

"Skyrider!"

"Kamen Rider Super-1!"

"Kamen Rider ZX!"

"I am the Prince of the Sun! Kamen Rider BLACK RX!"

"Kamen Rider ZO!"

"Kamen Rider J!"

"Call me Kamen Rider Slasher!"

"I am the unstoppable wrecking ball! Kamen Rider Armadillo!"

"Rock and Roll! Kamen Rider Musician!"

"Lovely Maiden!" Kamen Rider Carmen!"

"Welcome to my parlour, my prey. I am Kamen Rider Arachnea."

"Attention! Ten-Hut! Kamen Rider Zero is here!"

"On Stage! Chosen Guardian of Hinamizawa! Kamen Rider Showa!"

Facing the GIN-SHOCKER army were 36 Kamen Riders in total. With introductions complete, Decade pointed forward at the GIN-SHOCKER army.

"Riders…" Decade spoke out, "CHARGE!"

* * *

It was war.

There was no real way to sugarcoat it. Conflict between GIN-SHOCKER and the Riders had exploded into all out war. While the Kaijin vastly outnumbered the Riders, each of the Riders had more or less single-handedly destroyed organizations of untold power much like GIN-SHOCKER. The Riders were no pushovers as they did battle against the Kaijin and executives of the terrorist organization. This just wasn't another plot on the verge of being foiled. It was now all or nothing with Hinamizawa just being the first of many places on the line. GIN-SHOCKER refused to allow the obstacles to their goals exist for a moment longer and the Riders were determined to end the evil of another SHOCKER organization once and for all.

Ichigo and Nigo worked in perfect tandem as they beat off several Cyborg Mutants and GIN-SHOCKER soldiers. Being the first Kamen Riders, they had years of experience under their belts and were probably some of the most powerful of their brethren. Leaping over swipes from the shouting GIN-SHOCKER soldiers, the first two Riders somersaulted through the air before extending their feet and aiming at a CyberMoleroid.

"Double Rider Kick!" the pair shouted, their attacks colliding against the hapless Kaijin. The force of the kick sent the monster flying several feet back and crashing through the ranks of its fellow. It left a trench in the quarry floor before skidding to a halt and exploding, taking several of its comrades with it.

"Hoh!" Skyrider called, cutting through the air and doing battled with the airborne monsters. He struck a CyberFlyroid out of the air and sent it crashing through one of the abandoned buildings of the quarry where a blast of fire from the hole signaled its end. Looking around! He took a tally of the remaining enemies.

"EEE!"

"EEE!"

"EEE!!"

Several of the GIN-SHOCKER soldiers in their missile-man forms shot through the air, aiming to shoot Skyrider out of the air. Skyrider remained vigilant though. Swerving through the air, he twisted and kicked one of the missile-men off course, making it cry 'EEE!' in the process. The living weapon swerved before it collided with a CyberParrotroid, making both explode into shrapnel.

"Yosh!" Skyrider grinned. He still had the touch!

"Gi! Gi! Gi! Gi!" Amazon crowed, jumping onto the back of a CyberTigeroid. Being from the Amazon jungles, Amazon didn't like predatory animals all that much. Tigers tended to think he was weak prey and make him a target plenty of times in his youth. Now, it was time for a little payback.

"Jaguar Shock!" Amazon cried, biting deeply into the Tigeroid's shoulder, causing blood and mechanical fluid to spurt out. Roaring in pain, the Tigeroid managed to pry Amazon off of his shoulder and throw him to the side.

Flipping onto his feet, Amazon ducked underneath the enraged Tigeroid's attack and danced around its subsequent attacks much like a monkey. Growing angrier, the Tigeroid became more erratic and wild in its attack, losing all pretense of a fighting style. Amazon on the other hand stuck to his way of fighting with a calm head as he prepared for his next move. As the Tigeroid attacked, Amazon leaped onto its shoulder before leaping straight up. As gravity took hold, Amazon straightened his right hand out.

"Dai Setsudan!" Amazon bellowed as his Inca magic-powered chop cut through the monster's body like butter before the monster exploded in a fiery mess.

"Gi! Gi! Gi!" Amazon cheered in victory.

Stronger was using his electrical powered fists to stun the enemy forces before tossing them down to the ground. With him were X and Super-1, the former armed with his Ridol Staff to fight against the enemy and the latter using his strength to lift boulders up and toss them down on the GIN-SHOCKER soldiers.

V3 and ZX fought back to back against several GIN-SHOCKER soldiers but the black-clad foot soldiers were nothing to the two Riders and were easily felled by their superior power. A Bullroid charged at them, but the Riders easily finished the Kaijin off. Jumping up, they executed their signature moves.

"V3 Kick!"

"ZX Kick!"

The two attacks smashed into the Bullroid, sending him to the next life in a fiery blaze.

Dark Kabuto and Caucasus were laying the beat down on several insect themed Cyborg Mutants. They mostly resembled cockroaches and like cockroaches were extremely stubborn to die.

"Clock Up!" the two Riders activates their Clock Up systems simultaneously.

"**Clock Up!**" their Zecters echoed. The two blurred out of sight and the cockroach Cyborg Mutants were destroyed in seconds.

Orga used her sword and slashed wildly at the Cyborg Mutant who tried to attack. She tossed a few to the ground for their attempts to strike her down, causing them to roll down a hill. A Mantisroid tried to attack from above only to be ran through by her Orga Stylanzer and then tossed aside like garbage. She then found herself surrounded by GIN-SHOCKER soldiers but her invisible arms known as vectors lashed out and beheaded them. The stubs of their necks let loose blood like geysers and she grinned in satisfaction.

Dark Kiva was fighting alongside Kuuga and Agito and the three of them were kicking butt, with Kuuga and Agito executing their Rider Kicks to destroy their opponents. Not too far away was Ryuki who was armed with his Drag Saber and Drag Shield and he was cutting the enemy down one by one.

"Yosh!" exclaimed Ryuki.

Ranki was armed with his Ongekibou Rekka and was striking the enemy down with his flaming Taiko drumsticks. He also sent fireballs flying at them with his weapons, causing them to ignite in flames.

Zero was raining down a hailstorm of needles on the GIN-SHOCKER forces from the air while Slasher barrelled through them on the ground, cutting their numbers down with his chainsaws.

Wraith easily destroyed several GIN-SHOCKER Cyborg Mutants with little efforts. All of his blows and strikes proved fatal for them. Indeed, there was a reason for his fame. He'd earned it with his strength and will.

* * *

CatotomeRoid hissed as she attacked several of the Riders, aiming to end the scourge which plagued her master for so long. Lunging, she tackled Double, but the hardboiled Rider rolled with the attack and kicked CatotomeRoid away, letting her land on her feet. However, that was when the commander discovered she was in the middle of a circle of four Riders. Den-O and Double were on her left while Arachnea and Carmen were on her right.

"Oh shi-!"

"**Now, let's count your crimes!**" Double posed, pointing at the enemy. However, his left eye started to blink as a new voice came out. "Man, I finally get to see a catgirl and she's evil. Life isn't fair."

"Catgirls? I wonder why they're so desired," Double pondered as the right eye began to blink with a new voice. "It sounds like interesting research."

"Later Phillip!" the left side spoke and Double removed the Gaia Memories in his belt and produced new ones. "Let's get a weapon in our hands!"

"**HEAT!**"

"**METAL!**"

"**HEAT-METAL!**"

As Double inserted the Memories, he switched from green and black to red and grey, producing a staff on his back which he drew as a weapon.

"Heh, I hope you're having fun, neko-onna," Den-O snorted as he ran his hand along his sword. "'Cause now we're at the climax and you're going down!"

"Ooh, they sound so hunky!" Carmen giggled as she admired the two Riders as she turned to her long-time friend. "Which one do you want? Or can I have them both?"

"This isn't the time to be thinking with your libido!" Arachnea hissed, drawing her weapons. "Now come on and let's kick this bitch's ass!"

"Right, right," Carmen sighed as she and Arachnea began charging at CatotomeRoid.

The GIN-SHOCKER executive hissed as the four Riders attacked her. She leaped over Carmen's tacked, but got slammed in the back from Double's staff, making her stumble. Arachnea and Den-O pressed the advantage by slashing at her and producing several sparks from the impact. CatotomeRoid hissed and stumbled back further. Yowling, she lunged again, catching the two male Riders by their weapons and pushing them backwards thanks to the muscle her enhancements afforded her. With a push, she knocked their weapons away before slashing them both in the chest, knocking the pair down with grunts.

"Climax?" she purred. "I'll be sure to have one when I present your heads to Great Leader-sama."

"Not gonna happen, bitch!" Carmen shrieked in defence of her two new hunks as she lashed out with her petal bullets and caught CatotomeRoid in the back, making her shriek in pain.

Seeing an opportunity, Double and Den-O kicked the enraged executive back before reclaiming their weapons. Den-O then took out his Hyper Pass and swiped it across the front of his belt. At the same time, Double removed his Metal Memory before inserting into a hollow slot in his weapon.

"**Full Charge!**"

"**METAL: MAXIMUM DRIVE!**"

"Ore no hissatsu waza! Showa Version!" Den-O roared as he charged at CatotomeRoid with his blade glowing bright red.

"**Metal Branding!**" Double shouted, flames shooting from the end of his staff much like a blade of fire.

The two Riders charged at the enemy and slashed across her chest with their weapons. Den-O's blade left a glowing red cut through her while Double's left a sparking mess with flames licking the edges. CatotomeRoid screamed in pain, stumbling away from the Riders in a bid for survival…but Carmen and Arachnea were having none of that as they made a running charge at the evil woman. Leaping into the air, they extended their legs for a powerful kick.

"Rider Maiden Double Kick!"

"GREAT LEADER-SAMA!" CatotomeRoid screeched, begging for help from her master. However, no help came as the two Riders collided with her, causing a massive explosion which obliterated the kaijin where she stood. Arachnea and Carmen stood up in the inferno, the flames having no effect on the.

"Good riddance," Arachnea spat.

"So, do you boys have any plans later?" Carmen flirted with Double and Den-O.

* * *

"Burn in hell Riders!" KoumorieBorg bellowed as he swiped at Armadillo and Diend with his claws. X and RX attempted to strike him from behind, but his hard shell deflected the Ridol and Revolcane. Feeling the impacts, he twisted around with unnatural speed and struck both Riders in the chest, sending them sprawling backwards from the impacts.

"Soon you Riders will realize how superior GIN-SHOCKER is to you!" KoumorieBorg sneered, advancing on the pair.

"That's what Golgom and the Crisis Empire said," RX panted, getting to his feet.

"G.O.D. said the same," X frowned. "What makes your group so special?"

"RRRRGH!" KoumorieBorg growled. "Die for your insolence!"

The executive charged at the two Riders, aiming to take them down in one fell swoop. However, he was quickly interrupted by something large and round colliding with his side. As he was pushed across the quarry ground, KoumorieBorg found that Armadillo had been the one who attacked him. Enraged, he mashed his claws into the balled up Pill Bug Rider, sending him off course and crashing to the dirt. Grunting, the executive got to his feet, looking for his opponents.

"Hyah!"

"Hoh!"

Turning, KoumorieBorg was suddenly assaulted by X and RX, both Riders attacking his unprotected front with their weapons. The Ridol and Revolcane pierced his hide and dug into his flesh. Bellowing in pain, the executive member of GIN-SHOCKER stumbled backwards, sliding off the weapons so to prevent them from doing more damage. However, in his intention of fleeing, the executive wasn't paying close enough attention to his surroundings.

"**Final Attack Ride: Di-Di-Di-Diend!**"

KoumorieBorg turned in the direction of the sound only to be faced with nine rings of blue cards with Diend on the other end. The blue Rider just gave a friendly wave before pulling the trigger on his weapon, unleashing a burst stream of blue energy which absorbed the cards before colliding with KoumorieBorg, pushing him back as it did so. The executive roared with pain as the energy decimated his insides, putting his body into failing.

"GIN-SHOCKER FOREVER!!" he bellowed out before he could take no more and exploded in a giant fiery blast. Diend and the other Riders didn't even spare the spot a passing glance before they went to go help their comrades.

* * *

Gebok was surrounded by Showa, Decade, Musician, Blade, Faiz and Kiva. He muttered, "You Riders are getting in the way of my grand experiment."

"Sorry, but there will be no more experiments!" Showa growled.

"This madness ends here!" Musician growled.

"Madness? Oh such cruel words from the ignorant," Gebok snickered. "My genius is incomprehensible to the likes of you."

"The world doesn't need your kind of 'genius'!" Showa spat.

"And those who need it most think they need it the least," Gebok laughed. However, as relaxed as he appeared, he instead opened his coat and several drill-like missiles fired out, catching the Riders completely off guard. The missiles exploded against them, sending them sprawling across the quarry floor.

"Ha ha ha!" Gebok laughed. "I have covered all of the angles! I know how Riders fight! As long as I have my inventions, you will never get close enough to fight me! I can blow you all away without a thought!"

The Riders grunted and groaned as they managed to get back up to their feet, uncaring of Gebok's words.

"And now, it's high time I take out the trash," Gebok snickered. "Failed experiments and useless clutter only serve to impede my work. I so hoped you'd be different BLACK 13, but I guess its back to the drawing board. How disappointing."

"You sure love to hear yourself talk don't you?" Decade snorted, drawing three cards from his Ride Booker. "You forget about my last visit to Hinamizawa?"

"What's to know? You can copy other Riders. Big deal," Gebok snorted.

"Obviously you don't know how we beat your little swamp robot," Decade sighed, putting the cards into his Decadriver. After resetting the buckle, the cards activated.

"**Final Form Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz! B-B-B-Blade! Ki-Ki-Ki-Kiva!**"

The three Riders in question stiffened before they all began to transform. Blade transformed into the Blade Blade and flew into Musician's surprised hands. Faiz became the Faiz Blaster and was caught by Decade. Finally, Kiva transformed into the Kiva Arrow and fell into Showa's hands. All three Final Form Ride weapons were charged and ready to go.

"W-what?!" Gebok cried. "My observations didn't reveal this!"

"Isn't life just full of surprises?" asked Showa, taking a very great amount of pleasure at seeing Gebok's smirk being wiped off his face.

"Time to show you our long ranged firepower!" Decade called, drawing another three cards from his Ride Booker.

"This is going to be sweet!" Musician grinned savagely underneath his helmet.

"**Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz! B-B-B-Blade! Ki-Ki-Ki-Kiva!"**

"W-wait!" Gebok cried, fiddling with his coat as he tried to bring more of his hidden weapons to bear. "T-This isn't fair!"

"HYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" the three Riders roared, unleashing their attacks. Musician slashed with the Blade Blade, sending a pulse of blue electric power through the ground towards his target, Decade fired a stream of pure photon energy and Showa fired the magic arrow which he aimed right at Gebok's heart. Several GIN-SHOCKER soldiers and Cyborg Mutants came to the mad scientist's aid, only to be caught by the crossfire of the three attacks and were instantly destroyed.

Their aim was true as the attacks collided with the insane doctor. He was sent through the air with a scream of pain. Shooting across the battlefield like a burning star, he reached the apex of his flight overhead before exploding like a supernova. It was the most satisfying view that any of the NEO-NUMBERS had ever been privileged to see.

Tossing their new weapons, the three Riders cheered as the weapons returned to their Rider forms.

"I only wish I had my camera," Showa grinned.

All of a sudden, the ground shook and the assembled Riders nearly fell over from the sudden lost of balance. The ground broke open and from the fissure GIN-SHOCKER's fortress arose. On the top of the fortress was none other than the Great Leader, in the form of a golden Shadow Moon with crimson eyes filled with evil and hatred.

He jumped down to the quarry floor and with a burst of power he sent all the Riders flying, separating Showa from them. Showa, however, was unafraid as he started to fight with the Great Leader. He showed no fear in the face of the organization's leader. He would protect Hinamizawa, even at the cost of his own life.

"Hyah!" Showa cried, kicking at the Great Leader. However, his attack was blocked before the Great Leader grabbed his leg and threw him a fair distance away.

"You fool. You had it made," the Great Leader frowned. "You were finally on the winning side! Why throw it all away?!"

"Because no one wins when someone like you is in power," Showa frowned.

"Hmph! You're wrong," the Great Leader snickered. "Someone does win. Me!" he raised his arm to create a bolt of energy to take off Showa's head. However…

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

The Great Leader was pelted from behind with numerous energy bullets. The man who created GIN-SHOCKER grunted and stumbled from the unexpected attack. Turning to see who had attacked him, he was witness to Decade unleashing a powerful forward punch aimed at his face. The Great Leader parried the blow, sending Decade stumbling forward and elbowing him in the side in the process. Decade skidded across the quarry floor and landed next to Showa with a grunt.

"Shoot. He's fast," Decade grunted. "Faster even than the old perv!"

"With all the enhancements he gave himself I'm not surprised," Showa frowned as he and Decade got to their feet. "He's got the best of everything."

"Exactly," the Great Leader snickered. "Now allow me to show you true GIN-SHOCKER superiority!"

The Great Leader brought out his powerful energies again, this time creating a watermelon-sized orb of power which just radiated death. With an almost bestial yell, the Great Leader unleashed his attack at the two Kamen Riders. The attack struck, unleashing a loud explosion which sent fires into the air and stopped the fighting as the ground shook. Smoke and dust filled the air as the Great Leader admired his handiwork.

"It is done," he nodded. "Now to finish the-"

"HIGURASHI NO YAIBA! ONI NO HONE! KAGE NO HOSHI!"

"**Kuuga-Agito-Ryuki-Faiz-Blade-Ranki-Caucasus-Den-O-Kiva! Final Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

A trio of colours erupted from the smoke along with a bright reddish light which temporarily blinded the Great Leader.

"What!?"

When the smoke cleared, it revealed a new Kamen Rider Showa. He was clad in a black bodysuit with golden samurai armor over his body with silver tiger stripes on his chestplate, boots and gauntlets. Black spikes adorned his knees, elbows and shoulders. His helmet resembled a demonic samurai with green eyes and a shuriken mounted in the centre of the brow. On his back was a six-pointed shuriken and he was armed with the Higurashi no Yaiba. He possessed an intense aura that rivalled the Great Leader's own aura. It also revealed Decade in his Complete Form, the Kamen Ride cards displayed proudly on his chest.

"How could you have survived!?" demanded the Great Leader.

"Like Ichigo-sempai said, as long as evil exists the Kamen Riders will be needed to combat it. We will never die," declared Showa.

"Who in the world do you think you are!?"

"Us? We're just a bunch of Kamen Riders who are passing through," Decade Complete shrugged before he pointed at the enraged Great Leader of GIN-SHOCKER. "Remember that!"

"Why you-!" the Great Leader snarled.

"Shinichi," Decade spoke, cutting the leader off. "We don't have room to try and wear this guy down. We hit him hard and with everything we've got!"

"Sounds good to me!" Showa grinned, possibly exhibiting Oni elements from his helmet. Decade just nodded as he drew a card he had only used once before and slotted it into the core of the Decadriver which was mounted on the right side of his belt.

"**Final Attack Ride: Sho-Sho-Sho-Showa!**"

The cards across Decade's chest suddenly activated and flipped over, revealing a new image on each one. Each one now held the same image of Kamen Rider Showa in his Hinamizawa Guardian Form. At the same time, Showa felt a strong pull across his body as he and Decade gripped their swords and took an identical stance. Both moved in perfect synch before charging towards the Great Leader with their weapons glowing, a shining gold for Showa and a shining red for Decade. Behind them, echoes of their comrades followed each holding a sword of their own.

Ichigo, Nigo, V3, Riderman, X, Amazon, Stronger, Skyrider, Super-1, ZX, BLACK RX, ZO, and J all followed Showa move for move. At the same time, Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Ranki, Caucasus, Den-O, Kiva, and Double followed Decade. The two lines of Riders charged at the Great leader, whom fired energy bolts at them to try and keep them away but to no avail. Decade and Showa burst past, letting the first hits land with showers of sparks. Ichigo, Nigo, and Kuuga got the next ones. V3 and Agito came next. Riderman and Ryuki struck after that with X and Faiz getting the next licks in. Amazon and Blade got clean cuts while Stronger and Ranki came after them. Skyrider and Caucasus were next in line followed by Super-1, ZX and Den-O. Next was Kiva and BLACK RX striking hard before Double, ZO, and J finished it up.

Showa and Decade came to a stop, their illusionary comrades vanishing as they did. The Great Leader unleashed a howl of agony as his energy surged from his body completely out of control.

Showa then charged straight at the Great Leader with an empowered fist. He called out, "EXPLOSIVE RYUUSEI PUNCH!!!" as his fist became engulfed in flames.

POW! BOOM!

The explosive punch sent the Great Leader flying and embedded him into his own fortress. He was stuck, spread eagle, and groaning in pain.

All the Riders ran over to Decade and Showa's position. "Minna…" Showa rallied as he pointed at the Great Leader and the GIN-SHOCKER fortress with his sword, "IKUZO!!!" He ran towards their target and jumped into the air. The other Riders followed suit and jumped up into the air as well, all of them executing flying kicks as their feet bursts with energy with Showa in the lead. They flew straight towards the fortress and burst right through it.

"DAMN YOU RRIIIIIIIIIDDEEEEERRRRRRRS!!!" the Great Leader roared as the GIN-SHOCKER fortress collapsed and crumbled before becoming nothing more than rubble. The Great Leader perished within the rubble as his fortress collapsed, creating an explosion that looked like a huge fireball with enough explosive force to knock the unprepared off their feet. After the smoke cleared, it revealed that the destruction of both the Great Leader and GIN-SHOCKER fortress left a deep crater within the quarry.

* * *

Again, the ground shook and the Riders gaped as they saw a dark figure beginning to rise out of the ground. It had emerged from a pit in the quarry and it was huge!

"What is that thing? One of GIN-SHOCKER's monsters?" questioned Decade.

"No, it's a Darkloid!" Showa identified.

The Darkloid that had arisen from the ground was the biggest one Showa had ever seen. It was humanoid in appearance and looked to be wearing a loin-cloth made of tattered fabric and had sharp claws on its fingers and toes. It also had sharp spikes running down its spine. It had a huge muscular build and sharp fang-like teeth. It had a total of five eyes, with a pair in the usual spots, another pair above the first, and the fifth eye in the centre of its forehead. Ram-like horns flanked its head and it also sported wavy black hair. The battle in the quarry must have awakened this daddy of all Darkloids. It was the only explanation.

This was the King Titan Darkloid.

One of the more disturbing aspects of the monster was that around its collar appeared to be skinless human bodies. However, rather than being red like the insides of the human body were, these ones were as black as tar. The giant Darkloid growled before one of the bodies hung by a strange tether to its back dropped to the ground, crashing like a ragdoll. To the disgust of the Riders, skin unfolded from the back of the puppet corpse and it took the form of a quarry worker.

"You!" the corpse puppet growled at the Riders. "You dare disturb my hibernation!? You fools must be tired of living then! That is fortunate since I am rather hungry at the moment. You will all make fine dishes! Exotic ones too!" With that, the puppet was stripped of its skin and pulled back up to the collar of the Darkloid.

Showa was just as surprised as anyone about what he saw, but seeing it triggered a memory. One day Mion had told them her story about the quarry and the boy who died along with his father. She told them about the strange worker who was there, the rotten egg smell, and the car which went over the edge and killed those inside. Seeing the puppet, Showa had a feeling that the man those kids saw was a puppet made by the Darkloid as a lure. If what he smelt from the monster was true, then the rotten egg smell was his fault too. Lastly, the boy and father who ended up dying must have seen something about this monster which sent them fleeing and in their panic, have an accident which ended their lives.

"This explains a lot," Showa murmured to himself as the King Titan Darkloid began its assault.

With a loud roar that reached the heavens it fired blasts of energy from its five eyes, striking the Riders. Explosions erupted all around the assembled Kamen Riders, sending them all flying. When they all painfully landed, scattered and sprawled, Armadillo grunted, "How are we supposed to fight something like that?"

It was J who volunteered, "Let me!" He focused his energy and the gem in his waist glowed. His eyes flashed as a green aura enveloped him. He started to grow, and grow, and grow…until he was standing at the height of the King Titan Darkloid, "HEY, PICK ON SOMEBODY YOUR OWN SIZE!" the jumbo-sized Kamen Rider J bellowed.

The two giants exchanged blows as they struck with their fists, but the King Titan Darkloid proved to be the stronger one as it knocked J off his feet and onto his back. J crashed into several pieces of equipment, but thankfully none of the Riders were crushed along with said equipment. However, J seemed to be dazed at the moment, meaning he couldn't get back up to fight until he recovered. The giant Darkloid seemed to know this and with a roar of triumph, the King Titan Darkloid set its sights on Hinamizawa.

Decade gritted his teeth, finding even his experience with fighting the Orochi in Ryugenzawa not even close to dealing with this giant monster. However, before he could try to devise a plan, he felt something pressed against his back, a gun, as the voice of Diend said, "This will only hurt for a second." He slotted a card into his gun.

"**Final Form Ride:**"

"Don't move." Diend then shot Decade in the back.

"**De-De-De-Decade!**"

Decade grunted as he felt like a bullet passed right through him, proving that Diend was lying and the initial part of the transformation did indeed hurt. The core of his Decadriver passed over his head, attaching to his chest while his head sank into his torso. His arms and legs split to his sides and the four quarters of the Decadriver appeared and locked into place, completing his transformation into the Jumbo Decadriver.

Kamen Rider J managed to get the stars out of his head and stand up. Glancing down at his tiny allies, he saw a Decadriver perfect for his size rising into the air. Holding still, he watched the Decadriver reach his waist. The transformed Kamen Rider immediately attached to J's waist as the Heisei Kamen Ride cards spun around him, changing him into a jumbo-sized Kamen Rider Decade Complete Form. The Kamen Ride cards then attached to his chest and shoulders, completing the change.

The King Titan Darkloid stiffened as it heard his giant opponent get back to his feet. Turning to see if he wanted another beating, the King Titan Darkloid spied a new giant foe. Snorting, the giant Darkloid strode forward arrogantly to deal with the upstart. Lashing out with a punch, the King Titan Darkloid grunted in shock as his fist was caught in the hand of his foe. Jumbo Decade then threw a punch at the King Titan Darkloid, causing it to stagger backwards. He then used an uppercut that knocked the Darkloid up before it fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Seeing the King Titan Darkloid down for the count and unsure of how long the transformation would last, Jumbo Decade drew a card before opening the Decadriver and sliding the card inside.

"**Final Kamen Attack Form Ride: De-De-De-Decade!**"

"Hyah!" the regular sized Kamen Riders cried as they leaped into the air. All of them turned into bright lights as they reached the apex of the jump and began soaring through the air. Reaching Jumbo Decade, they all transformed into giant Kamen Ride cards beginning with Ichigo and Nigo and ending with Diend and Showa.

Jumbo Decade jumped and the giant Kamen Ride cards followed, lining up in front of him to create a path between him and his target. One by one he flew right through them, gaining more power with each card he flew through. The King Titan Darkloid unleashed energy bolts from its eyes, but Jumbo Decade was undeterred and even unaffected as he continued passing through each card. Finally passing through his Decade card, Jumbo Decade connected with a powerful kick which sent the King Titan Darkloid flying clear over the mountains before exploding in an eruption of black fire. Jumbo Decade watched as the last bits of black fire vanished before looking to Hinamizawa. From his viewpoint, he could see the villagers gaping at him quite openly. Calmly saluting, Jumbo Decade turned his back to the village and began walking away, only to vanish in a red pixelating haze.

* * *

Later, at the Furude Shrine, Shinichi stood before the Showa Riders with the Hinamizawa Gaming Club, Shiori, and the NEO-NUMBERS. He was in awe at the Riders whose powers he'd inherited. Although he could not assume their forms anymore, meeting them in person was a huge honor. It was like a once in a lifetime opportunity for him.

Nigo and Ichigo gave Shinichi their salutes and Shinichi returned the gesture. When the Dimensional Rift appeared and the Riders turned around to return to their own places of origin, Shinichi was nudged by Mion to say something.

"Come on, Shin-chan," she encouraged.

"Say something," added Rena.

Shinichi nodded and then cupped his hands around his mouth. He shouted, "SEMPAI-TACHI!!!" The Showa Riders turned to look at Shinichi who started waving at them. "ARIGATOU!!! SAYONARA!!!"

Shigeru Jo/Kamen Rider Stronger smirked, "Heh, maybe we'll meet again, rookie."

Daisuke Yamamoto/Kamen Rider Amazon waved back, "Bye-bye, Showa!"

Ryo Murasame/Kamen Rider ZX gave a silent nod.

Shiro Kazami/Kamen Rider V3 gave the young Rider a wave, saying, "Good luck in the future."

Joji Yuki/Riderman saluted Shinichi with his fore and middle fingers, "Ja ne."

Koji Segawa/Kamen Rider J simply said, "Have a happy future."

Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider Ichigo nodded and smiled at Shinichi. "So long, Shinji Banabara."

Kotaro Minami/Kamen Rider BLACK RX simply said, "It's been an honour and a pleasure fighting alongside you."

Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider Nigo waved goodbye, "Nice knowing you."

Keisuke Jin/Kamen Rider X nodded at Shinichi, "Take good care of your loved ones."

Hiroshi Tsukuba/Skyrider waved, "So long!"

"Let's meet again," said Kazuya Oki/Super-1.

Masaru Aso/Kamen Rider ZO simply said, "Goodbye."

Lucy Smith/Kamen Rider Orga said with a smirk, "Just always follow Papa. He's never wrong."

Naruto Uzumaki Smith/Kamen Rider Dark Kiva encouraged, "Always believe in yourself!"

Warren Smith/Skull Rider Wraith reminded, "I'll be keeping my eye on you, Shinichi."

Ranma Saotome/Kamen Rider Decade finally spoke, "Never give up, Shinichi. Do your best, always. We'll see each other again."

And so, the Riders vanished as they were swept away by the Dimensional Rift.

Shinichi let out a smile and turned to face his friends and mother. "Let's go home, everyone."

* * *

The battle between the King Titan Darkloid and Jumbo Decade was talked about for several days afterwards. Shinichi had heard of it several times as he went to school and overheard the villagers talking. Everyone was seeing it as a sign that Oyashiro-sama was looking out for them against demons and such which would threaten their home. Seeing the King Titan Darkloid just enforced their idea that demons existed and were responsible for the disappearances which plagued the village over the years.

Mion was shocked to discover that as a child she and her friends had been that close to a Darkloid and could have been eaten. Hearing that the monster was probably the one that had driven her friend and his father off the road was a big blow to her emotionally. However, she did plant a soft kiss on Shinichi's cheek, thanking him for putting her friend's soul to rest by destroying the demonic monster. Rena was a little jealous of Mion kissing her boyfriend, but she understood why she did it.

Everyone in the Gaming Club thought the fight was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. Seeing Decade and the other Riders appear was a shocker too. Of course, seeing the giant Decade was an even bigger shock to them. Heck, everyone in the village saw the fight and weren't shy talking about it. Rika's temple was receiving floods of visitors as they left offerings of thanks and appreciation of the local deity. Hanyuu was in a very bright and cheery mood since the battle. She was likely channelling the good feelings of all the villagers, but the little goddess wasn't telling. She sure liked to show affection to any Riders though, especially Chiaki for his role in the fight.

* * *

"This is so embarrassing!!!" Shinichi cried out as he was serving his friends and mother in Angel Mort. It wasn't because he was serving them that embarrassed him. It was what he was wearing while serving them.

"Sorry, Shin-chan, but a penalty game is a penalty game. So says the Club President!" Mion declared. Shinichi was dressed in a pink maid outfit. It also had bunny ears on top just for fun and he had to talk in a girlish tone. This was his punishment for scaring them when he had gone undercover in GIN-SHOCKER.

"This almost makes me want to go back and join GIN-SHOCKER," he grumbled.

"Sorry, but nobody gets to resign from the Gaming Club as long as I'm Club President, Shin-chan," said Mion.

"Hey, I outrank you, Mion. I was High Commander," he countered, only to receive laughs.

"That doesn't count, Shinichi-san," said Satoko, grinning and giggling. "You were just pretending."

"Yeah, but it was still a sweet gig while it lasted," said Shinichi. This was to be his penalty game. He was to serve them in Angel Mort, dressed in this costume, for two whole weeks.

"Shinji, just be happy that it's finally over," said Shiori. GIN-SHOCKER was now gone and now they could live in peace.

"I guess you're right," Shinichi remarked.

"Hey, waitress! Over here!" Yokoshima called from the booth he was sharing with his girlfriend Asmodeus.

"You look pretty cute, 13!" laughed Daichi.

"Oh, bite me!" Shinichi snapped.

"I think he's cute," said Michiru as she took a bite out of her banana cake.

"Shin-kun!!! Kawaii!!!" Rena glomped him, nearly toppling him over. "Omochikaeri!!!"

When the door opened and the bell rang to signal a customer entering, Shinichi groaned in mortification as he saw Hitomi and Rui come into the Angel Mort. The two had missed a lot of the action but they didn't miss this.

"Shinichi, is that you? Why are you wearing a dress?" Hitomi asked, blinking.

"And are those bunny ears?" Rui added, barely able to hold in her laughter.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," groaned Shinichi as he rolled his eyes.

"Good idea!" said Shiori as she used her son's camera to take a picture.

"Kaa-chan...I didn't mean that literally!!!"

Everyone laughed and soon Shinichi joined in the laughter despite the humiliation.

* * *

As Bernkastel, in spite of her size, carried Lambdadelta to bed, she spoke, "And so what did you think of that version of the story? Did you enjoy it? Indeed, there are many ways to tell the same story and often the outcome is not the same. However, that does not mean a happy ending is unattainable."

She put Lambdadelta upon the soft mattress of their canopy bed before lying down next to her. "Will this story continue and what direction will it take? That is all up to you."


	96. Witchblade Rena

WITCHBLADE RENA

BY: TRISTAR

The Shibuya district was beautiful at night but for one Yuri Natsumi it would be her last night alive. Wearing her school uniform which consisted of a sweater vest, pleated skirt, and matching shirt, the young girl was on her way home. On her wrist was a silver bracelet with a red gem in the center. The gem itself seemed to be glowing softly.

What she didn't know was that she was being stalked. He was a man wearing black from head to toe. Stamped on his jacket's back were three letters: DHS. "The target is in range. I will retrieve…" A wicked grin appeared on the man's face as he removed his glasses.

Yuri felt the hair on her neck stand on ends. She knew something bad was coming but, she didn't know what. Rubbing the bracelet she continued to stroll.

"Hello little girl. Please be so nice as to give me the bracelet…" Yuri spun around and saw a large beast. It vaguely looked like a man with huge arms. In his left hand was a huge war hammer that large enough to crush her. On his dark skinned body he wore a leather chestplate and loin cloth. His appearance was truly hideous, with two massive horns on his head that were curled back, his teeth protruded out of his mouth like dark tusks and his face was covered in boils.

A dark grin spread across the girl's face. "A demon…" The girl's clothes seemed to shred away as a black ooze covered her naughty bits. Her arms and legs also becoming covered. Her short brown hair grew long and silver as her eyes became a deep shade of crimson. "You want the Witchblade? You'll have to pry it from my cold dead body!"

The Demon Beast hefted his hammer up. "That can be arranged, onna" When he swung his hammer down it only hit pavement, missing his target.

A long blade extended from the girl's right arm. "Die…" she uttered and drove the blade into the chest of the Demon Beast, going for a killing strike.

The Demon Beast growled in anger before grinning "You missed, onna." Grabbing her arm he jerked the blade out and with one loud grunt hefted her up and slammed her into the ground. He let go of her arm to reach for her head only to have her dash away.

Jumping up onto a street lamp, she spat out some blood. "You're strong." A wicked grin once again appeared on her lips. "This will be fun!" She leaped up and extended a blade from each arm. Digging one foot into his chest, she delivered two wide slashes before leaping off.

The raging Demon Beast dragged his hammer along the ground. He swung his hammer at her but missed as she spun around him, only to be caught by his back swing which sent her hurling into a cement wall. "Baka Onna!"

She slid off the wall before picking herself up. She was dazed but not completely out of it. Looking at him she still had her grin. Going low she charged at him. At the last second she leapt over him and spun, leaving several slashes on his back.

She smirked as she rolled away from another one of his hammer swings. The swing in question, however, had enough force to cause a shockwave that made her lose her footing. Pressing his advantage, he managed to kick her in the rear that forced her to the ground long enough for him to smash his war hammer into her spine. "Baka Onna, thinking you can beat me!"

Yuri screamed out in pain as he brought the hammer down again. "One more swing onna and you die!" With one more powerful swing there was satisfying sound of bones shattering. The black ooze that made up Yuri's armor retracted into the bracelet on her arm. With her last breath she cried out. Only one last swing was needed to take the girl's life and the girl that was Yuri Natsumi was dead. Reaching to the side of his loin cloth the Demon Beast pulled a stone knife and used it cut Natsumi's hand off to remove the bracelet. After reverting to his more human appearance, he put the bracelet into a box which had the DHS emblem on it. "Can't have you finding a new host just yet." He'd been ordered to track down the Witchblade and bring it back to his superiors. The life of the host was irrelevant. Only the mystical bracelet was necessary.

* * *

Shinichi looked through the junk, or treasure piles as Rena called them. He was looking for a present to give to her or at the very least something he could clean up. It surprised him of how much stuff people threw away and what people threw away. He had a small bucket that was slowly filling up with either broken jewelry or small motors from music boxes. For once in his life he was glad for the skills GIN-SHOCKER had drilled into him, most specifically engineering, and his lock picking skill so he didn't have to kick doors open.

His ears picked up a very interesting conversation from nearby.

"You know, getting yourself gutted more than likely wasn't a good idea."

"That onna had more bite than I thought."

"You're lucky the blades only pierced your thick hide and not any organs and that you don't bleed easily." Shinichi stealthily climbed over the pile of junk to see who was talking.

As he looked out over a pile of medical waste (he was going see Dr. Ire after this to make sure he didn't catch anything), the sight before him made his blood boil. Standing out in the open was a pair of men, both dressed in the standard uniform of the DHS organization that had recently taken to harassing him and the NEO-NUMBERS as they searched for the Orbs.

Shinichi decided to confront them. "Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!" Leaping up and over the garbage, puzzle pieces formed around Shinichi turning him into Kamen Rider Showa.

Hearing Showa's pronouncement, the two men spun around to face him. "Showa! I've been looking for a challenge!" one of them exclaimed.

"You idiot, we don't have time for this!" his partner reminded.

"There is always time to beat our enemies into pulp!"

"Big talk for a small fry!" Showa stated making a run at the man who was already changing form into that of the Oni Demon Beast. "Oni no Hone!" Within seconds Showa had changed into Showa Oni Form! The Demon Beast swung his hammer into the ground, trying to create a shockwave, only to have Showa jump onto the hammer, breathe in, and expel a torrent of flame.

"Damn it you big idiot!" The other DHS agent made a run for it, changing into a demonic looking flea and leaping away. Showa would have given chase, but was busy.

"Fall down!" Having taken his lessons with the three spirits of the treasures, Showa smashed his fist into the face of the still smoldering Demon Beast.

The Demon Beast swung his massive arms, knocking Showa away. "Get off me!" Raising his war hammer up the Demon Beast lashed out with it.

Showa wasn't going to have any of that, only to discover when he tried to catch the hammer he missed. His opponent, however, didn't. "Owww…"

The Demon Beast smashed his foot into Showa's spine and then kicked the Rider away. Showa picked himself up his hands crackling with electricity and his mouth alit with cinders. "Something isn't right."

Showa attempted to dodge another attack only to be caught at the attack's edge. "So you're the all powerful BLACK 13 Dr. Shingami speaks of." The Demon Beast swung his massive right fist. Showa tried to dodge only for the attack to smash into his knee, forcing him back into his default form. "I am not impressed!"

Picking up Showa the Demon Beast hefted the Rider up. "Don't get cocky! Weapons Ride: Showa-Blaster!" Summoning his weapon Showa shot the Demon Beast in the face, forcing the monster to drop him. Backpedaling, Showa got some distance between him and his enemy. "Let's try something else! Kage no Hoshi! Changing into his Kage Form, he used the powers the Kage no Hoshi to see what was causing him to misjudge the Demon Beast's attacks.

"So you're relying on the strength of others?" The Demon Beast hefted his hammer on his shoulder "How pathetic!"

That's when Showa saw it. The horns on the Demon Beast's head were disrupting his vision, thus messing up his balance. "Now I've got you figured out!" Showa shifted back into his Oni Form and leaped into action, literally.

"What are you doing!?" The Demon Beast swung his hammer only for Showa to grab the handle and use it to propel himself onto the Demon Beast's head. "How about some electro-shock therapy?" Charged with energy, Showa grabbed the horns and let loose a torrent of power into the Oni.

The Demon Beast screamed in agony as his body convulsed because of the energy. "And snap!" With those words Showa broke the Demon Beast's horns and smashed his fist into the creature's skull.

"Argh!" Knocking Showa off wasn't as easy as it was before. With a solid back flip Showa reverted back to his default form. "Nighty-night, ugly. Ryuusei Punch!" With one powerful slug to the gut Showa sent the Demon Beast crashing back into a pile of cars. "Too easy!"

Showa turned away only to be met with an unhappy sound. The Demon Beast roared in outrage as he smashed his way out of the wrecked cars. "It'll take more than breaking my horns and punching me to kill me!" The Demon Beast's knees buckled. "Until next time, Showa!" Suddenly the Demon Beast disappeared as he was engulfed in a dark mist.

Shinichi dismissed his armor and cursed, "Kuso, they got away and I still don't know what they were up to…" Before he could finish his sentence Shinichi saw a silver bracelet with a red gem in the center on the ground. "Perfect. All I have to do is polish it up and give it Rena!" Picking up the bracelet he failed to notice the emblem imprinted on the box the item had been inside.

* * *

It was late in the evening and Shinichi was bone tired. It wasn't his fault he was late. The game Mion had picked for them was Dungeons and Dragons and of course as Club President. Mion had taken the role of Dungeon Master. The rules had been simple. If nobody won the game the last person to fall would get a penalty. If anyone managed to beat the dungeon, the Dungeon Master would take the penalty.

"Rena-chan?"

"Shin-kun?"

Shinichi opened his jacket and pulled out a small black case that was too large for a ring but large enough for something. "I fixed this up for you."

Taking the box Rena opened the box. As it opened, 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' began to play "Kawaii!" Rena reached inside and took out the bracelet. It was so beautiful. "Thank you, Shin-kun!" She gave him a hug and kiss.

Shinichi smiled and waited for her to let go. "Rena-chan, do you mind if I put it on you?"

"Hai, hai." He smiled and took the bracelet and slid the article of jewelry onto her wrist. "Do you want to come inside?"

It took an entire three seconds for him to decide. "Let me call Kaa-chan and tell her I'll be coming home late."

* * *

Rena looked through the pile of treasure. It had been three whole days and she still couldn't find anything as special as the bracelet she now wore on her wrist. "Rena's going to cry! Rena can't find anything special for Shin-Kun!"

"Find it! We have to find it or it's my head!" Rena looked through the broken window of a car and saw several creatures all of which she recognizes, with the exception of the Demon Beast with the broken horns and scorched face.

She gasped and quickly ran away locking herself in her special place, the minivan. "Darklings, Evil, evil creatures. I wish Shin-kun was here."

Unfortunately for Rena, Shinichi was currently working for Mion as a cart puller for losing a game of tag-team Jenga. He wasn't the only one being punished. Keiichi was his tag partner while Mion was partnered with Satoshi. It was all Keiichi's fault to be distracted by Mion.

"Rena wants Shin-Kun…" After a short time rocking herself Rena looked out the van window. The demon- like creature was smashing vehicles as he walked. He was approaching taking moment to steady herself she exited the van and stood defiantly in front of the vehicle. "You are not going any farther!"

"Stop me, Onna!" He raised his hammer to smash her.

"You are not going to destroy Rena and Shinichi's special place!"

The Demon Beast stopped himself in mid-swing. Shinichi was the name BLACK 13 used. He also answered to the name Shniji Banabara. "So you're his special someone?" Snapping his fingers the Darklings quickly surrounded her. "Count yourself lucky, onna. You'll make good bait for BLACK 13." the Darklings quickly grabbed Rena. A feeling of panic and dread filled Rena and caused a sudden change.

The two Darklings holding Rena's arms had their heads impaled by two large blades. No longer was Rena dressed in her school clothes. Now she was dressed to kill. Bringing her arms down the two Darklings were cleaved in half. The blades retracted into the back of Rena's new look. Her arms and legs were covered in some sort of black armor. Her hair had changed from its normal color to a deep blood red matching the new color of her eyes. "You," Rena pointed at the Oni. "Will not touch Rena and Shinichi's special place!" Rena charged forth carving away at any Darkling that stood in her way.

The Demon Beast recovered after a moment. "You're not as lucky as I thought Onna!" The Demon Beast charged forth, brandishing his hammer and ready to swing. He swung his hammer down only for her to catch the weapon with her arm blades. "I will stop you!" The blades suddenly inverted shocking the Demon Beast. The Demon beast was soon even more shocked when Rena sliced the hammer's head off. "Baka Onna!" The Demon Beast swung his massive arms.

Rena narrowly dodged the attack. In her head she thought she should be in terror but her body was telling her just the opposite. It felt almost euphoric. Was this what Shinichi felt like when he was in a battle he knew he could win?

The Demon Beast charged, his fists clasped together bringing them down. Dodging the attack was pitifully easy for Rena. She dove into the finished attack and hooked one of the blades into the Demon Beast's shoulder. "I don't want your not kawaii arm!" With a powerful upward thrust she cleaved the arm off.

"My arm!" the Demon Beast screamed in agony as blood oozed from the stump of a shoulder.

"Rena doesn't want your not kawaii head either!" Using the blades as a makeshift pair of scissors she sliced the Demon Beast's head clean off his shoulders.

Rena collapsed on her knees, panting as she reverted back to normal. "Did…Did I do all of this?" All around her Darkling's were carved into pieces, their dark forms scattered around her. Even The Demon Beast's body lay fallen in front of her.

At that moment Kamen Rider Showa made his appearance. "Rena!" Running up to her, he grabbed her from behind. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

Rena broke down and cried on his shoulder. "Shin-kun, I was so scared! There was this monster and Evil, evil creatures."

Showa stroked his girlfriend's hair. "Shh…Rena-chan, it's alright. Just tell me what happened."

With tears in her eyes Rena looked up at her boyfriend in his Rider form. "I…I…happened…" A new set of sobbing began for her. "I killed them. I was protecting our special place…"

Unknown to the two lovers, the blood of the Demon Beast was mixing with that of the Darklings' slowly melding together into a dark beast. "Rena-chan, run…"

"Shin-kun?"

"RUN!" Spinning her around, he forced her away as the Oni Darkloid smashed into him crashing them both into a pickup truck. "Higurashi no Yaiba!"


	97. Showa X Black Jack

SHOWA MEETS DR. BLACK JACK

By: Deadly84

A black car could be seen driven by a man in Shishibone City. He was a shadowy figure, with a black cape, eerie black-and-white hair and a stitched up scar across his face

His name was Dr. Black Jack (his real name was Kuro Hazama). An infamous medical mercenary, Dr. Black Jack cured patients indiscriminately, from common folk, to presidents, even yakuza leaders. However, he charged all of his patients absurdly high sums for his surgical skills. This had given him a reputation of callousness and greed.

In actuality, Dr. Black Jack possessed a complex personal code. He would cure a patient for free if they moved him with the story of their suffering. However, he always established a patient's willingness to pay beforehand. If Dr. Black Jack could not discover a redeeming story behind a patient, his high fee remained. He would make exceptions in extreme circumstances, and may change his mind if proven incorrect in his assumptions. Presently, he was here to perform an operation in Shishibone city

But the true story began earlier than that…

Satoshi was running like heck, shouting "Bloody hell!" Earlier, he had rushed back to the school to retrieve his books which he'd left behind, but when he was walking back home, the Darklings suddenly decided to jump him.

"Isn't it too early for you guys!" he shouted at them but they just snarled in response. One quicker than the others rushed forward and tackled Satoshi which made him hit the ground hard.

Inside his body, his heart started haemorrhaging because of the hard impact. The Darkling was getting ready to finish the boy off with its claws when it was suddenly blasted to oblivion.

"You guys should know better than to attack one of my friends," Showa snarled as he summoned his Showa-Blade. Since Darklings didn't know the meaning of the word mercy, he would show them none.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Black Jack was in Hinamizawa. He had gone to visit an old friend of his, Dr. Kyousuke Irie. Both doctors had bonded quickly in the past since they'd both experienced a great lost.

For Dr. Black Jack, when he was a boy, got caught in an explosion when he stepped on a landmine. His mother too suffered a horrible fate due to the landmines and lost all four limbs. She later slipped into a coma and died. Black Jack too would've died if it weren't for the miraculous surgical expertise of one Dr. Jotaro Honma. His father, however, flew to Macau, China with his new wife Renka, abandoning his son and his first wife. Despite Black Jack's medical genius, he refused to get a legitimate licence since he considered them worthless and would bind him to follow rules that would hinder his practice.

Dr. Irie suffered just as badly. The incident happened when he was at medical school. His father got into an accident at the construction site he worked at. This resulted in him suffering from a cerebral mental disorder. The disorder came from a tumour that was growing in his brain, resulting in a dramatic and violent change in behaviour. His father turned mean and cruel. He beat up his wife who ran away to hide in her son's apartment. His father later he died after trying to pick a fight with the yakuza and was found facedown lying in a ditch.

Irie's mother hated his father after the constant abuse. Even after Irie tried to tell her that it wasn't his father fault because of what was happening to him, she continued despise his father until she died, even so far as requesting to never be buried next to her husband. Irie blame himself, thinking that if he'd studied more on the workings of the brain then maybe his mother would've forgiven his father while she was still alive and at least they could become a loving couple again in the after-life. It was one of the drives that made Irie take up the Hinamizawa Syndrome case so that people wouldn't lose their loved ones or blame them when they weren't in control of their action.

Originally, Dr. Black Jack was supposed to meet a man in Shishibone City but since Hinamizawa was on the way he decided to make a detour to pay his friend a visit.

He was just leaving the clinic when he spotted something in the distance. Curious, he walked over and saw the battle between Showa and the Darklings. One of the dark creatures was getting ready to pounce on Showa from behind.

Quick as lightning, Black Jack pulled a scalpel out of his coat and threw it at the Darkling. The creature howled as the scalpel hit it in the eye before Showa turned around and slashed it down, having heard its cry of pain. Showa then proceeded to finish the rest of them off.

"Man what a rush," Showa murmurred, not noticing Black Jack as he de-henshined. Black Jack quirked an eyebrow at this.

"Yeah," Satoshi said while gripping his shirt. For some reason his chest hurt, more than it was supposed to.

"Hey, are you feeling alright, Satoshi?" Shinichi asked.

"My chest hurts a bit. Must be from the fall I took," Satoshi told his friend.

"So, the Kamen Rider is just a teenager," Both young men turned to see Black Jack walking towards them

"Who are you?" Shinichi questioned, suspicious. The man reminded Shinichi of a pirate.

"My name is Black Jack."

"Black Jack!?" Shinichi was surprised. He'd heard of the man. He was pretty infamous no matter what part of the world you were in. It was not every day he met a doctor who practiced without a license and who charged ridiculous large sum of money. However, despite Black Jack's bad reputation as a greedy man for his huge surgical fees, he was said to be a miracle maker. "What are you doing here?"

"Just visiting an old friend," Black Jack said.

Before Shinichi could question further, Satoshi suddenly collapsed to the ground. "Satoshi!" Shinichi shouted in shock. Black Jack immediately knelt down and turned Satoshi over, checking for symptoms.

"Tell me, when those things attack, did they hit you?" Black Jack asked the blond boy.

Satoshi was barely conscious as he answered, "Yeah, one tackled me to the ground really hard."

"Traumatic Cardiac Tamponade," Black Jack summarised. "We have to empty the pericardium."

"What?" Shinichi didn't know what Black Jack meant by that.

"The heart is surrounded by a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels. It's called the pericardium. If you get hit or tackled by something hard like a desk, the shock can sometimes cause the heart to haemorrhage into the pericardium. The pericardial space then full up rapidly with fluid faster than the pericardial sac can stretch. Even as little as 100 ml can cause Cardiac Tamponade," Black Jack explained.

"Is there anything that can be done?" Shinichi asked.

"First, we need to get him to the clinic before we can start the operation." Shinichi nodded and carried Satoshi before following Black Jack to the Irie Clinic. Black Jack started knocking on the door and Irie opened.

"Black Jack?" Irie blinked. "What is-Satoshi-kun!?"

"We need to use your operating room!" Dr. Black Jack said urgently.

"Alright, follow me!" Dr. Irie said as he led Black Jack and Shinichi inside. Satoshi was placed on the operating table as Irie and Black Jack prepared for surgery. Shinichi stood outside, observing through a window. Black Jack had explained the situation to Irie and the bespectacled doctor readily offered his assistance.

"First, we must get rid of all the extra blood," Black Jack muttered. This was a delicate procedure as he must only pierce the Pericardium and not the heart. He brought picked up one of his scalpels from the instruments tray. With careful precision he made sure to hit the spot where the heart was he kept pushing until…

"Waahh!" Shinichi shouted as he saw Satoshi's blood actually shoot out of him like a geyser. Even Irie was surprised.

"Calm down. That's just the excessive blood from the Pericardium," Black Jack said, checking Satoshi. He sighed in relief. So far the boy's breathing had stabilized. "Let's continue and finish the operation."

Shinichi watched as Black Jack and Dr. Irie continued to save Satoshi's life. "He's like a superhero," Shinichi stated, "He works outside the law but with good intentions. No wonder he's considered a miracle worker in surgery."

After finished, Black Jack told Irie, "Let the boy rest." He then turned to leave, removing the medical mask, cap and gloves before tossing them into the trash. Shinichi watched as Black Jack left for the door.

"Wait, aren't you going to collect you fee?" Shinichi asked the infamous medical mercenary.

"No," Dr. Black Jack answered. "I don't think he can afford it, even if his friend's a Rider."

"So, you're just going to leave, just like that?"

"With Irie around I can see that Satoshi will be in good hands," said Dr. Black Jack. "See you around, Kamen Rider."

He threw on his cape and dramatically walked out of the clinic without another word.

"Cool…" Shinichi uttered, impressed.


	98. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 1

OMAKE 1

Hanyuu's ability to reset time actually had a side effect. Whenever Rika dies, Hanyuu resets time in order to prevent it. These resets have given birth to parallel worlds with similar histories yet different outcomes. In each world, different scenarios play out but the always constant, up until the final reset, was Rika's death.

What if during one of those resets someone from a 'good end' Hinamizawa came to their rescue?

* * *

When Shinichi woke up found himself in the forest, at night, he knew something was definitely wrong. He got to his feet and looked around. That was when he heard the commotion. Keeping himself silent and hidden, he spied the situation and his eyes widened.

'_Keiichi? Shion? Mion? Rena? Satoko? __Rika?_' he wondered mentally. '_What are they doing out here?_' He looked across from where the group was standing to see Takano, dressed in black with a cape and a beret. She also had a gun trained on the group. '_Wait…my dream_.' Shinichi realised what this was. It was one of the previous scenarios. In this scenario, Rika's friends tried to save her but one by one they were killed by Takano, gunned down coldly by the woman before she dissected Rika alive.

He watched as Keiichi ran towards Takano, ready to swing her bat at him. '_No!_' Shinichi wanted him to stop. A baseball bat couldn't beat a gun.

As Takano prepared to pull the trigger, Shinichi acted.

"Henshin!" Shinichi shouted as he summoned his belt and proceeded to call on his armor. "Let's Ride: Showa!"

Rika noted the bright flash of light but then her eyes turned towards Keiichi and Takano. There was a loud bang as the gun was fired. The bullet was flying towards Keiichi.

But it missed. Instead it was caught out of the air by an armoured hand. Keiichi froze, everyone gawked, and Rika's eyes narrowed at the sudden change in the scenario.

Keiichi's life had just been saved by a man clad in black and white armor with an insectoid helmet that sported antennae and a pair of green eyes. Stamped on his left shoulder was the number 13.

Showa looked towards Keiichi and shouted, "Run!" He shouted to the others, "You too! I'll hold them off!" Keiichi nodded and ran towards the group. They did as told and fled. Takano fired but her bullet was caught before it could hit anything. "You shouldn't play with guns," threatened Showa as he strode towards Takano and her remaining men.

"Shoot him!" she ordered and they did. They took aim at the unknown figure and fired.

"Let's Ride: X!" shouted Showa and he'd transformed into Kamen Rider X, armed with the Ridol. He used the staff to deflect the bullets, causing them to be imbedded in the trees. "Nice guns! Now check mine out! Let's Ride: Roborider!" He changed again, becoming the robotic RX Roborider, one of BLACK RX's alternate forms. "Voltech Shooter!" He aimed at the armed men with his gun and fired. His aim was true and he hit them without causing any mortal harm. He shot them in the leg, shoulders, and avoided hitting any vital points. They cried out in pain as the lasers hit them, causing them to fall.

Takano decided to try and shoot at Showa but in the form of RX Roborider the bullets just bounced off his armor harmlessly. She fumbled as she tried to reload her gun but then Showa shot her hand, knocking the gun out of her grip. She clutched her hand and glared at Showa.

Realizing her plan was a failure she fled. "Oh, no you don't!" he shouted. He gave chase. "Let's Ride: Amazon!" He assumed the form of Kamen Rider Amazon and gave chase by jumping along the trees. Takano was running for her life from this 'demon' who'd gotten in the way of her plans. She had to get away. She found the truck and went inside before gunning the engine. She would need to get out of the village and think of a new plan.

Showa wouldn't give her that luxury.

"Let's Ride: Super-1" he called out and in a flash he assumed the form of Kamen Rider Super-1. "Hot and Cold Hands!" he called out, donning his green gloves. He shot one of his arm hands forward and fired a cryogenic spray that coated the path. The wheels of the truck touched the ice and the lack of friction caused Takano to lose control and hit a tree. She survived, uninjured, and got out of the truck in order to continue towards the main road on foot.

Showa could let her go, but that would mean she would collect another group and try again. He narrowed his eyes. He would not let that happen.

To protect his friends, he knew he had to kill her. She'd faked her death before, but only this time it would be real.

However, he didn't get his chance. As Takano was crossing the road a bus came and the driver couldn't see her in time. She was hit and sent tumbling along the road as the bus stopped. The collision had broken her bones and most importantly her neck.

She was dead.

Showa stepped back from the road and into the forest. There was no need for him to do anything. A silver veil appeared behind him and it enveloped him, causing him to vanish.

* * *

"Ohayo Rika-chan, Hanyuu-chan" Shinichi waved as he entered the local shrine. Rika was doing some sweeping as she and Hanyuu were talking about something.

"Ohayo Shinichi-san," Rika smiled. "What brings you here today?"

"Well, I sort of made a discovery," Shinichi replied as he met up with the two younger (sort of) girls. "I don't mean to draw up bad memories, but remember how Hanyuu-chan would reset time when something happened to you?"

"How could I forget?" asked Rika, her voice deepening to the adult one she would use in private.

"Well, somehow, I ended up in one of those resets," Shinichi replied, causing Rika and Hanyuu's attention to snap towards him.

"W-what? How?" asked Hanyuu.

"Well, I was at the junkyard, looking for something Rena-chan might find cute as a gift," Shinichi explained. "Suddenly this silver veil thing dropped on top of me and I think it knocked me out."

"Au," Hanyuu gasped. It sounded to Shinichi like she knew what the veil was. He'd have to ask her about it sometime.

"Anyway, I woke up in the woods at night," Shinichi continued. "Then I saw all of you guys running in the woods from Takano and her men. I remembered my dream where she gunned everyone, but you, down in the woods with her fanaticism."

"I remember," Rika shivered. "I did not enjoy watching my friends die thanks to that woman."

"Well, when I saw it happening I intervened," Shinichi grinned. "I caught Takano's bullet and let you guys run away. I beat the crap out of her goons and she made a break for it. I chased to so to make sure she could never try it again, but a bus beat me to it. Creamed her right in the middle of the road."

"So it's a happy ending now! Au!" Hanyuu squealed happily.

"Hanyuu, is it possible that what Shinichi-san said is true?" asked Rika, surprised to hear her friend so accepting of the tale.

"Well, when I reset time I sort of brought Rika back to the point where the things began to change," Hanyuu admitted. "But the world which I brought Rika back from keeps going even thought I removed her from it."

"So that fits the dimensional decision theory," Shinichi nodded. Seeing their confused looks, he elaborated. "Some people say that for every decision we make, a new dimension is created to accommodate both ramifications of that decision. Like say, perhaps I decided to stay home instead of telling you this tale. A new dimension would be created for a world where I did that while this world accommodates my decision to tell you what happened."

Rika nodded. It made sense. In the previous worlds in which she had died, her friends made fatal errors and mistakes, causing changes. In one of those worlds, Keiichi was infected by the Hinamizawa Syndrome and bludgeoned Rena and Mion to death because of his paranoia. In another world Shion killed everyone she suspected of being responsible for Satoshi's disappearance. In another one Rena killed Rina and Teppei who were trying to cheat her father and then she became infected by the syndrome and held the school hostage because she believed an alien invasion was coming.

Basically, it was all cause and effect. A new world for each decision made.

* * *

Based on Episode 13 of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai


	99. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 2

OMAKE 2

Keiichi raised his bat and was about to swing it at Mion. They were trying to kill him for knowing too much! Just like how they killed those other people! Keiichi would not let them, not even if they were his friends.

As the bat was ready to collide with the side of Mion's head, a silver veil dropped Shinichi off. He cursed his luck for getting caught but then saw Keiichi swinging in for the kill. "No!!!" He tackled Keiichi in the side, knocking him down. The bat also fell from Keiichi's hands and rolled away. Shinichi straddled Keiichi and held him down by his wrists. Keiichi struggled, shouting out that they were trying to kill him in a maddened voice.

"Keiichi, this is for your own good!" said Shinichi as he knocked Keiichi out with a punch to the head. This made Keiichi fall completely unconscious. "Thank goodness."

"Excuse me, but who are you and how did you get here?" asked Mion. She was still trembling.

"I'm just as confused as you are," said Shinichi. His eyes fell on Rena and she blushed when he smiled at her. "You better call Dr. Irie. I gotta go!"

He ran towards the door but Rena called, "What's your name?"

"Kuro Juusan!" Shinichi answered.

* * *

The Darkloid had been tailing Keiichi, staying hidden, and feeding on the increased paranoia on the boy. It didn't take long for Shinichi to find the Darkloid, standing outside Keiichi's house. It had probably infected him in his sleep and had been hanging out just to feed.

It looked like a dog, but Shinichi wasn't fooled.

"Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!"

Light flashed from his belt and the puzzle pieces which formed converged onto his body to make his armor. He then rammed his fist into the dog-like Darkloid. The Dog Darkloid then assumed a humanoid form and barked. The beast itself looked like something out of a werewolf movie. The only differences were that obsidian black armor covered its shoulders and part of its lupine head. It began to rain and rained heavily it did, thunder crashing through the sky. The two circled each other before lunging at each other, exchanging violent blows. The Darkloid fought like an enraged animal, furious that its source of food had been captured before he could become a true meal for its dark tastes. The Kamen Rider fought true to his name, with tempered rage at seeing his friend tormented so by the monster. Lashing out, Showa landed a kick into the beast's stomach, sending it tumbling along the wet ground.

"RYUUSEI PUNCH!!!" Showa called out as he charged. The Darkloid rose to its feet just in time to receive a punch that entered its chest an exited through its back. Showa withdrew his fist and turned his back to the Darkloid which exploded.

Showa looked back towards the window where Rena and Mion were watching him. He saluted and then vanished as a silver veil carried him away.

Later, inside Dr. Irie's clinic, Keiichi awoke, missing several days of his life and wondering why he was strapped down.

* * *

OMAKE 2.5

The Darkloid stood outside Keiichi's house, feasting on the paranoia the boy was emitting. It tasted so good. Suddenly, its feasting was interrupted. It wanted to go check but a kick upside the head caused it to refocus its attention on the strange human who'd seen it.

"Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!" Shinichi called out before he transformed into Kamen Rider Showa.

The Gun Darklod snarled as it got to its feet. Its legs looked like an unnatural blend of steel and flesh ending in two metal toes with polished wood casings that seemed to have been dipped in blood. Its torso was covered in bandoliers filled to the brim with brass bullets. Its hands were numerous gun barrels which had their hammers cocked every step it too. Its head was rectangular with a long rifle barrel extending from its nose and a row of very sharp teeth in its mouth.

The Gun Darkloid aimed and fired at Showa who dodged the shots as he charged. His fist met with the Darkloid's gun-like face, bending the barrel which was its nose. He then flipped backwards and his heel met with the monster's chin, causing it to go tumbling backwards and a final kick in its stomach sent it crashing on its back.

"RIDER KICK!"

Showa jumped and came down, executing a fatal drop kick that crushed the Darkloid. An explosion followed after the powered drop kick came down upon the dark demon.

Thunder crashed through the air before the rain began to fall. It felt like déjà vu for some reason to Showa. Looking to the remains of the Darkloid, he saw the bits and pieces which remained already dissolving with the flames being put out by the rain. He looked to see Rena and Mion staring in awe at what they witnessed. Saluting to them, Showa turned to leave. He only got a few steps before a silver veil passed over him, taking him away from the scene.

* * *

"So this time you prevented Keiichi from bludgeoning Mion and Rena to death," Rika summarised after Shinichi told her and Hanyuu about his latest trip.

"That's right," nodded Shinichi. "A Darkloid was responsible for Keiichi's paranoia so after I knocked Keiichi out, I went out of his house to kill that thing." Shinichi showed them his fist. "And I kicked its butt good!"

"I wonder why you keep being taken to those places," said Hanyuu.

Shinichi shrugged. "Who knows, but it feels good to save my friends' lives."


	100. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 3

OMAKE 3

Shinichi stood in the middle of the burning village. Houses and fields were on fire. The school and Irie's clinic were gone too, destroyed within the sea of flames.

And the one responsible…was himself.

Shinichi was staring at his mirror image but his doppelganger was dressed in a black turtleneck t-shirt with a gold hawk on the front with the letters 'GS' and black pants along with black boots. On his left sleeve was XIII in blood red lettering.

"Did you do all this!?" shouted Shinichi. His double nodded. "Who…who are you!?" demanded Shinichi.

"Kuro Juusan…BLACK 13."

Shinichi froze. "No…you shouldn't exist! I made sure of it!"

"As long as you exist, I will always exist," BLACK 13 informed Shinichi. His belt formed. "Henshin."

"Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!" Shinichi called and the two identical boys transformed into their Rider forms. Showa faced BLACK 13 angrily before charging straight for him. He threw a straight punch but BLACK 13 dodged the strike and then slammed his fist into the side of Showa's head, sending him rolling along the ground. Showa rose up to his knees and called, "Let's Ride: ZX!"

But nothing happened.

"Huh? My powers!" Showa cried out.

"They won't work for you, fake," said BLACK 13. "Let's Ride: ZX." BLACK 13 assumed the form of Kamen Rider ZX, clad in a black and red suit with green eyes in his red helmet and a green scarf hanging from his neck.

BLACK 13 dashed towards Showa and slammed a kick into Showa's chest, sending him flying backwards. He then followed Showa as the Rider dropped. He began kicking Showa repeatedly in the ribs. Kneeling down, he grabbed Showa by the ankle and stood back up, holding Showa by the ankle as Showa hung limply.

"Weak," said BLACK 13 coldly before he smashed Showa down on the ground, hard enough to make a crater on impact. He then let go and prepared to finish Showa off. He raised his leg and performed a heel kick that would smash Showa's head to...

* * *

Shinichi woke up with a start. He trembled in his futon, his hands clutching his blanket tightly. "No…" he uttered in horror.

* * *

Shinichi was quiet the whole day. He was quiet at breakfast and quiet at school. He didn't join his friends for lunch nor joined the club meeting. He barely said a word. After school he just left, driving off on his Showa-Racer without a word.

Rena decided to see what was wrong. She knew where to find him. He was at their special place.

She found him sitting on the roof of their van. He was juggling rocks. He wasn't doing a good job as he kept dropping them, forcing him to pick them up and try again.

"Shin-kun?"

Startled by her voice, he dropped the rocks but some fell on his head. "Ow…"

"Shin-kun, are you okay?" Rena asked.

"I'm fine," he answered evenly. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're not acting like yourself," she replied. She climbed onto the roof to sit next to him but he scooted away from her. "Shin-kun?"

"You shouldn't care about me," he told her.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm just a thing," he answered, staring down at his hands. "A creation…a freak." Dr. Gebok hadn't lied about him. He knew it was true. He held those memories and he hated them. "I wish I never remembered!" He clenched his fists tight.

Rena felt like crying as she watched his anguish. He was punishing himself deep inside. "Shin-kun…" she said tentatively, "You're scaring me…"

"You should be," he warned, his indigo eyes meeting hers. "I'm a monster created to kill and destroy! It's my nature! Nothing can change that!" He began to cry. "I'm…nothing…"

He was caught off guard by the warm touch of Rena's hand against his cheek. Her warmth was calming him. His heart fluttered when he felt her soft thumb wipe away one of his tears.

"You think you're trash, don't you Shin-kun?" she questioned with a compassionate smile and caring eyes. He met her gaze hesitantly, shame making his face hot.

"I am trash," he answered in a choked-up voice.

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled downward gently and found that the side of his head had come into contact with something very soft: Rena's lap. The sun was finally setting, casting an orange-golden glow on the mountains of garbage that winked in the sun's light. "If you're trash," she said, barely above a whisper, "Then you're Rena's treasure."

She affectionately patted his head. He felt more relaxed as the seconds past. Just what was he worried about anyway? He forgot already. Being here with Rena…just made him forget about all his troubles.

He was trash…and as trash he was her treasure…her treasure…

"I love you, Rena-chan."

"I love you too, Shin-kun."


	101. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 4

OMAKE 4

Shinichi found himself right between Rena and Keiichi as they were about to start their showdown. Keiichi was armed with his signature weapon, a baseball bat, while Rena held her cleaver tightly. They had frozen in their tracks when Shinichi suddenly appeared on the roof with them. Surrounding the school were the police and the students Rena had taken hostage. There were also some spectators.

"OK, this isn't good," muttered Shinichi.

"I knew it!" declared Rena, pointing at Shinichi. "The aliens have come!" Shinichi looked into her eyes and they were not filled with the warmth and kindness of his Rena.

"I don't know who you are and how you got here," said Keiichi carefully. "But you better get away before—no, Rena! Stop!"

Rena was already charging at Shinichi, swinging at him with her cleaver. Before the blade could connect with him and cause a bloody mess, he caught it deftly in his hand. He clutched it tightly as she tried to pry it from his grip. "Let go!" she demanded as he tried to pull, but it wouldn't budge. "Let go! I have to stop the aliens!"

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. She was infected, by the looks of it. That meant the Darkloid was nearby. He looked over to Keiichi and said, "I'll leave her to you, Keiichi." He then pushed Rena backwards and summoned his belt. "Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!" In a flash of light the puzzle pieces bonded to his form, creating his black and white armor.

Rena screamed again, "ALIEN!" Everyone gasped at Showa's appearance. He leapt off the roof and went in search of the Darkloid. It had to be close, hidden, and feeding on Rena's negative emotions.

He snapped his fingers. The storage shed! He darted towards the store and went inside. The darkness hid the demonic entity well but the 3 red eyes that were staring back at Showa confirmed that it was there…and ugly too. It crawled towards him, revealing it to be a three-eyed giant maggot with sharp teeth. It lunged towards Showa and the Rider jumped to the side. The monster crashed through the wall of the storage shed.

People screamed at the appearance of the monster and the police acted quickly, aiming their guns at it. They were also eyeing Showa in suspicion. Attention was now split between the Keiichi VS Rena fight on the roof and the Showa VS Maggot Darkloid that was on ground level.

Showa kept dodging as the Maggot Darkloid lunged at him, attempting to take a bite out of him. It then spat a viscous fluid at Showa. It hit him on the chest and sizzled. Acid! It was eating through his armor!

The police opened fire on the Maggot Darkloid. It turned its attention towards the police force and opened its mouth to spit its corrosive fluid at them.

"NO!" Showa shouted as he jumped on the creature's back. Now the Maggot Darkloid was bucking about, trying to toss him off. Showa's grip tightened. He had to subdue it now!

"RIDER BOMB!" Showa called out as he summoned a ball of bio-energy and slammed it down on the creature's head, causing an explosion. The Maggot Darkloid screeched and then tossed Showa off. Showa landed on his feet and glared at the monster as it began to roll itself into a ball. Instantly, a cocoon formed over its body and in a matter of seconds the cocoon broke, releasing a huge fly. The fly buzzed and flew into the night sky.

"You're not getting away! Let's Ride: Skyrider!" His armor changed into that of the sole flying Kamen Rider and he took off after the newly evolved Fly Darkloid.

The Fly Darkloid made a turn and fired a stream of acid at Showa. The Rider avoided the stream and picked up speed.

"SKYRIDER KICK!" Showa roared as he flipped his body around and aimed his right leg at the Darkloid, his left leg tucked in.

SMASH!

His kick collided with the Darkloid and he went right through, making a hole in its body. The Darkloid exploded.

Showa looked down upon the roof and saw Keiichi and Rena hugging. He was relieved. He then flew off, hoping to find a way out of this world and back to the world where his Rena was waiting for him.

* * *

"It happened again, didn't it?" Rika asked Shinichi.

"Bingo," nodded Shinichi.

"What was it this time?" asked Hanyuu.

"The one where Rena-chan went nuts and took the school hostage because she believed aliens were coming," Shinichi answered.

"Another Darkloid?" asked Rika.

"Yeah. It was hiding in the shed near the school. It was sucking up Rena's paranoia like an all you can eat buffet," Shinichi grimaced. "Didn't help that the stupid thing looked like a maggot."

"Ew!" Hanyuu gagged.

"This does continue to prove that the Darloids are the source of the syndrome though," Rika nodded. "What happened after you defeated it?"

"I saw Rena hugging Keiichi," Shinichi answered. "I was too far away to see al the details so either she collapsed suddenly or she snapped out of it."

"I hope no one was mad at her, au," Hanyuu mumbled.

"After all that she'd have to be taken in," said Shinichi, frowning sadly. "Plus she killed two people already. I just wished I could've stopped her then."

"It's pointless to dwell on things that have happened," said Rika seriously. "The best you can do is move on. However, if the opportunity to stop such incidents is presented to you, take advantage of it."


	102. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 5

OMAKE 5

Hinamizawa 1984…

The night was young and the Watanagashi festival was in full swing. People were laughing and enjoying the games and candy which was being offered. Children were laughing and playing every game and winning a number of prizes for themselves or had older siblings who were winning the prizes for them. Three such children were Keiichi Maebara, Satoko Houjou, and Rena Ryuugu. Well, in truth Keiichi had been suckered into winning prizes for his fellow Gaming Club members through extreme use of the puppy dog eyes pout which cute girls and children had been capable of since the dawn of time and only the coldest hearts could resist. Keiichi was not in possession of such a heart and easily crumbled.

As for the president of the Gaming Club and her sister…well, they were both on dates with a pair of special young men.

Mion was currently arm in arm with a young man who was her age and in the same grade as her. He was a relatively new face in Hinamizawa, but he had been accepted by the locals with only a few exceptions. He had red hair and two strands of hair sticking out like antennae. He was energetic and always seemed to have a smile on his face. In fact, his personality seemed to be a match to Mion Sonozaki's. Outgoing, emotional, impulsive, but the boy had a perverted side which got him in trouble now and then. He always had a camera on him and loved to take pictures of things which were perverted or seemed that way if he couldn't bring it home with him. One such incident was when he slapped Mion on the back and she stumbled onto her sister, giving the appearance of a heated kiss between the pair. It was an image which would forever be immortalized in the pages of this young man's scrapbook. That earned him a bonk on the head before Mion dragged him off to make him pay for stuff she wanted for the night.

His name was Shinichi Sanban.

Accompanying Shion Sonozaki was a young man who had an almost perfect resemblance to Shinichi. The only real difference was that his hair was a deep blue. Strangely, it was in the same style as Shinichi's. Unlike the excitable Sanban, this young man seemed to be more subdued and rational. He spoke softly and seemed to have a taste for portraits and paintings. One of his favorite pastimes included painting and he had made a few portraits of his friends. One oddity was that whenever he painted his friend Hanyuu, he kept putting horns on her head and whenever he painted Rika, she kept coming out as a mature woman in her adulthood rather than the small child everyone saw her as. Despite this, his favorite subject was Shion Sonozaki, someone he claimed to be perfect for becoming one with the scenery.

This young man was often the more intellectual of children his age, but he often didn't show it outside his schoolwork since he preferred to be having fun with his brother and friends.

His name was Shinji Sanban, twin brother to Shinichi.

The Brothers Sanban had been found in the middle of a rainstorm one night and brought into Dr. Irie's clinic. They were dirty, exhausted, dehydrated, and looked like they had gone to war with only the clothes on their backs and won. Unsure what to do with them, Detective Oishi filed missing persons reported before letting the boys stay with him for the time being. No one appeared to claim the pair so Oishi had no choice but to let them stay with him. The pair had proven to be a unique addition to the local school, the only other twins being the Sonozaki girls.

Speaking of the Sonozaki sisters, the Sanban boys had been smitten with them for some time. Shinichi was very much attracted to Mion and despite teasing from the club, it wasn't because she had the biggest boobs in the class (although those sure sweetened the deal) but because of her energy and brashness that he couldn't help but want to be near as often as he could. For Shinji, he was attracted to Shion for her serenity and kindness which she extended to him when he and his brother first arrived. To that end, the Brothers Sanban attempted to court the two girls. Shinichi wasn't above using the penalty games of the Gaming Club to grab a date now and then, but he didn't want to overdo it lest Mion consider him a stalker or something. Shinji would often request to go on outings with Shion, trying to be friends first before he attempted for anything deeper. Everyone could tell that Mion was flattered by the romantic escapades Shinichi went through on their dates, but Shion seemed to prefer to keep things platonic between herself and Shinji, making the blue-haired Sanban fear she was holding a torch for someone else.

When the festival came near, Shinichi had won another game in the club and thus won the rights of deciding a penalty game. Seeing how things weren't progressing between his brother and Shion, he declared that a double date would occur between the Brothers Sanban and the Sonozaki Sisters. Shinji had been mortally embarrassed by this stunt from his brother, feeling that it wasn't what he needed in his attempts to gain Shion's favor.

"I really am sorry about my brother," Shinji sighed as he watched his brother and Mion walk away arm in arm. "I suppose he fancies himself Cupid tonight and thinks he's helping us along."

"That's okay. I don't mind," Shion smiled, making Shinji's heart flutter. "Actually Onee's been looking forward to his. Don't let Shinichi-san know, but she's been hoping he'd ask her out for the festival."

"Knowing her, she'd never forgive him if he didn't so it's a stroke of luck he decided to go for another date," Shinji nodded.

"Well, since we're here on a date, let's enjoy ourselves, ne?" Shion asked with another one of her smiles.

"Let's," Shinji nodded.

* * *

"Man, those two should be lovey-dovey on no time," Shinichi snickered as he and Mion walked off. "Otouto's been putting a lot of effort into trying to catch Shion's attention. Does your sister just have really high standards in meeting a guy or is she interested in someone else? Shinji's been too polite to ask her directly."

"Well, I know Shion's got regular standards when it comes to guys," Mion admitted, not wanting to tell the story of Satoshi, especially when the boy in question was the one Shion was holding a torch for. "As for someone she likes…we'll just have to wait and see."

"Figures," Shinichi grumbled. Women, always making things a mystery, but what a wonderful mystery to solve.

"Hey! I see takoyaki!" Mion ginned as she began tugging Shinichi along. "Come on Red Shin-chan! You owe me for that kiss stunt!"

"Ahh, but so worth it," Shinichi grinned, treasuring the image in his mind.

* * *

Rika Furude had just completed her performance at the festival, much to the delight of all the spectators. She was something of a local celebrity in Hinamizawa, being the heir of the Furude clan, one of the three founding families of the village. Also being the heir to the local shrine boosted to her reputation. She was very mature for one so young…but there was a secret to that only her close friend and confidant Hanyuu Furude knew and neither of them were speaking.

The screams had started, bringing fear and terror where once had been fun and games.

The source had come from monsters looking like black-skinned zombies that looked like skin and bones and were charging at the people who were running in fear of them. Their leader looked like a mass of moss and wild mushrooms. Large mushrooms grew from its shoulders and back while an even bigger one grew from its head, giving an appearance of a hat. Black moss grew from its skin and every step it took seemed to produce black spores from the mushrooms it had growing from its skin.

"Mion! Run!" Shinichi cried as he saw the monsters approaching.

"Go with the others Shion!" Shinji cried to his own date as his gaze stayed riveted on the approaching monsters.

"Wha-? Shin-chan?!" Mion cried as she and her sister were pushed back.

"We'll be fine. I promise!" Shinji swore to the Sonozaki sisters, even if his mind was more focused on Shion when he said that.

The two boys dashed towards the approaching horde stopping only feet away from the creatures. Looking at the beasts, a name came to mind for both of them. Darklings and Darkloids. The Darkling name applied to the smaller zombie monsters, but the name Darkloid stuck with the mushroom monster which seemed to be leading them. Still, Shinji and Shinichi were unafraid as the monsters began to approach them. Seeing their targets approaching, both young men flew into actions.

Shinichi clenched his fists close together before twisting his waist so that both fists were on his right side. He clenched his fists tighter, making them crack loudly. His muscles began to tighten as an unknown agent made itself known is his system. Inhaling deeply, he let out a breath filled with steam. A change was happening inside of his body and it was becoming more obvious. Jabbing his right arm out to his left, he brought it down to his waist in a clenched fist as he jabbed his left arm out to his right side before raising it over his head and then pointing it out to his left side.

"Hen….shin!"

Shinji raised his right arm into the air before slowly dragging it back down in front of him with his left arm at his waist. As he did, his eyes began to glow an electric blue and electricity visibly surged down his arms and into his torso. When his right arm was pointing in front of him, his moved in an arc and brought it to his waist before swinging his left arm in an arc and ending it with his left fist pointing up at his elbow, causing an arc of electricity to appear between both his arms.

"Hen…shin!"

Shinichi began to expel steam from his pores as a black set of armor began appearing on his body as if it were growing through his skin. A similar set of armor, but in white, appeared on Shinji's body like it was extending from a machine which was hidden on the young man's back. Shinichi's armor was mainly black with red lines on his boots and gauntlets. His belt was silver with a red centre which had an X in the middle. A red X could also be seen on the heart of his chest armor. His helmet looked similar to that of a grasshopper with a silver mouth guard, antennae, red eyes, and yellow lines on the sides. Shinji's armor had the same design, but completely white with blue lines on the boots and gloves. His belt was silver as well with a blue centre which had III in it. A blue III could also be seen on the heart of his chest armor as well. His helmet was again grasshopper like with silver antennae and mouth guard, but had blue eyes and purple lines on the helmet. The only other difference between the two was that the black figure's armor seemed more organic while the white figure's seemed more metallic.

Stepping forward, the black figure spoke, "I am the child born of the sun! Kamen Rider Showa Sol! On Stage!"

The white figure spoke next, "I am the child born of the moon! Kamen Rider Showa Luna! On Stage!"

With fists clenched the Twin Riders dashed into battle. The appearance of these creatures had interrupted the sacred cotton drifting ritual, which could not be forgiven. The cotton drifting was something important to the villagers and it was also important to Sol and Luna. Despite living with Oishi in Okinomiya, they considered themselves residents of Hinamizawa.

"Weapon Ride: Sol-Blade!"

"Weapon Ride: Luna-Blaster!"

The twins summoned their weapons. Sol's weapon was a katana that had a sun-shaped guard and a glowing red blade. An 'X' was in the sun-shaped guard. Luna's weapon was a submachine gun with a gold crescent moon stamped to the magazine chamber. There was also an 'III' stamped on the side of the gun.

"Hyah! So-rya!" Sol shouted as he cut the numbers of the Darklings down using his blade. He cut them at the waist, straight down the middle and diagonally. They let out cries of agony as they fell and vanished into the darkness. He ran his hand up his glowing blade as more Darklings came to attack him, perceiving him as the primary threat, which he'd like to think he was.

Keeping his distance from the Darklings, Luna kept the Darkloid's foot soldiers in his sights. "Take that!" he announced, squeezing the trigger. A spray of gunfire burst from the barrel, striking the Darkloids. The shots hit the Darkloids in the head, causing them to drop and fade into the darkness.

With the Darklings gone, the only threat left was the Darkloid. Luna fired but his shots only served to annoy and make the monster angrier as it roared. An organic shifting noise echoed from the beast as one of its shoulder mushrooms extended to become a large staff. Ripping the fungi from his shoulder, the Darkloid hissed and charged at the pair of Kamen Riders. Sol charged in to strike with his sword, getting it blocked by the Mushroom Darkloid's attacks. Grunting, he attempted to cut the piece of organic weaponry in two, but it proved tougher than he thought. The Darkloid hissed before expelling a cloud of black spores from its body which sent Sol flying with numerous sparks crashing against his armor.

"Nii-san!" Luna cried, running to his brother's side. Glaring at the Darkloid, he pointed his weapon at it. "Take this!"

Numerous rounds were shot off, but the cloud of black spores seemed to block it. As if with a life of its own, the cloud of spores surged through the air and crashed into Luna, making sparks fly off his own armor before he dropped to the ground with a groan of pain. The black and white Riders struggled to get back on their feet, trying to get back in a fighting state so they could stop this monster before it could hurt anyone else, namely them!

"Leave them alone!" a voice cried out.

The twin Showas turned in fear to see the Sonozaki Sisters and the rest of the Gaming Club emerging from the booths, throwing whatever they could get their hands on at the Darkloid. However, Shion had in her hands a flashlight and had turned it on. To that end, she was shining it in the Darkloid's eyes to try and distract it. To everyone's surprise, there was an extreme reaction. The Mushroom Darkloid hissed almost as if it were in pain and was clutching its face, trying to keep the light out. Heck, the skin where the light was touching seemed to be drying up on contact.

"Nii-san, do you see that?" Luna gasped at the sight.

"I see an opening, Otouto!" Sol grinned.

Both Riders stood up and took battle stances. Sol gripped his fists before he kneeled down slightly and punched the ground. On impact, red energy appeared around his fist before it traveled up his arm and began a path down to his feet. Luna raised his hand into the air before making a fist and bringing his arm back down as blue energy began crackling in his hand and making a similar track. Both Riders then leaped into the air as the energy collected in their feet for an extended side kick.

"Ore…" began Sol.

"Boku…" added Luna.

"…-tachi no hissatsu!" the two shouted. "ECLIPSE RIDER KICK!!" the brothers cried as gravity took back its hold and the pair's kick crashed into the chest of the Darkloid. The Mushroom Darkloid was sent sailing past the stalls and skidded across the dirt as red and blue energy crackled across its form. Thrashing in pain, the Darkloid hissed loudly before its body failed and exploded in a fiery crash which echoed for a fair distance. Sol and Luna landed on the ground and turned their backs to the explosion.

"Game Over!" they spoke as one.

Now, two armored beings defeating a monster horde would definitely catch a lot of attention. The villagers, their friends especially, had witnessed their transformations and their victory over the Darklings and Darkloid.

"Nii-san, I believe a reset is necessary," said Luna.

"That goes without saying," agreed Sol. "OK, back to back!" The two brothers stood back to back as their belts released a bright glow. "Here we go. Return to…"

"…the Past…"

"NOW!"

Their bodies glowed with an intense blinding light that rose in the form of a pillar. Said pillar then expanded, engulfing everything and everyone within it.

* * *

2 Months Ago…

"_ECLIPSE RIDER KICK!!"_

_Two figures crashed against a Darkloid which caused it to explode as it hit the dirt. Both of the aggressors had landed hard in the mud as the rain cascaded on their armored forms. They didn't seem to care that there being soaked by the rain or getting dirty with the mud. Their forms flashed either a deep red or a bright blue, revealing them to be young men both in their teens. Both of them looked like they had been through hell, but didn't seem to have enough energy to care._

"_Nii-san…are we going to die out here?" asked the blue-haired figure._

"_Do what…you want," the red-haired figure groaned. "Anything is…better than…that place…"_

_Both boys passed out not too long afterwards._

* * *

___When the twins awoke, they found themselves staring at a white ceiling. At first they panicked, thinking they were back at that horrible place. But then they relaxed when they saw the doctor, a young bespectacled man with chin length brown hair and a kind face._

_"__Oh, good, you're awake," said the doctor._

_"__Where…are we?" asked the red-haired boy._

_"__My clinic, in Hinamizawa."_

_"__Hina…mizawa?" the blue-haired boy spoke. _

_"__It was a good thing you were brought here. You were in the rain," said the doctor._

_"__Who found us?" the blue-haired boy asked._

_"__That would be me." The man wore a grey shirt with a red tie and brown pants that were held up by suspenders. He looked to be in his 50's with a bit of a gut and wrinkles. He had graying hair. He also had a kind face. "I was driving along when I saw you two so I brought you here."_

_"__You should thank Detective Oishi," said he doctor._

_"__No need, Dr. Irie," said Oishi. "I just can't let a couple of boys freeze to death in the ran."_

_"__Thank you," the boys said in unison._

_"__Now, I need to ask you two questions. Just what were you doing in the rain?" asked Detective Oishi._

_"__We…don't know," answered the red-haired boy._

_"__You don't know?" Oishi cocked an eyebrow skeptically._

_"__He means we can't remember," said the blue-haired._

_"__Amnesia," Dr. Irie concluded._

_"__So, you have no memories of you past? At all?" Oishi asked._

___The two boys answered, "Sorry, no."_

_"__Guess you don't have names then," said Oishi._

_"__Actually, that's the only thing we can remember," said the redhead. "I'm Shinichi. Shinichi Sanban."_

_"__I'm Shinji Sanban," the bluenette answered._

_"__Well, Shinichi, Shinji, I'll do my best to find out your identities and where you come from," said Oishi._

* * *

_____Several weeks later…_

___"__School?" the two boys answered in unison. Both of them were in Oishi's apartment. The man lived alone. He had no children and his wife had passed away half a decade ago._

_____Oishi informed them, "Of course, you both need an education. Enrolling you in a high school in Okinomiya is certainly out of the question without any documents, so I've enrolled you in a smaller school."_

_____Since no one had come to claim the two boys, Oishi decided to take the two boys in and became their guardian. The two boys definitely weren't lazy. They helped with the housework. Shinji was a good cook and made breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. Shinichi had gotten a job delivering newspapers and performing odd jobs._

_____Of course, regarding dinner, Shinji always added something extra to help their guardian sleep. It was necessary considering the work they did at night. These dark creatures appeared at night and needed to be vanquished. Shinji had been reluctant with putting sleeping drugs in the kind man's food but Shinichi told him it was necessary since the man would not allow them to venture out at night to fight monsters. He saw the boys as sons._

___"__Well, how bad can school be?" Shinichi asked._

* * *

_____"__Let us welcome two new students," said Chie-sensei as Shinichi and Shinji stood at the front of the class._

_____"__Hello, I'm…I'm…Shinji. Shinji Sanban," Shinji introduced himself, taking a deep bow._

_____"__Yo, I'm Shinichi Sanban," said Shinichi, giving a lazy wave and cocky grin. Unlike Shinji, he wasn't shy about meeting new people. His eyes wandered around. The class had elementary school students and high school students mixed together. The school was small and only had one class for the children. And then his eyes were locked onto a girl with green hair in a ponytail. He smiled. 'This is going to be interesting…' he thought to himself._

_______Likewise, Shinji was looking around the room, committing all the faces to memory. His gaze fell upon another green haired girl who wore her hair down. The two girls were identical twins, unlike Shinji and Shinichi who were physically identical save for the color of their hair._

_____"__Alright, I'm going to leave you all for 15 minutes so you can get to know your new friends," said Chie-sensei._

* * *

_________The two felt like the main attraction in a zoo. They sat in chairs and were surrounded by their classmates._

_______"__OK, time for the Q&A!" announced the green haired ponytailed girl named Mion. She was the class president. "Everyone gets to ask only one question!"_

_______"__So, what does anyone want to know?" asked Shinichi. His antennae hair bobbed up and down. He then heard heavy breathing and looked to a girl with orange-brown hair and blue eyes, staring at him. "What are you staring at?"_

_______"__OMOCHIKAERI!!!"_

* * *

___________After saving Shinichi from being kidnapped by Rena, the Q&A session continued. Rena was tied to her chair to make sure she did not make a second attempt. Last year she had tried to kidnap Hanyuu several times on her first day at school._

_________"__So, you live with Detective Oishi?" asked Keiichi._

_________"__He's our guardian," said Shinji. "He was kind enough to let us stay with him."_

___________Shinichi continued, "As long as we don't laze about. So, I do a few odd jobs,"_

_________"__And I do the housework," added Shinji. "I sure hope he didn't forget the bento I made for him."_

_________"__So, how are you related to him?" Satoko asked._

_________"__He found us," the twin boys answered._

_________"__We were in the rain," continued Shinji._

_________"__But then he took us to the clinic," added Shinichi._

_________"__Nice guy," the two finished in unison._

___________Rena couldn't stand it. Their antennae hair wiggled as they spoke. The way they spoke in unison and finished each other's sentences made them extra cute._

___________She broke the ropes and grabbed the two boys before running out of the class, yelling, "OMOCHIKAERI!!!"_

___________Her friends and classmates gave chase._

* * *

Since that day Kuraodo Oishi had found them, the two brothers made a pact. They would remain with him and protect the village of Hinamizawa from the dark forces that threatened to swallow it all. They didn't just owe it to him, but to the friends they'd made and their loved ones. They had sworn an oath to become the guardians of Hinamizawa and Okinomiya.

That was their oath as KAMEN RIDERS.

* * *

KR Chrome: This piece of fiction was written by Ten-Faced Paladin and me. It was his idea for an alternate scenario of KAMEN RIDER SHOWA. This is an omake, plain and simple.

A.N.: Well, Showa belongs to Chrome, but it was my idea to turn him into twins. Inspired by the legendary Black and Black RX. What do you guys think?


	103. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 6

OMAKE 6

Shinichi was once again transported by one of those strange silver veils. He looked around. It was dark. He was familiar with the area. "This is…the area surrounding Rika-chan's shrine." For some reason, he could sense something was wrong. "Rika-chan…" He dashed out of the bushes and reached the front of the shrine. His eyes narrowed as he saw Miyo Takano behind the collection box with a scalpel in hand. "Kiisama!!!" Shinichi cursed. He rushed towards the shrine and jumped up. Takano was taken by surprise as his foot collided with her head, smashing her against the shrine. He then knelt over Rika. "She's unconscious," he murmured. He looked towards Takano who was slowly recovering. "Looks like I'm in 1983, the night the disaster takes place."

Miyo lunged with her scalpel but Shinichi caught her wrist tightly in his hand. He glared at her, "You're not killing anyone else tonight, bitch!" He twisted her wrist, causing it to snap. She screamed in pain as she dropped her scalpel. He let her go and said, "Goodnight, bitch!"

POW!

His punch put her down, unconscious. He turned his attention to Rika. "First things first…" he murmured. He had to get Rika to safety. He picked up the unconscious girl in his arms and leapt away. He needed to hide her.

Rika was slowly regaining consciousness and was surprised to see an indigo-haired boy carrying her as he dashed through the forest. "Who…who are you?" she asked.

"You're awake," he commented. "Hanyuu, are you there?"

Rika was surprised. "You know about Hanyuu?"

Shinichi smirked. "Yeah. She and I are good friends…in another world."

Hanyuu manifested herself, flying alongside the running teen. "How do you know about me?"

"I'm just a passerby from another world," answered Shinichi. "Now, I need to hide you, Rika-chan. No doubt Takano is about to call the Yamainu to start rounding up the villagers and take them to the school to be gassed to death."

Rika gasped, stunned. "Gassed to death?"

Shinichi explained, "Takano is part of a secret organization in the government that's studying the Hinamizawa Syndrome. She theorised that if you, the Queen Carrier, were to die, then all the villagers would start showing symptoms of Level 3 and Level 4. So that the syndrome didn't spread, everyone in Hinamizawa was to be executed. Then they are going to cover it up by saying poisonous swamp gas killed everyone." Shinichi stopped when he heard a scream. "Rena-chan!" He out Rika down against a tree. "Wait here. Hanyuu-chan, watch her!" He rushed towards the direction of the scream and called out loudly, "Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!" In a flash of light the jigsaw puzzle pieces converged onto his body to form his armor. He then summoned his firearm and continued on his way.

* * *

Rena was surrounded. She knew when these people came to her house that they were bad so she escaped through the back door. However, they chased after her and now surrounded her with knives in their hands. They were going to kill her.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Several gunshots rang through the air, hitting the Yamainu soldiers. They all fell to the ground, dead. Rena gasped and then looked up to see a large pair of green eyes staring back at her. The green eyes faded as an indigo-haired boy with antenna hair came towards her. "Are you okay?" he asked. Rena nodded. "Thank goodness."

"Who are you?" Rena asked.

"A friend. Right now you and your friends are in danger. Rika-chan's in the forest. Let me take you to her."

Rena was hesitant.

"Trust me," he assured her. Rena didn't know why but she knew she could trust him.

"Rena!" Rika called out to her friend as Shinichi led Rena to her.

"Rika-chan!" Rena hugged Rika, relieved to see her little friend was alright.

"Look, I don't know if they are still looking for you, but it's best that we stay close to each other," instructed Shinichi. "Where's the closest way to the school?"

* * *

Shinichi, led by Rena and Rika, reached the school. They remained out of sight. Men in biohazard suits and gas masks were already taping the windows shut after rounding up all the villagers and ordering them to go inside.

"They are going to kill the villagers," frowned Shinichi. "I can't let that happen!" He ran towards the Yamainu. "Henshin!!!"

The Yamainu saw Shinichi appear and then transforming into Showa. They got their weapons out and fired but their bullets did nothing to him as they bounced off his armor. He grabbed one soldier's rifle and ripped it out of his hands before he slammed the butt across his face. He dropped the weapon and summoned his own gun and sword. He charged, slicing their weapons apart. He also shot at a few, putting them down. All the noise drew the attention of everyone in the school building towards the windows to see what was happening. The kids, seeing an armoured hero fighting the bad guys, cheered out loud for Showa.

Once the Yamainu was disarmed and some of their members killed by Showa, they began to retreat. Showa, however, wasn't about to let them go. He raised his gun at their backs and fired. He didn't care if they were human. They stopped being human when they tried to harm the villagers, and that meant Miyo Takano had to die as well. She was still alive when he left her back at the shrine. In order to end this nightmare he had to track her down and kill her. However, the failure of her operation may have reached her superiors as well. They would shut her project down and leave her with nothing.

* * *

Miyo was in her van, driving out of Hinimizawa. Her operation was a failure. She needed to return to headquarters in order to get reinforcements. She looked to the rear view mirror and saw that she was being followed. "Who…?"

It was Showa, on the Showa-Racer, and he was gaining on her. He accelerated until he was right next to her. Miyo's eyes widened as she saw the barrel of a gun aimed at her.

"Go back to hell," he said before pulling the trigger. The bullet pierced through glass and went in between her eyes, exiting through the back of her head to splatter blood. Showa hit the brakes and watched as the van went out of control and drove off the road before falling off the edge of the road before plummeting and crashing. He rolled over to the edge where the van fell and aimed his gun at the downed vehicle. He squeezed the trigger again and fired. The van exploded and went up in flames. "Wherever you're going, Tomitake-san won't be with you." He then turned his bike around and back to the village.

* * *

From the distance, he watched as relieved villagers left the school building after the danger had been averted. Detective Oishi had come to take statements after he'd been called. As Shinichi turned, he faced Hanyuu who looked grateful.

"Thank you," said Hanyuu. "You helped changed fate."

"For this world, yeah," Shinichi agreed. "But for now I have to go."

"But please tell me who you are," said Hanyuu.

Shinichi answered coolly, "A friend." He saw the silvery veil approaching, "And that's my ride. See ya in another world, Hanyuu-chan." The veil swept over Shinichi and disappeared along with him.

* * *

KR Chrome: Just another one of my OMAKES for Showa. A break before returning to the main plot. Whaddya think?


	104. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 7

OMAKE 7

Kamen Rider Chrome: Now for this 7th Omake, let's explore another concept. Kid Riders. You've seen Wataru and Asumu in Decade. What if we made Showa a little kid? He'd be cute, though.

* * *

Rika Furude, Satoko Hojo and Hanyuu Furude were three little girls, living alone in a house near the Furude Shrine. They all went to the same school together in their village of Hinamizawa. They were a small community so the school only had one classroom, one teacher and they had a mix of students of various grade levels. They had grade schoolers, middle schoolers and high schoolers all in one classroom. The older students would sometime help the younger students with their studies.

Now, it'd been a year since the Hinamizawa Disaster was prevented. Many times before, in other worlds, the disaster had taken place causing the death of all the villagers. It'd all been started by Miyo Takano who was obsessed to prove her grandfather's research was true and she didn't care who she had to sacrifice. Fortunately, Rika and her loyal friends were able to defeat her and save the village. They became famous for being Hinamizawa's heroes.

Today, of course, they were going to find a new hero.

The three girls found him sitting against the wall of their house. He was covered in blood and looked both weak and injured. He was their age with indigo hair that had two strands of it sticking out like antennae. His breathing was shallow, but that was enough to tell them he was alive and not a dead body. It was not 'Oyashiro-sama's Curse' at work.

"We better call Dr. Irie," said Rika. "Satoko, Hanyuu, stay here with him."

* * *

The mysterious boy regained consciousness and opened his eyes. The blood on him had been cleaned off and his clothes had been disposed off, leaving him in a pair of shorts. He had bandages around his torso and arms as well as head. He looked up and saw a white ceiling.

"Where…am I?" he asked.

"Oh, glad to see you awake," said Dr. Irie kindly. "Rika-chan, Satoko-chan, Hanyuu-chan, your friend is awake."

The young boy saw the three girls and blushed. They were really cute, especially the bluenette with long hair.

"These girls found you," said Dr. Irie. "You were really malnourished so I had to give you an IV and you were covered in cuts and bruises, and blood."

"Blood?" the boy uttered.

Rika looked at the boy. Something was wrong. "What's your name?"

The boy stared back. "What?"

"Your name. What's your name?" she repeated her inquiry.

"I…my name is…" the boy clutched his head, "My name is…" He was drawing a blank. "I…can't remember…"

"Amnesia," Dr. Irie reasoned. "You did have a concussion when I examined you."

"You mean he's lost his memories?" asked Satoko.

"That's right, Satoko-chan," said Dr. Irie. "I'll call the police and make a missing persons report. For now, let him stay here."

"I do remember something," the boy said. "Black…and…13."

"Kuro…Juusan," Hanyuu repeated. "Hey, that can be your name!"

"Hanyuu!" Rika snapped. Kuro Juusan? That wasn't a name.

"Actually, I like it," said the boy, now dubbed Kuro Juusan. That would be his name. It was better than being nameless or being called 'John Doe' which was the moniker given to unidentified males. "Kuro Juusan. My name is Kuro Juusan."

Rika looked to Dr. Irie and asked, "Dr. Irie, is it okay if Kuro-kun comes and stay with us when he gets discharged?"

"Are you sure? He is a boy," said Dr. Irie.

"He looks harmless enough," said Rika.

* * *

One Month Later…

"Kuro-kun, wake up! Wake up and roll up your futon or else we can't have breakfast!" Hanyuu said, shaking the boy awake.

"Ugh…five more minutes," he groaned.

Hanyuu sighed. "Rika? Satoko?" The two girls flanked her and then they grabbed the futon. "Pull!" They pulled the futon and Kuro went rolling out of it, hitting the cupboard.

"Ow!" Kuro flinched, rubbing the back of his head where he'd hit the cupboard, "Girls, come on! Can't you be gentle?"

"Well, we could splash you with a bucket of cold water," Satoko suggested.

"Don't. You. Dare," Kuro warned.

"Go and wash up, Kuro-kun," said Rika. "We've already taken a bath. Now its your turn."

"Hai, hai, Rika-chama," Kuro gave a mock salute as he got up and dragged himself to the bathroom, taking a towel along the way.

Kuro Juusan had been living in the house with the three girls for a month. He really had nowhere else to go and Dr. Oishi was still unable to find anyone who knew about him or could identify him. Rika basically took the stranger in like she had Satoko.

Kuro wasn't a freeloader at all either. He would help out around the house like doing the laundry (he stayed away from the girls' underwear) and sweeping the floor. It was his way of thanking them for giving him a place to stay.

Kuro got ready for school after his bath, putting on a white buttoned up shirt with a black t-shirt underneath, black pants and finally a red scarf around his neck. Now that he was dressed, he joined the three girls for breakfast. He shuddered a bit, knowing what was going to happen when he went to school. On the first day of his enrollment he nearly got kidnapped by Rena Ryuugu. That girl scared him to death sometimes. Since then, every time the older girl laid eyes on him, she would try and kidnap him.

Kuro had befriended his classmates but his closest friends were the Hinamizawa Gaming Club. Satoko, Hanyuu and Rika were members, along with a few older kids. Rena was among the older kids, along with Keiichi Maebara and Shion and Mion Sonozaki. Mion was the 'supreme leader' of the Gaming Club.

"I hope Rena-san doesn't come today," said Kuro fearfully.

"You can only dream," said Rika. "Nothing can stop her from getting anything cute. We were barely able to stop him."

"I just know she has another Kuro Capture Plan up her sleeves," said Kuro. "I see it in those eyes of hers."

"Why don't you trim off those antennae?" suggested Rika, pointing at Kuro's hair. Every time he spoke or moved around, his twin ahoge would bob up and down.

The twin ahoge were also what made him look cute in Rena's eyes.

"I am not going to sacrifice them," Kuro frowned.

"Then you'll be facing a Rena ambush for the rest of your life," Rika shrugged.

* * *

"Omochikaeri!!!"

"Ryuugu-san, put Juusan-kun down now or else I'll give you detention!" warned Chie-sensei.

"Can I keep him with me?" Rena asked hopefully, still holding he hapless boy.

"No!"

"Aw…"

Mion chuckled as Rena put Kuro down and returned to her seat. "That never gets old," said Mion.

* * *

It was an intense game as Kuro and Mion stared each other day. Every day, after school, the Gaming Club would come together and play games. Right now, it was Kuro and Mion, one on one.

They were the only ones left. Everyone had finished. It was just the two of them now.

"Do you have any threes?" Kuro asked. Mion grumbled and handed all her threes to Kuro. He grinned and put them with his hand before slapping them on the table. "Done!"

"No…!!!" Mion moaned in despair. At card games, Kuro's luck was just so amazing.

"Now, for your punishment game!" Kuro declared, "You will wash all my dirty underwear!"

* * *

"Watanagashi?" Kuro asked as he walked home with his friends.

"It's this weekend too," said Mion. She teased, "I bet you can't wait to see Rika and Hanyuu dressed up as mikos."

"They will look so cute!!!" Rena gushed. "Oh, I wanna take them home!!!"

Kuro looked at the girl strangely. However, he had seen Rika try out her miko outfit. She did look cute.

Kuro did have a crush on Rika, but compared to her, head of the Furude Clan, he was a nobody without a past. He wasn't good enough for her.

* * *

The day of the festival was full of activity. Kuro was dragged out of bed by his housemates so he could have his first taste of the village's exclusive annual festival.

"OK, gang!" Mion announced, "Let's eat, eat, eat until we can't eat no more! First stop is the yakisoba!"

To Mion, the festival meant competitions between them all. They ranged from eating contests and even playing at the game stalls.

* * *

Rika and Hanyuu had left the group to be prepared for their dance which would take place in front of the Furude shrine. Kuro had won teddy bears for Rika and Hanyuu at the shooting gallery, hoping to give them to the girls when the night was over.

When the dance began, Kuro watched as Hanyuu and Rika, holding ceremonial hoes, brought their tools down on a mattress and scratching at the surface to reveal the cotton. He was entranced by their gracefulness but he was not surprised. She was always so graceful in his opinion.

However, the amnesiac kept feeling a cold chill run up his spine. It was a feeling he could not ignore.

* * *

At the river, the villagers would send their pieces of cotton drifting. However, tonight, things would play out quite differently than expected.

He saw them, dark figures, coming out of the darkness. They resembled humans, but their entire bodies were colored black with empty eyes and mouths. They were moaning as they dragged themselves towards the panicking villagers.

Kuro, however, was fixed to the spot. Despite the cries of his friends, he did not run. Instead, he decided to fight!

A black belt with a red crystal in the buckle formed around his waist and he began to move his arms around, as if he was performing a kata. He then called out a single word, "Henshin!"

His belt buckle released an intense crimson flash which caused the dark creatures to back away in fear. When the crimson light died down, Kuro was replaced by a different figure.

He was taller now, the height of an adult, and wearing a skintight white bodysuit. On his chest, back and shoulders was black armor with the number 13 stamped on his right shoulder. Black armor ran down his arms and legs, stopping at his elbows and knees respectively. He wore black gloves that went up to his elbows and also boots that went up to his knees. His helmet was black with a silver mouthplate and large red eyes. Sticking out from his forehead was a pair of insect antennae.

He had become Kamen Rider Kuro.

"Oi, let's do this," said Kuro as he cracked his knuckles. Although his body had changed, he still had the voice of a child. He charged at the monsters and began to bash them around. They weren't fast or very powerful, so they went down easily as struck them down one by one.

However, when these creatures…these Darklings began to pile up onto one another, that was when Kuro would face an even bigger challenge as their bodies fused together.

They had become a huge Darkloid which resembled an Oni mask with arms and legs. It opened its mouth and shot out fireballs at Kuro who dodge-rolled out of the way as they exploded along the ground. He then charged at the Oni Darkloid and when in range he began to bash it with violent punches. The Oni Darkloid lashed out but Kuro jumped and landed on its arm. He then ran along the length of the arm before kicking the monster upside the head. The Darkloid was knocked down.

Kuro glared at the Darkloid and then got down on one knee before slamming his palm down upon the ground. He then took to the air, leaping high and above the Darkloid. He then dropped down, extending both his legs as he aimed at the Darkloid. The heels of his boots glowed with crackling red energy. When his attack connected there was a huge explosion.

Kuro walked out of the flames, satisfied that he'd defeated the monster. He looked at his hands as his body flashed red. He shrank back down to normal, his armor leaving him.

"Game Over," Kuro finished, snapping his fingers. He then saw all the eyes on him. "Oh…crud."

* * *

KR Chrome: Well, that's that for the omake. Whaddya think of this what if situation?


	105. Kamen Rider Showa OMAKE 8

OMAKE 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni or its characters. I don't own Kamen Rider. However, I do own this Kamen Rider. Pls, enjoy this omake and pls read and review, OK?

BTW: I borrowed the opening scene from 'Hinamizawa Hell' by Zoken Hirogechi.

* * *

"Huh? Where am I? Wait…this…can't…"

"Ah, don't you just love how a finely sharpened knife glistens in the light? The funny thing about knives is that their so useful for cutting and so easy to maintain. All you have to do is sharpen sharpen sharpen!"

Mion, clad in her ceremonial white kimono, hastily worked away at a nearby table, sharpening a knife with a special tool all the while laughing in tune. Metal filings fell to the floor, as Mion made sure that the blade was perfect for its next use. With her back facing Rena, she raised various knives in the air, inspecting them under the light from nearby lanterns. If any imperfection was found, she made sure to fix it with precision. Other than that, Mion's position in the light made her seem all the more terrifying, not even acknowledging her friend's plea's for mercy. Her shadows casted a figure against the plains of the walls and rock, displaying something that didn't look like Mion at all, but some insane creature ready to kill.

From Rena's perspective, the entire room was upside down. Nothing around her seemed right, though that was probably attributed to the pain in her head. It felt as if all the blood rushed to that area, causing her to slowly become incoherent. From this, she could easily determine that she was hung upside down by her legs, the tight rope cutting off circulation to her now numb feet. Her hands were also tied behind her back. What was most terrifying to Rena this time was the fact that, as weird as this was, this was all real and not a dream. She desperately wished to wake up from this hellish nightmare. To no avail, though, Mion didn't heed her friend's cries.

"Ah, I see you're awake finally? Good! You're just in time for your punishment game, Rena-chan!" Mion turned to Rena, now walking towards her with a nicely sharpened knife. Her eyes were demonic like, their once shining green tint now replaced with a dull, hateful and vengeful gaze.

"P…P-P…Punishment game?! Mi-chan, this isn't a game! Stop it right now!"

"Nope, no can do Rena-chan! We lost today, remember? So now we need to play! A HA HA HA HA!" Mion's maniacal cackle sent Rena into overdrive. She struggled in a futile effort to escape her restraints, but failed all the same. Mion knelt down, watching Rena intently as she did this. It was almost like watching a worm squiggle out of a puddle of water, only to die from drowning. Mion laughed all the while at this comparison, now beginning to spin Rena round and round until she was sure Rena would get sick.

"Mi-chan, why are you doing…this…to meeeeeeee!" she cried out, as Mion began to spin her around. The room swirled in her vision, causing Rena to almost vomit on the floor. Thankfully, in a small measure of resilience, she didn't. Her words, though, caused Mion's sick and happily twisted mood to sour, her eyes becoming less emotionless and more hateful in a way that was terrifying to Rena. She cringed back a little, sweating a bit at seeing her friend in such a state.

"Why? WHY? You still haven't learned, have you? All you want is Kei-kun for yourself! You're just like the rest of them, but soon they'll meet your same fate!" she spat at Rena, disgusted somewhat with her stupidity and naiveté. Mion abruptly stopped spinning Rena around and caught her mid-length hair, ripping her head up to face Mion's own.

"Mi…Mi-chan…"

"You want Kei-chan for yourself, don't you? Too bad, because once I kill you and dispose of your body in the well, I won't have to worry you and, soon, the others anymore. It will be just me and Kei-kun forever!"

"…you stupid bitch!"

Mion's eyes went wide, looking at the stern expression in her former friend's eyes. Those very same eyes now held a fire of resistance unlike other times. Even so, for Rena to have cursed was near impossible. The Rena now talking to Mion was something much darker, something to actually reckon. It wasn't the same voice which displayed any and all urges to take something cute or adorable home. This time, it was a voice that could make Mion step back and take caution with. Her words, however, only made the rage in her heart grow more.

"Stupid…bitch? My, what nasty language you have there! I know just how to fix that! Looks like it's time to start cutting your tongue out!"

Rena looked up at Mion, and in response spit directly at her friend's face. Getting some of the substance in her eyes, Mion stepped back and cursed under her breathe, becoming more agitated with each passing minute.

"You'll pay for that, I hope you know…"

"NO! YOU'LL PAY FOR IT! YOU'LL PAY DEARLY WHEN KEIICHI-KUN LEAVES YOU OVER THIS…!"

Her cold, dull eyes now opened wide again, staring at the sudden change of Rena's being. She wasn't pleading for her life anymore, this time, standing up to defend herself. She could only watch as Rena tried to regain control of her dream.

"You think Kei-chan will leave me like that, huh? You have such little faith in him, you know that? Kei-chan will love me no matter what I do, just like I love him the same way. As long as he's loyal to me and I'm loyal to him, there's nothing that can harm us! So, think carefully about how this will all turn out before I end your pathetic life, got it? Kei-chan is mine: his heart, his soul, his happiness, and his love…ITS ALL MINE!"

"…I know that. That's why I stepped aside…"

"W…what?"

From what Mion could see Rena began crying, her tears falling along her forehead and down to the floor. She was taken back by this sudden statement, curious as to what Rena had meant.

"…When we first met him, Keiichi-kun was so wonderful. He was shy at first, but he warmed up to you and me, and even the others. Day by day, it was so much fun just to be with him…and with you. Every time he teased me…every time he patted my head, it made me happy. And when he stood up for me…he made me feel special and brought a smile to my face, I was happy…but you were my best friend Mi-chan…" Rena began crying more, trying her best to remain coherent "…I know how you felt about him. I always knew, and I saw how he showed his love for you and only you. So…I stepped aside, and gave up on him. I was naïve…it was just a crush. But what he showed for you…how he really loved you in the end of things…I realized that he would have never done that for me. He was in love with Mion Sonozaki, not Rena Ryuugu!" she stated, her tears ceasing.

Mion stood for a while longer, unable to decide what to do next. Her hatred didn't die in her heart, but part of her wondered if what Rena was telling was the truth. Though the grip on the blade didn't cease, her heart ached for revenge; revenge against those who got in her way. She could only get it, she thought, if she had a real reason and not just a lie to go off of.

"Rena-chan…if that was true…then why did you try to steal him from me?" she spoke, her glassy like gaze returning.

"I told you I wasn't trying to…"

"Really? Then why did you always take the chance to be with him when I wasn't around? Every time you went treasure hunting, you asked for his help, but that was just a front, huh? And last December when you were standing in the crowd with his hand on your shoulder…or in the car ride back to his house, how you drooled blissfully on his body while sleeping? What about recently, when I was attending to all my responsibilities as heir to the Sonozaki family, you were going out a lot with Kei-kun, huh? And don't forget your mysterious disappearances on the weekends; God only knows what you were doing then. Maybe you were stalking Kei-chan and I while we were on dates or maybe you…"

"MI-CHAN! I'm telling you the truth! Please, you have to believe me…"

"LIES! LIES! LIES LIES LIES! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! I've had it with this, NO MORE! TIME FOR YOUR PENALTY GAME!"

Mion strode over to Rena quickly, ready to deliver the blow to end this nightmare. However, Rena didn't succumb to this inevitable defeat just yet. She still pleaded, trying to make Mion hear her one last time. This last effort to get some sense into her, just as the pain in Rena's head felt like it would burst every blood vessel under her skin.

"Mi-chan, if what I'm telling you… is a lie then kill me now! But if you've ever held me as a friend in your heart, then believe me…when I say I haven't done anything with Keiichi-kun. I'm not in love with him, and I won't ever try to interfere in your relationship with him. Don't you get it? I want you two to be…"

"Happy? OK RENA-CHAN! WE CAN START WITH YOU DYING A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH! THAT WAY, KEI-CHAN AND I CAN BE HAPPY WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT YOU EVER INTERFEREING IN OUR LIVES EVER AGAIN! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Rena's eyes went wide with fear, anticipating the impalement of the knife coming at her stomach area. Closing her eyes, she prayed in the depths of this dream for a quick and painless death. After a few minutes of her eyes clenched and teeth gritting, though, Rena slowly eased up and looked at her friend, confused. Instantly she saw Mion hesitating a bit, just holding the knife at her waist in a low ready position. At this moment, some hope finally appeared.

"Mi-chan…did you…are you coming to your…?"

"You didn't think I would stab you, did you Rena-chan? That's too quick. I want you to suffer…LIKE I HAVE SUFFERED!" Mion went to slash at Rena's temple and the auburn-haired girl squeezed her eyes shut. However, when she didn't feel the sharp edge of the knife didn't touch her skin, she cautiously opened her eyes.

Standing between Mion and herself was a boy their age wearing a black jacket over his clothes. She could see his short indigo hair and a pair of ahoge atop his head. His back was facing her and she could see that on the back of his jacket was a green cicada. He was holding Mion's wrist, stopping her from dealing the cut.

He'd suddenly come to save her and his name was Shinichi.

"Sorry, Mion-sama, but you shouldn't play with sharp objects!" Shinichi shouted as he wrenched the knife out of Mion's hand and shoved her backwards. She hit the table and the knives on said table bounced off their surface and fell to the floor with metallic clangs.

"OK, she's down," said the boy, relieved. He turned to face Rena and the girl blushed at his handsome features. His eyes were deep indigo and the scar over his left eyebrow, shaped like XIII didn't mar his features. It just made him look cooler. Around his neck was a red scarf and he was wearing a green t-shirt and blue jeans under his jacket with black boots and gloves. "Are you okay, Rena-chan?" he asked. The girl nodded. "Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of this thing!" He looked up at the rope bound around her legs.

Rena cried out and Shinichi turned to see Mion charging at him with a knife with the intent to stab him. Spinning around, he swung out with his leg and hit Mion squarely in the face, the sole of his boot colliding with her knife and sending her flying backwards into unconsciousness as she hit the wall with a loud thud. "Sorry, Mion," he apologized under his breath. "OK, time to cut you loose." He didn't use the knives. Instead, he grabbed hold of the rope and gave a tug, breaking it. Rena cried out as she fell but he caught her in his arms and put her on her feet. He then tore apart the rope around her wrists. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Who are you?" Rena asked.

"I'm…" began Shinichi only to hear a groan. "Excuse me, cutie-pie." He turned to face Mion and he saw a dark shadow rising from her body as she slowly got to her feet. Her eyes stared menacingly at them.

"I don't know who you are, but you should not have gotten in the way," Mion said, but her voice sounded warped and distorted. It was like she was possessed by a demon. Shinichi's eyes focused on the shadow. It had a pair of horns and green eyes.

"The green-eyed monster of jealousy," muttered Shinichi. "Of course…"

Mion had two knives in hand and she lunged. Shinichi also shot forward, grabbing her wrists hard. Mion cried out as he squeezed and raised her arms over her head. "Who are you…?" Mion demanded.

"As I was about to tell Rena-chan here, I'm just an out of this world Kamen Rider!" Shinichi declared, "And as for you, you're not welcomed here! HENSHIN! LET'S RIDE: SHOWA!" The belt around his waist let loose a bright flash and Mion screeched as the light burned her eyes. The shadowy aura around her also started to detach from his frame before finally separating from her. Showa, now fully armoured, stared at the shadow as it began to take form. Rena's eyes widened at what she was seeing. Her saviour had transformed into a suit of armor and her best friend was possessed by a demon.

And the Darkloid indeed had taken the form of a demon. An Oni. It had the built of a gorilla with tusks coming out from its lower lip, huge hands and feet, long sharp horns and dark and messy hair that stuck out like a lion's mane. Its green eyes were focused on Showa who just yawned.

"Alright, game time!" declared Showa. He jumped at the Darkloid, drawing his arm back for a punch. The Oni Darkloid just swung its arm, swatting Showa out of the air and into the wall painfully. The torture devices fell on top of him. "Kuso…" he cursed. He drew his gun, the Showa-Blaster, and began firing on the Oni Darkloid. "Hey, ugly! I'm right here! Leave them girls alone!"

The Oni Darkloid roared and rushed at Showa. The Rider continued to fire only for his shots to bounce off. The Darkloid shot an arm forward and grabbed Showa be the neck before crashing through the wall, making a large hole.

The two then exited through another hole and fell down into the secret underground dungeon of the Sonozaki Clan, hitting the ground with Showa under the Oni Darkloid. He kneed the monster hard in the gut and then used his other foot to throw it off him and flip it through the air. Showa jumped to his feet and turned to face the monster. The Oni Darkloid beat its chest and lunged at Showa. Showa jumped backwards as the Oni Darkloid's large fists struck down onto the spot where he'd stood a moment ago, leaving a huge crater on impact.

Showa grimaced and commented, "Better not get hit by that." He summoned his Showa-Blade and charged at the Darkloid. He stabbed at the creature but the Oni Darkloid's skin was like steel as sparks flew but no damage was dealt. It then swatted Showa away and into the wall.

"Alright, no more Mr. Nice Rider," growled Showa as he dug himself out of the wall. "OK, gorilla-boy, let's finish this!" He gripped his fists before he knelt down slightly and slammed his palm onto the ground. On impact, green energy appeared around his hand before it travelled up his arm and began a path down to his feet. He then leapt into the air and stretched out both his legs, the energy pooling around his feet for a devastating drop kick. "RIDER KICK!!!"

Gravity took back its hold on the Rider as his feet crashed into the charging Darkloid's head. Its head snapped backwards as it was sent flying and crashing into the far wall. As soon as the Oni Darkloid impacted with the wall, it'd exploded.

"Should've done that earlier," commented Showa as he dusted himself off. He looked up at the hole which had been made earlier and jumped up to see if the girls were alright.

He saw Rena checking on Mion. Even after the green-haired girl had tried to murder her, Rena still cared for her friend. Mion hadn't been herself. She'd been under the influence of a Darkloid. It'd fed off her paranoia, doubt and jealousy. She suspected that all the girls in their group of friends were trying to steal Keiichi from her.

Showa approached the pair, his armor breaking apart into jigsaw pieces that faded into the wind. He knelt down and said, "She'll be okay. She'll be sore and won't remember what happened, but she'll be okay?"

"Who are you?" Rena asked. Shinichi smiled and her heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to speak, a silvery veil appeared behind him.

"In another world, the boy you love," he answered with a roguish wink before the veil swept over him and he vanished from her sight.

* * *

A/N: Jealousy is a scary thing, isn't it?


	106. Boredom

Boredom

By: Iron-Mantis

"Ungh," Ryuji grunted. First period science was boring as hell. The science teacher, while a good man, had the voice that could even make a Horror fall asleep.

_'This almost makes me want to see the dog presenting 20 of his inventions at once…almost_,' Ryuji thought since there was still a good chance of Takada inventing something incredibly amazing or very annoying and possibly life-threatening.

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock.

Click. Click. Click.

Ryuga was clicking his pen repeatedly. He was keeping in time with the clock's ticking overhead and managing to click just as the clock ticked. It was an actually impressive feat if one would stop to think about it but to Ryuji it was just very annoying.

"Oi, stop that," Ryuji whispered. "I'm trying to stay away from boredom and you're not helping!"

Ryuga just ignored him as he continued to clock his pen.

"I mean it! Stop it!" Ryuji snapped to his counterpart.

"Why? It's not like anyone else is complaining," Ryuga commented quietly "Besides, it's not my fault you get distracted easily."

"You do realize you're technically dissing yourself," Ryuji reminded.

"Eh, personally, I see you as an annoying part of me so there's no skin off my bones," Ryuga retorted.

"Yeah, well you're a jerk," Ryuji muttered.

"You do realize, that I must point out, that you too just technically dissed yourself," Ryuga responded making Ryuji snarl in annoyance.

Suddenly the teacher was glaring at them, specifically Ryuji. "Please refrain yourself from doing that in my classroom, Hasuma," he said and turned back to the chalkboard. Ryuji realized that he'd visibly stuck out his middle finger at Ryuga.

Ryuji swiftly stuffed both hands into his desk. Ryuga snickered, too quietly for the teacher to hear, as he began clicking his pen again making Ryuji sigh in annoyance.

Kotonoha and Ai sighed. The two boys, while on peaceful terms, would still butt heads from time to time. However, at least it wasn't as bad as Kenzaki's arguments with Kat, thankfully.

"At least they're not using their fists," Ai said smiling

"Yes," Kotonoha agreed. Their quarrel may be tiring, but she could see that both Ryuji and Ryuga could overcome their differences…eventually.


	107. Motivation

"Motivation"

By: Iron-Mantis

"Are you still working? Why can't we do something else? Something more fun?" Kat moaned.

"Because I actually care about my grades, thank you very much," Chie said rolling her eyes.

"Having trouble?" Rose asked as she entered the room and noticed Kat not doing any work.

"She really wants to avoid doing homework," Chie answered.

"It's not my fault it so boring…" Kat moaned.

Rose nodded. "I see. Kat, can you come over here for a second?"

Kat did as she was told. Chie watched curiously as Rose started whispering something in her ear. Kat started blushing various shades of reds before rushing to quickly do her homework.

"Woah," Chie blinked as she saw Kat going through it in a blur. "What did you say to her?"

"Oh, I just promised her some... initiative…" Rose smirked, making Chie realized that Rose was definitely the dominant one in this relationship.

"I'm glad," Rose said, making Chie break out of her concentration "She's starting to act normally after the incident." Chie didn't need to ask for details. She'd heard from Yuuki about what had happened.

"You know, I wonder why Kat didn't stop. Even after she realises that Kenzaki loves Neko, she immediately gets back into breaking up mode." Chie commented.

"Over-protectiveness," Rose explained, "She worries about her sister getting hurt. She may not look like it because of her brashness but she will kill those who harm her loved one and another factor could've been because she is very mistrustful of men because of the pain one caused."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Chie said, nodding her head, "By the way, how did you and Kat hook up?"

"Oh she was very persuasive," Rose said, smiling mysteriously at the memory. Meanwhile, Kat was grinning perversely as she was going to finish her homework so she and Rose can 'play'."


	108. Lust X Blitz

Lust X Blitz

"EHH!? HE PROPOSED!?" six of the 7 Stakes shouted after hearing the news.

"Yep, he was a bit comedic about doing it but he did it right," Asmodeus said as she showed off the ring Yokoshima had given to her when he proposed. True, he'd fumbled, but he got the message across to her nonetheless.

"HAH!" Mammon laughed. "Pay up!" Most of the Stakes had bet that Yokoshima would just elope with their youngest sister.

"Good for you, Asmodeus," Lucifer said while handing her money over to Mammon.

"You should get a 4-layer chocolate cake," Beelzebub said, licking her lips.

"And you better not forget to invite us!" Satan snarled in warning.

"Of course not!" Asmodues replied. "How can I forget my own sisters? Group hug!"

* * *

It was Asmodeus and Yokoshima's wedding day. The morning had gone nicely, with guests arriving in on time and everyone being dressed and ready by eleven. Now the time had come for the last minute preparations. The ceremony would be done in the lodge while the reception would be done outdoors in the garden.

As Asmodeus was mentally preparing herself to walk down the isle, in her elegant wedding dress no less, Belphegor was at her side and making minor adjustments to the dress with Beelzebub adjusting the bride's blonde hair.

"You're so calm," said Mammon, surprised by her youngest sister's demeanour. "I thought you to be one of those brides who are so obsessed with perfection."

"Everything is already perfect," Asmodeus said smiling.

"I'm so jealous!" Leviathan confessed. "When will my day come?"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Well in a couple of minutes you'll be a married man, Yokoshima. Any thought?" Shogo said, with a smile.

"Well, to be honest, I feel like the happiest guy on Earth. I get to marry my girl and enjoy a great life with her. What;s not to like?" Yokoshima said with a wide ear-to-ear grin.

"I'm just glad you aren't acting crazy like Shinichi was when his mother was getting married," Chiaki quipped.

"Oh, haha. You're hilarious," Shinichi said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"Oi, it's time to take your places! There's no way I'm going to get killed by an angry magical girl because her husband-to-be is not there!" Daichi said. He and the others then walked forward and took their positions.

* * *

There was a long pause as everyone waited for the bride, and at long last she came. She was every bit as beautiful as everyone hoped she would be. She walked towards the altar with Ronove taking her down the isle.

'_Pukukuku, of all the things I think of, I never thought of seeing myself is this scenario_,' Ronove thought as he shook Yokoshima's hand and took his place and as the priest began.

"Do you, err, Asmodeus, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" the priest asked.

"I do," Asmodeus said with joy in her smile and eyes as Yokoshima placed the ring on her finger.

"And do you, Yokoshima Ryuunosuke Magi, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, in good time and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"What she said," Yokoshima answered, smiling as Asmodeus put the ring on his finger.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Yokoshima leaned down and kissed Asmodeus who returned the kiss with a passion. Everyone burst into applause, happy for the two.

In attendance were also the witches.

"Oh I do so love a wedding," said Virgilia as she smiled. "I wonder if I'll catch the bouquet."

"Aren't you a bit too old thinking that Lia?" Gaap asked.

"Nonsense, Gaap. It's always pleasant for a girl to believe that if they catch the bouquet they'll be next in line for marriage," Topper said. He was here to mostly kill some time.

"I'm bored…" complained Lambdadelta. "When will we get to the cake?"

"Patience, Lambda, patience." Bernkastel said, keeping her partner in check.

"Hmm, I have to admit that Asmodeus looks good in that gown," Beatrice said, watching as her furniture and Topper's furniture were being congratulated.

Asmodeus then turned around and tossed the bouquet into the air. Her sisters immediately went on the attack.

"IT'S MINE!" Leviathan shouted, pushing Beelzebub down to the ground.

"LIKE HELL IT IS!" both Lucifer and Satan shouted

"NO WAY!" Mammon and Belphegor declared, ready to get the bouquet but Topper had another idea.

Topper winked and wiggled his fingers, causing the bouquet to fall into Beatrice's lap. The Golden Witch blinked as she saw it.

"Looks like Lady Beato will be next," said Topper with a glint of amusement in his eyes. "I wonder if she has thoughts of a certain defiant redhead, hm…?"


	109. SBC RESCUE SQUAD!

The earthquake was quite sudden and a building had collapsed due to it, a building full of people. Already, rescue workers were on the job searching for survivors within the rubble. One such rescue worker had long red and braided hair, wore green goggles over his eyes and dressed in a black jumpsuit with red gloves and boots. Around his waist was a belt buckle with the letters 'SBC' stamped on the surface.

One rescue worker, a supervisor or a superior of some kind was looking over the damage. One earthquake hit so suddenly and only knocked down one building. In some cases that would be called a miracle. However, in recent times, that kind of event was becoming more and more suspicious. Earthquakes just don't appear and suddenly end when only one building was knocked down. Not figuratively speaking either. The earthquake had suddenly ended when the specific building, one with numerous people inside of it, had collapsed. If one was to believe such things, they could have called it a field test.

"Hasuma-san, Sir!" one rescue worker said. "There are a lot more survivors deep inside the rubble. We're rescued most of them but it's so deep inside that our equipment can dig its way through."

"I understand," Hasuma nodded. "Looks like I have to do this." He reached to his wrist watch and slid open a compartment to reveal a set of three buttons.

* * *

Shampoo had been looking for Ranma in order to kill her. She needed to avenge her loss to the outsider girl or else she could not return to the village. She remembered the stinging defeat. She had just won the village championship and when she went to claim her prize, everyone discovered a foreign girl and her pet panda scarfing down everything they could get their hands on. In her fury, Shampoo had confronted the girl and the redhead challenged her for the food. Feeling confident in her skills, Shampoo accepted…and went down in one kick. Granted, it was a well placed, timed, and executed kick that left her no room for defence or retaliation. However, Shampoo's pride was stung from the blow and so she executed the Kiss of Death on the girl. Her honour was at stake and she had to kill the outsider girl or face extreme punishment. However, she had gotten caught in an earthquake and the building she had been camping out on top of collapsed under her before she could get away in time. It was humiliating. She was going to die without her honour restored. No doubt everyone in the village would say she either ran away or quit. She had heard about the disasters like this from some of the rare outsiders who came to the village. It sometimes took months to dig out all of the bodies and Shampoo had smuggled her way into the country so no one would know who she was or where her home was. Dying as a nameless illegal immigrant. How shameful. The place she was trapped in was cramped and she was losing oxygen. Her left arm and right leg were broken. How considerate of Fate to craft her a tomb before she died.

And then she heard a comforting voice. "I see you. Don't worry. I'm here to help."

Was she hallucinating? She felt the rocks shift as someone was reaching towards her. She could barely see who it was. He looked to be clad in red but it was dark so she could not focus.

"Now, just relax," the gentle voice said. "You've broken some of your bones so just relax while I get you out of here."

Shampoo slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

The purple-haired Chinese Amazon woke up and found herself in a strange place. Also, she was not in her clothes. Rather, she was in a white robe. She had an IV in her right arm and her left arm and right leg were in casts, the latter suspended by a sling. She had bandages all over her body. It had taken a couple of moments to remember, but she recalled that outsiders called this place a hospital. It was sort of like the village healers' huts only much bigger to house more people. That made sense since the cities were much larger places.

"Oh, so you're awake," Shampoo heard and looked to see a man enter. He had red hair, nearly the color of blood, with green goggles on his forehead. He was dressed in a black jacket over a red shirt and black pants with red shoes. "I'm glad."

"Where…is this?" Shampoo asked in her broken Japanese.

"Oh, you're in the hospital. You should count yourself lucky. You managed to survive after being buried alive for so long," he said. "It's a good thing I found you. You lost a lot of blood too."

"You…save Shampoo?" she asked.

"Shampoo? That's your name, huh? Well, I'm Leo Hasuma." He pulled a chair out and sat down. "Are you feeling better?"

"Shampoo…has to leave," she groaned, trying to sit up.

"Hey, you shouldn't move. You're still hurt," he said gently.

She glared at him but she couldn't stay angry at him for some reason as he smiled gently at her. He did save her, after all, and there was a tribal law regarding a male who'd saved the life of a female Amazon warrior.

"Come…here…" Shampoo beckoned. "Closer…" Leo leaned in and Shampoo pulled his head down with her right hand, pressing their lips together. His eyes went wide and she let him go. He recoiled in shock.

"Wha-wha-what was that!" Leo had heard of people being grateful at being saved, but he'd never been kissed like that!

"Wo ai ni, Airen," she said.

Leo knew Chinese and his eyes bugged out of his skull. He then fainted after hearing that, the shock of the kiss and confession overwhelming him.

* * *

"Hey, kid! Kid, wake up!"

Leo slowly awoke. He groaned a bit from the headache. His head had hit the floor quite hard. Looking around, he discovered that he was in a different hospital room. Rubbing his head, he remembered being in the room with the Chinese girl before she…kissed him. After that, everything was blank. "What happened?" He focused his eyes on the person speaking to him. "Takada-sempai?" They were in the waiting room of the hospital.

Takada was a couple of years older than Leo, with spiked up brown hair and two strands of it sticking out from the hairline to hang in front of his face. He was dressed in a denim jacket over a white t-shirt with blue jeans and brown leather boots. He was standing over Leo who was in a chair. "Glad to see you back in the world of the living, kid."

Leo asked again, "What happened?"

"Well, I found you lying on the floor in the room of that Chinese chick," said Takada. "So maybe you could shed a little light on just what happened in there. You're usually a pretty solid guy in the nerves department. You don't always faint."

"She...did something," Leo answered, his cheeks burning.

"Oh?" Takada responded.

'_I can't tell him she stole my first kiss,_' thought Leo. Takada was your stereotypical party boy who was also a hit with the ladies. More than once he had tried to set Leo up on dates in the past. Hearing about what the Chinese girl did would just make him start on one of his cheers again. '_But if I don't say anything he'll just make a big deal out of it. Might as well fess up._' Leo confessed, "She stole my first kiss." Takada, as expected, whooped.

"That's great, kid! She's a hottie too! You should totally take her out on a date once she recovers!" Takada encouraged. At long last, the new guy finally discovered women. After all of the dates he set up and disappointed girls who just couldn't seem to get anywhere with the guy, someone finally managed to get through to the clueless lug that girls are more than just opposites of boys in terms of gender.

"You really shouldn't encourage him, Operative Takada," a cold voice spoke. Takada and Leo looked to see who it was. He wore a purple turtleneck shirt with a black coat over it and black pants and shoes. He had pale skin and wore dark square-rimmed glasses over his eyes. His hair was pitch black. He didn't smile, "And this is a hospital. Please, don't make any noise."

"Hai, taichou," Takada and Leo saluted.

"Now, all the survivors have been identified and their families have been contacted. There were deaths, however," reported Ichijyo Amakusa, their captain. Leo frowned when he heard the news.

"Was the cause of the earthquake identified?" Leo asked.

"Yes," nodded Ichijyo. "There was a device located under the base of the building that was designed to cause tremors. However, we don't know who made it."

"Must be the same bastards who caused those other disasters," stated Takada.

"We're still running an investigation, Operative Takada," said Ichijyo. "Now, Operative Hasuma, do you have anything to report on the unidentified girl you found?"

"Well, her name is Shampoo," said Leo.

"Shampoo?" Ichijyo repeated.

"She's named after a hair care product?" Takada blinked.

"Actually, I think that due to her accent being Chinese, the way her name is pronounced in our language sounds like 'shampoo'. I believe her name is really Xian Fu," said Leo.

"Alright, I'll run a search on this Xian Fu girl," said Ichijyo. "Oh, and Operative Hasuma..."

"Hai, taichou?" Leo responded.

"She's your responsibility now," Ichijyo said before leaving to go back to headquarters.

* * *

The C&C Corporation was a company known for constructing some of the greatest structures in the country. The odd thing was they always bought land which had been plagued by disaster. This was no coincidence, however.

C&C actually stood for Crisis and Chaos.

Everyone knew that C&C was an opportunistic organization. Everyone compared them to those ambulance chasing lawyers who wanted to profit off of human misery and pain. They looked all over the world for human conflict and disasters so they could get their hands on land cheap. While it was one of the more profitable companies in the world, admitting you worked for them was social suicide for a good portion of the planet. Of course, with the kind of money you could get paid by the company, you could just end up buying new friends anyway. Still, what most people didn't know was that rather than chasing disasters for profit, C&C studied on how to create them in order to create opportunities for profit.

The latest disaster involved a building that had recently collapsed due to a 'natural' disaster. An earthquake had suddenly hit, causing the whole thing to go down. The people who owned the building now had nothing so C&C would swoop in and buy the land for a lesser price due to the disaster. It was a profitable investment and bit by bit they would own the city. However, they had competition. Smart Brain was a rival company and also owned a portion of the city. Both companies fought for control, resulting in conflicts in and out of the world of business.

* * *

Leo returned to Shampoo's hospital room with a tray of food. "I'm sure she's hungry. She's been asleep for several days since I found her." It was hospital food and while not the most delicious substance in the world, it filled stomachs well. He knocked on the door and opened up. "Shampoo, I've brought-" He gasped as he dropped the tray. "What are you doing!" Shampoo was trying to stand but with that cast on her leg she was a bit unstable. She'd removed her IV and trying to walk but then toppled over. Quickly, Leo caught her before she hit the ground. He looked at her with worried eyes. "Shampoo, you'll aggravate your wounds."

"But Shampoo needs to go," she insisted. "Shampoo needs to…"

"Shampoo needs to rest," he interrupted. He put her back into bed gently. "I brought you food, but…" He frowned at the now ruined meal that was lying on the floor. "I better get that cleaned up." He turned to look at Shampoo. "Anyway…the doctor told me you'll need to keep those casts on for a few more weeks before you can take them off and you'll need to stay in the hospital for another week."

Shampoo gazed into Leo's green eyes. They were filled with gentleness. He was no warrior, that was for certain, but there was…there was something in his gaze that put her at ease.

"So, do you have any family here?" he asked. She shook her head. "So, what are you doing in Japan? It's a long way from home."

* * *

Back at SBC (Smart Brain Corporation), Takada was hanging out in the cafeteria with a young woman and another young man. The young woman had long black hair and sharp blue eyes. She was dressed in a black tank top with blue jeans and high heeled boots. The young man had short black hair and eyes and wearing a black turtleneck shirt with a blue blazer and matching slacks.

"Are you serious?" the woman, Kat, questioned after hearing Takada's tale.

Takada answered, "I kid you not, Kat. That cousin of yours scored himself a China doll!"

"That sounds interesting," the man, Tazuka, said. "So, what's her name?"

"Oh, here it's pronounced Shampoo but in her language it's pronounced Xian Fu. Taichou even put the kid in charge of her," said Takada.

"Oh, this I gotta see," snickered Kat. "That cousin of mine is hopeless with women!"

* * *

"Wait…you're here to kill a girl who beat you in a fight?" Leo asked incredulously. Shampoo nodded simply, as if that it was a perfectly reasonable answer to her new 'husband's' question. "Shampoo, you just can't go out and kill someone just because they beat you in a fight!"

"But is law!" Shampoo cried. "When outsider woman beat Amazon woman in fight, Amazon woman must hunt down and kill outsider!"

"That's just cold blooded murder!" Leo snapped back. "She beat you in a fight, but just because your pride got wounded is no excuse to go and kill someone! That's just…wrong!"

"You no understand!" Shampoo huffed. "Shampoo is fighter and being warrior mean all! If Shampoo not have pride, then what Shampoo have?"

"Plenty," Leo replied. "Family, friends, and a whole bunch of other things. I don't know how it works out in your village, but this isn't your village Shampoo. This is Japan. You aren't allowed to just go kill someone because they wounded your pride. It may be justified there, but we call it murder here. And simply saying that your laws made you do it is a very poor defence. You'd be sitting in a jail cell before the day was through."

"Simple prison not hold Shampoo," the Chinese girl huffed.

"Tokyo is anything but simple," Leo frowned, recalling all of the supernatural incidents which seemed to happen in the city on a day to day business. "Besides, with that arm and leg like they are, you aren't going anywhere for a while."

"But girl is obstacle to Shampoo and obstacle is for killing! That is Amazon way!" Shampoo cried.

"I'm keeping you here, that means I'm an obstacle," Leo frowned. "Are you going to try and kill me too?"

Shampoo froze. "But…Airen is..." He'd saved her life and killing him would be like spitting at all he'd done for her. However, if he was going to be an obstacle then the course of action was clear. Wasn't it?

"OK, now that we have that taken care of, I want to ask why you're calling me 'Airen'," said Leo, hoping to change the subject.

"It tribal law," she answered, "If life of Amazon woman is saved by male then Amazon woman becomes wife to male as way to repay."

"So, because I saved you, you've sworn yourself to me?" he clarified. She nodded. "Shampoo, what I did was just my job. You don't owe me anything. I'm a rescue worker and you're just someone I had to rescue."

"Airen still saved Shampoo so Shampoo loves Airen…"

Leo sighed as he murmured, "If you knew what I've done you wouldn't say that."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Just, rest yourself. I'll be sure to come back and take care of you, OK?" She nodded. "Good." On impulse he kissed her forehead, causing him to recoil in shock. "I'm so sorry!"

Rather than become upset or be insulted, Shampoo merely reached out and grabbed Leo's shirt before tugging his face to hers. With a smile, she whispered, "If you wish to kiss Shampoo, do it right." She then passionately kissed him on the lips, making his face light up like a cherry.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kat was in her quarters and chatting with her overseas boyfriend on her computer via microphone and webcam. Like her he was a lieutenant in the Rescue Squad. Her boyfriend was in the American Branch and was the former lieutenant of the Japanese branch before he was transferred and she got promoted.

Kat said, "Can you believe my cousin bagged a beauty?"

"_All because he saved her life?_" Kenzaki inquired.

"Yup! Turns out it's something her home village practices. He saved her life so now they're bound together." Kat asked, "By the way, when can you come visit?"

"_Sorry, Kitten, but we're busy here and Capt. Smith hasn't given us any break time yet."_

"The same thing is with Amakusa-taichou," Kat frowned.

"_So, has he gotten better after that day?_" Kenzaki asked seriously.

"He seems alright, but I don't think he's recovered fully," Kat informed her boyfriend.

"_That's not something a person can get over so easily_," stated Kenzaki.

"Speaking from experience?"

"_Yes."_

* * *

"_Hasuma, do it!"_

"_But I can't!"_

"_That's an order! Do it now!"_

"_I'm sorry."_

_FWWWOOOOOOOSH!_

"_EEEEYAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_

* * *

"WARGH!" Leo screamed as he suddenly awoke. He was sitting outside Shampoo's hospital room. "That dream again…"

* * *

Several weeks passed since Shampoo was admitted to the hospital. Today was the day her casts would be removed. During the weeks leading up to this she stayed with Leo as he took care of her. He even took time to teach her proper Japanese. She still referred to herself in the third person, but other than that her grammar was flawless.

Shampoo swore to herself to get back in shape. Being stuck in bed didn't allow her any opportunity to train. She was a warrior by nature and she'd been made to stay in bed with a broken leg. Not unreasonable, but she was going stir crazy because of the lack of action. Also, there was a matter of her honour. Her great-grandmother back in the village must be wondering where she was.

Shampoo couldn't wait to tell her about the new airen. While Leo seemed hesitant at first about being her husband, since they had only met, he hadn't rejected her in any way. The kisses they exchanged were filled with mutual affection for each other. In fact, Shampoo didn't remember ever feeling like that. Then again, the dating pool back home was slim since most boys were either afraid of her or were devoted fools with no spine like Mousse.

Her new airen was also rather odd. He was a warrior. She could sense it, but he was no fighter. In fact, he used his skills to rescue people. She'd watched the local news and heard about the Rescue Squad's accomplishments. They were quite impressive, but could they really win in an actual fight?

As the doctor removed her casts, Leo stood by her side holding her hand. Shampoo's tribe dominated over men but she couldn't do that to him. He was kind, too kind. Most of the women would call that a weakness but she didn't. She saw the conviction in his eyes. His kindness was his strength.

"OK, try standing up," the doctor instructed. Shampoo did as told and tried to balance herself on her feet. She nearly toppled over but Leo caught her.

"Are you alright?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, Shampoo's fine," she answered. "But Shampoo needs to train herself. Shampoo hasn't been training."

"Training?"

* * *

"Taichou, I request permission to accompany Shampoo to Nerima," Leo requested.

"For what reason?" Capt. Amakusa inquired.

"She has things to resolve there," Leo answered.

"Why can't she go alone?"

"Because, you said she was my responsibility."

Capt. Amakusa accepted. What Leo didn't know was that he had been researching Shampoo and managed to discover where she had come from. It was hard since it was such a rural place, but the Joketsuzoku were known to the outside world. After some research and an interview with an Amazon who decided to go to the outside world after meeting her husband, he discovered everything about their laws and knew very well why Shampoo wished to go to Nerima. "Very well, Hasuma. You may go to Nerima."

Leo saluted his captain before turning towards the exit and walking out.

* * *

Shampoo and Leo would be taking his car. It was a red like his hair with SBC's emblem on the hood with emergency lights on the top. "After you," he said, opening the door to the passenger side for her. Shampoo nodded and entered before he closed the door for her. He then went into the passenger side. "Ikuzo."

Shampoo gasped slightly as the car moved. Her people were not ignorant of technology and advancement of science, but they didn't consider it much worth since it made people weak in their eyes. This was the first time she had been in a car and it was a little thrilling for her at the moment.

* * *

Furinkan High was on fire. Leo, going into rescue mode, immediately reacted. "Wait here!" he told Shampoo.

"Airen!"

Leo took out his SBC phone and flipped it open. He dialled in the code.

7-6-7

"**SOS!**"

"Rescue Chakusou!" he called out as he attached it to his belt buckle.

"**Suit Up!**"

In a flash, Leo was donned in his Rescue Suit. It was a black bodysuit with armor covering his torso, shoulders, forearms and shins. The emblem on his chest was a flaming dragon and his helmet also resembled a dragon's head with horns and a yellow visor covering his face.

"Chakusou Kanryou!"

He entered the burning building and went in search for anyone inside. Meanwhile, he called for backup. "This is Operative Leo Hasuma of the Rescue Squad! Requesting backup from all available fire fighting units nearby! The location is Furinkan High!" He then called. "Hello! Hello, is anyone there!"

"Over here!" Leo ran over to the voices and was led to a door.

"Hello?" Leo asked.

"Please, we can't get out! The windows and door are jammed!" the voice inside told him.

"Alright, stand back and away from the door!" Leo instructed. He drew his arm back and punched with all his strength. The door was ripped off its hinges. Two girls were inside. They were coughing. "Follow me, hurry!" They did as told and he led them to an exit. Suddenly, rubble dropped down.

"Watch out!" one of the girls shouted but Leo's Rescue Suit not only protected him from the flames, but gave him extra protection. He caught the rubble above his head and tossed it away.

"Come on!"

FSHOOOM!

An inferno had just blocked their paths. The girls shrieked. Leo turned around and saw the other end of the hallway was covered in flames. There was just one way out. The window!

He smashed it open and made a wide enough opening. "Come on!" he insisted.

"No!" One of them shook her head. "It's scary!"

"Just trust me," he said. The two girls took his hands. "Now, hold on to me! I'm gonna jump!" The girls grabbed onto him as he wrapped his arms protectively behind them. "Here we go~!"

He jumped out of the window and to the ground below. Firefighters had already arrived, along with several ambulanced. The paramedics were treating several injured while the fire fighters were putting out the flames.

Leo removed his helmet and wiped the sweat off his brow. He asked the girls, who blushed when they saw his face, and asked, "Are you two okay?" They nodded.

"Hey!" Leo heard and saw two people approaching. One was a girl with short bluish-black hair in the girls' uniform and the other was a redhead with a pigtail and wearing Chinese clothes.

"Yes?" Leo replied.

"Who are you?" the redhead asked.

"I'm…" began Leo.

"AIREN!"

Glomp!

Shampoo was hugging him and crushing his ribs. "Airen, you were great!"

"Oi! Shampoo! I can't breathe!" Leo shouted, his arms swinging about. She loosened her grip and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you." Shampoo smiled and then her eyes fell on the redhead, who gulped.

"Ranma!" Shampoo hissed, getting ready to attack, when Leo put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Airen?"

"Shampoo, you promised, remember?" Leo reminded. Shampoo frowned.

"Shampoo knows, but..."

"You promised," he repeated firmly. He looked to the redhead and said, "Guess you're Ranma, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," said Ranma. "And you are…?"

"Well, I'm…" Leo began again only to be interrupted by a beeping from his helmet. "Excuse me." He put his helmet back on. "Taichou?"

"_Hasuma, what are you doing?_" his captain remarked.

"I just rescued a couple of civilians trapped in a fire, Taichou," Leo explained. "I'm going to assist in putting out the fire."

"_Leave that to the local fire fighters_," his captain retorted. "_You have bigger things to take care of_. _A Crisis Creator has been detected and right now it's just fully activated!_"

The HUD on his helmet's visor displayed the Crisis Creator and it was surrounded in flames shaped like a humanoid. The fire creature was massive and with each step it took, fires raged on. Leo could only watch in horror as it continued its rampage.

"_It's just appeared in Nerima's Shopping District! Go now!_" Leo's captain ordered.

"Roger, Taichou!"

"Airen?" Shampoo asked.

"Shampoo, I have to stop this!" Leo said firmly as he boarded his vehicle and drove off. "Calling for the Fire Dragon!"

"_Negative_," denied Capt. Amakusa. "_Use the Rescue Dragon!_"

"Rescue Dragon? You mean that new Rescue Vehicle?" Leo asked.

"_Yes, and it's all yours_," answered Capt. Amakusa.

Leo nodded and removed the phone from his belt and punched in a code. "Rescue Dragon! Scramble!" he commanded.

"**Scramble: Rescue Dragon!"**

Back at the Rescue Squad's base, the Rescue Smart Phoenix, the Rescue Dragon was launched. It was a jet with a dragon motif. It was colored red, with gold horns and green eyes.

Leo saw the Rescue Dragon flying overhead as he came closer towards the Crisis Creator.

"Go!" Leo drove his car as fast as he could after the Rescue Dragon as the rescue vehicle lowered and opened a hatch in the back. A ramp descended and the car went up the ramp and stopped inside the control module where he would control the Rescue Dragon through his car. He put the Rescue Phone on the steering wheel to complete the connection. "Rescue Phone, Set!"

The Rescue Dragon, now under his control, flew at the flame creature. "Hydro Missile!" The Rescue Dragon roared and launched the missiles which exploded to douse the fires. However, the flame creature fought back and spat fireballs at the annoying vehicle. Leo swerved around the blasts but one managed to hit the underside of his jet, causing turbulence that rocked him.

Shampoo gasped as she continued to watch, as did the citizens of Nerima. The Rescue Dragon was in trouble.

"Hydro Laser!" Leo called and the Rescue Dragon's eyes glowed before firing streams of freezing water at the flame creature. It roared before lashing out. The Rescue Dragon dodged and continued firing.

"Weakness! What's its weakness?" Leo's computer scanned the creature and he got the answer. The Crisis Creator was the core of the creature. "There!" He called, "Taichou, requesting permission to execute Final Rescue!"

Back at the base, Capt. Amakusa approved, "Request approved! Now, execute it completely!"

"Roger!" Leo accepted. He punched in the code.

"**Final Rescue**," the phone called out.

"Final Rescue!" Leo repeated.

"**Target Locked. Execute it completely**," the phone instructed.

Leo called out the name of the Final Rescue, "HYDRO DRAGON BURST!"

The Rescue Dragon accepted the command and let loose a mighty roar. It opened its maw, revealing the cannon inside, before firing a powerful beam of freezing energy at the fire creature. The creature froze as it started to become covered in ice.

"RESCUE DRAGON…ATTACK!" Leo finished. The front hatch of the Rescue Dragon's control module opened and shot Leo's Rescue Dasher (his car) like a missile. With a roar of his own he smashed into the frozen monster and bashed right through the Crisis Creator, blasting out from the back of the creature. The Crisis Creator exploded as the Rescue Dasher landed and screeched to a halt.

Leo exited his vehicle, removed his helmet, and declared, "Bakuchin Kanryou!"

The locals were stunned speechless before they started to crowd around the young man. They'd heard about and seen the Rescue Squad in action in the news but they'd never had it happen in their town. One woman took hold of Leo's hand and shook it.

"Thank you! You saved my daughter's life!" the woman said gratefully.

"No thanks required, ma'am. It was my duty," Leo said. He got slapped in the back.

"Boy, you saved the whole town! You deserve some reward!" a fish seller said.

"No, there's no need!" Leo declined nervously but then he was carried up on their shoulders. His Rescue Suit wasn't that heavy. "Wait! Please, put me down!" He nearly dropped his helmet in his panic. "Oi! Chotto!"

* * *

In C&C Headquarters, one of the executives was livid. The plan to use the Crisis Creator to free up some space and buy the land had been ruined, and all because of the blasted Rescue Squad!

* * *

Ranma had been somewhat in awe since the fire at Furinkan had been put out and the fire monster who was trying to burn down Nerima had been beaten. He had no idea that things like that could happen. Magic, curses, dragon whiskers, etc he could believe, but something like out of those sentai shows he loved as a kid? He never would have believed it was real. Still, the truth was right before him and he knew that as a martial artist, he was honor bound to try and help. The fire fighter guy seemed to be with that crazy Shampoo girl who was after his girl side. Maybe if he asked her as a guy he could find out who that armoured guy was.

* * *

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: A preview to a new story.


	110. Rokkenjima no Rider

**ROKKENJIMA NO RIDER**

The storm passed…and the leaden clouds that enshrouded the island for so long cleared away. From rifts between clouds sun beams shone…and yesterday's storm seemed like a lie. In the harbour, according to someone's wish, the seagulls returned once again and let their lively cries be heard.

Afterwards, an inspection of the crime scene was performed by the policemen who came.

The corpses of the children who were thought to have survived until the end were not found after all, but from the pieces of the corpses that were found in that unimaginably gruesome crime scene, the police had no choice but to conclude hopelessly that the lives of all of the eighteen people, including the children, were lost... How gruesome was the feast of the Witch? Thus, how beautiful the Golden Land is, is a tale that can only be told by them... There are no tales to tell to those who came after the feast had ended. They can only imagine what happened during those two days.

However, the Witch was fickle.

She did not bother herself to hide this tale that had no need of telling, and she allowed its transmission.

Then, many years later…

A strange wine bottle that had drifted on the waves to the pier of a neighbouring island was pulled out by a fisherman. Inside it was a thin, tightly rolled notebook fragment, written upon in crammed small letters.

That was this tale.

People will know for the first time, through this notebook fragment, the enigma of the mystery-enshrouded October the 4th 1986, and the truth of those two days filled with strangeness.

This incident was later called "The Rokkenjima Mass Murder Incident", "The Rokkenjima Eighteen Murders" or such, but connoisseurs of the world came to refer to it as "The Witch's Legend Serial Murders Incident".

People who delved in the occult claimed that it was the aftermath of an corrupt ritual that had sealed the island, and spread the two days filled with mystery embellished and twisted beyond recognition through each and every person's interpretation. However, even with all their interpretations, they will not be the ones to reach the truth of this incident. And even though the notebook fragment in the wine bottle will tell of this incident filled with mystery, it won't be telling it with the truth. That's right, ...perhaps not even the writer of the notebook knew the truth. ......It's possible that she wanted to know the truth.

According to the name written down...her name was Ushiromiya Maria. Furthermore, as the result of an all-out police investigation, concerning Maria, a body part, ...a piece of her jaw was found. It was a precious instance where they managed to identify the owner of a body part through dentist medical records.

...Since in that gruesome situation there were countless body parts whose ownership or even provenance couldn't be determined, it can probably be said that this jaw was an extremely fortunate piece. The police, since the piece of jaw was damaged, and even though no other parts were discovered nor identified, judge it is hopeless to believe any are still alive. And so, let us tie this tale to the last sentence of the notebook fragment that Ushiromiya Maria left.

"By the time you have read this, I will probably be dead.  
The only difference will be whether there is a body or not.  
You who have read this.  
Please find out the truth.  
That's my only wish."

Ushiromiya Maria

The truth of "The Witch's Legend Serial Murders Incident" has not been brought to light even today.

* * *

The octagonal white room in the meta-world was the meeting place where the Observers met to discuss various subjects. In today's meeting, the subject of Beatrice's game on Rokkenjima was brought up. As usual, Beatrice sat in her chair. Across from her sat her opponent, Battler Ushiromiya. Since the beginning of the game, Battler had denied the existence of witches and magic. Science and logic were both absolute in his mind so he stated that the murders committed between the 4th and 5th October on Rokkenjima could've committed via mortal means, challenging Beatrice's claim that they were acts of magic. The scenario had been played out several times and in each 'game' people died repeatedly so that Battler and Beatrice could both prove their arguments. Battler was armed with the Blue Truth which would be able to counter the witch's Red Truth.

Battler himself was forced to witness the death of his family members, one after another, repeatedly, as time was reset for the sake of an elaborate game of Chess between himself and the Golden Witch Beatrice.

Yes, they were bitter rivals. Beatrice had tried to torture Battler psychologically, tricked him in the 3rd game by pretending to be his ally and tried to break him spiritually in the 4th game. Battler had seen and experienced much. He'd seen Beatrice die horrifically in the 3rd game and also he'd been the cause of her death in the 4th game during the final argument where she was impaled by spikes created by his Blue Truth.

During the duration of their struggle, new characters were introduced. The witches Bernkastel, Lambdadelta and Virgilia also showed interest in the game of Rokkenjima, each with their own agenda. Furthermore, new secrets of the Ushiromiya were discovered, like their hidden magical potential. Even Battler had his own latent magical ability known as the Endless 9 that rendered him immune from magical attacks. Indeed, the mysteries of the Ushiromiya Family ran deeper than just a simple murder committed out of greed.

In the 5th game, Battler became the Endless Sorcerer, which contradicts his denial of witches and magic, in order to revive Beatrice and win the game.

In the 6th game, Battler nearly married Erika Furudo. However, the timely revival and interference of Beatrice put a stop to that.

"What are you doing all the way over there, Beato?" asked Battler as he patted his lap. "Why don't you come and sit on my lap?"

"And why would I do that, Battler Ushiromiya?" Beatrice questioned.

"Simple" he replied, "I'm your husband."

That was also another change in their relationship. What started as a challenge between two enemies became something more. Their mutual respect for one another turned into attraction which evolved further into love. How ironic that Battler would be married to a horrible witch (literally) of a woman who made him watch his family die over and over again.

"Ugh, don't remind me," she frowned in mock-disgust. "I don't know what I was thinking when I married you."

"Well, you did look really cute when you stormed into the chapel and shouted, 'I do not approve'!" Battler reminded.

"Sh-shut up!" she snapped, blushing. He teleported to her side and took her hand, kissing her palm gently. "Stop that! People might see!"

"We're the only ones here, Beato-chan," he said.

"It's Beatrice! Beatrice! Don't put 'chan' at the end of my name! It'll be good enough if you call me Beato-sama!"

"Alright…Beato-chama~"

"Battler Ushiromiya!!!"

"Am I interrupting something?" the Infernal Merchant asked as he made his present known.

"Who are you!?" Battler demanded, surprised by the new arrival.

"Calm yourself, Battler," Beatrice said as she stood up next to her husband. "Greeting, Infernal Merchant."

"And greetings to you too, Lady Beatrice. I also congratulate you on your marriage to your former opponent—now the Golden Sorcerer and Endless Sorcerer—Mr. Battler Ushiromiya," Topper said as he stood up and took off his hat. "Mr. Ushiromiya, my name is Topper Liquer. I am a merchant and an old friend of Lady Beatrice's."

For some reason, Battler didn't like this guy.

"Have you come to join the game, Topper?" Beatrice asked.

"Yes, indeed I have," answered Topper. "But I'm not the only one. Another witch has caught wind of the game."

"Oh, and who is this witch?" asked Battler.

A cloud of black butterflies burst, answering Battler's answer. The witch wore a dark dress and had pale white skin with red eyes. Silver bracelets adorned her wrists and a silver anklet around her left ankle. She had her dark hair tied in an elaborate braid and she had an evil look on her face.

"Ahh, the Witch of Terror has arrived," Topper said, smirking.

"Anastasia, the Witch of Terror, is here," the new witch introduced herself. "Greetings, one and all," said the new arrival as she curtsied.

Battler was briefly reminded of Eva-Beatrice.

"Ah, Yes. I've heard of you," Beatrice said, moaning at the fact of another  
witch being present in the game. "Teacher talked about you."

"Yes, I was her opponent in another game," Anastasia replied coldly.

"So tell me, who is the new Game Master? Last I heard it was your husband, who wielded the Golden Truth," Topper inquired, intrigued.

"Sorry, but I was overthrown by Featherine's decision. Bernkastel's the new Game Master," Battler replied, remembering how the Witch of the Theatre had said that since Battler couldn't imagine his family being evil, Bernkastel was announced as the new Game Master since she could be fair and impartial.

"Ahh…how interesting, very interesting," Topper said stroking his chin. "In  
that case how about I give you a hand in the next game, Battler?"

"What? Really?" Battler said, confused that a new player wanted to help him. Suspicious, he asked "Wait, what's the catch?" remembering that all the magical beings he'd met had deceived him to achieve their own agenda. Beatrice instantly stood at his side, taking his hand. "Beato?"

"Battler, be careful of the Infernal Merchant," Beatrice cautioned. "I've told you about the Dimensional Witch, right?"

"The one who grants wishes for a price, right?" Battler asked to make sure. She nodded.

"Topper Liquer is the same, but unlike the Dimensional Witch he…" Beatrice suddenly lost her voice.

"Beato?"

Topper wagged his finger, "Ah, ah, ah. That would be telling, Lady Beato." He explained, "The help I am offering isn't free, but it will help you to gain victory in the game and free your family from the eternal loop of the 4th and 5th October 1986. It isn't cheap, but I think that preventing the death of the entire Ushiromiya Clan is worth any price, no?"

Battler debated with himself. Beatrice tugged on his sleeve, shaking her head. He decided, "What is this help you're offering?"

Topper smirked, "Have you ever heard of Kamen Riders?"

"Kamen Riders?" Battler asked

"Oh yes," Topper said tapping one of the windows. It started to glow and began showing images, Beatrice recognizing one of the images to be the All Riders VS GIN-SHOCKER Battle "Great heroes with amazing abilities," Topper said beginning to talk in a salesman-like tone.

* * *

_Gebok was surrounded by Showa, Decade, Musician, Blade, Faiz and Kiva. He muttered, "You Riders are getting in the way of my grand experiment."_

_"Sorry, but there will be no more experiments!" Showa growled._

_"This madness ends here!" Musician growled._

_"Madness? Oh such cruel words from the ignorant," Gebok snickered. "My genius is incomprehensible to the likes of you."_

_"The world doesn't need your kind of 'genius'!" Showa spat._

_"And those who need it most think they need it the least," Gebok laughed. However, as relaxed as he appeared, he instead opened his coat and several drill-like missiles fired out, catching the Riders completely off guard. The missiles exploded against them, sending them sprawling across the quarry floor._

_"Ha ha ha!" Gebok laughed. "I have covered all of the angles! I know how Riders fight! As long as I have my inventions, you will never get close enough to fight me! I can blow you all away without a thought!"_

_The Riders grunted and groaned as they managed to get back up to their feet, uncaring of Gebok's words._

_"And now, it's high time I take out the trash," Gebok snickered. "Failed experiments and useless clutter only serve to impede my work. I so hoped you'd be different BLACK 13, but I guess its back to the drawing board. How disappointing."_

_"You sure love to hear yourself talk don't you?" Decade snorted, drawing three cards from his Ride Booker. "You forget about my last visit to Hinamizawa?"_

_"What's to know? You can copy other Riders. Big deal," Gebok snorted._

_"Obviously you don't know how we beat your little swamp robot," Decade sighed, putting the cards into his Decadriver. After resetting the buckle, the cards activated._

_"__**Final Form Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz! B-B-B-Blade! Ki-Ki-Ki-Kiva!**__"_

_The three Riders in question stiffened before they all began to transform. Blade transformed into the Blade Blade and flew into Musician's surprised hands. Faiz became the Faiz Blaster and was caught by Decade. Finally, Kiva transformed into the Kiva Arrow and fell into Showa's hands. All three Final Form Ride weapons were charged and ready to go._

_"W-what?!" Gebok cried. "My observations didn't reveal this!"_

_"Isn't life just full of surprises?" asked Showa, taking a very great amount of pleasure at seeing Gebok's smirk being wiped off his face._

_"Time to show you our long ranged firepower!" Decade called, drawing another three cards from his Ride Booker._

_"This is going to be sweet!" Musician grinned savagely underneath his helmet._

_"__**Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz! B-B-B-Blade! Ki-Ki-Ki-Kiva!"**_

_"W-wait!" Gebok cried, fiddling with his coat as he tried to bring more of his hidden weapons to bear. "T-This isn't fair!"_

_"HYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" the three Riders roared, unleashing their attacks. Musician slashed with the Blade Blade, sending a pulse of blue electric power through the ground towards his target, Decade fired a stream of pure photon energy and Showa fired the magic arrow which he aimed right at Gebok's heart. Several GIN-SHOCKER soldiers and Cyborg Mutants came to the mad scientist's aid, only to be caught by the crossfire of the three attacks and were instantly destroyed._

_Their aim was true as the attacks collided with the insane doctor. He was sent through the air with a scream of pain. Shooting across the battlefield like a burning star, he reached the apex of his flight overhead before exploding like a supernova. It was the most satisfying view that any of the NEO-NUMBERS had ever been privileged to see._

_Tossing their new weapons, the three Riders cheered as the weapons returned to their Rider forms._

_"I only wish I had my camera," Showa grinned._

_All of a sudden, the ground shook and the assembled Riders nearly fell over from the sudden lost of balance. The ground broke open and from the fissure GIN-SHOCKER's fortress arose. On the top of the fortress was none other than the Great Leader, in the form of a golden Shadow Moon with crimson eyes filled with evil and hatred._

_He jumped down to the quarry floor and with a burst of power he sent all the Riders flying, separating Showa from them. Showa, however, was unafraid as he started to fight with the Great Leader. He showed no fear in the face of the organization's leader. He would protect Hinamizawa, even at the cost of his own life._

_"Hyah!" Showa cried, kicking at the Great Leader. However, his attack was blocked before the Great Leader grabbed his leg and threw him a fair distance away._

_"You fool. You had it made," the Great Leader frowned. "You were finally on the winning side! Why throw it all away?!"_

_"Because no one wins when someone like you is in power," Showa frowned._

_"Hmph! You're wrong," the Great Leader snickered. "Someone does win. Me!" he raised his arm to create a bolt of energy to take off Showa's head. However…_

_"__**Attack Ride: Blast!**__"_

_The Great Leader was pelted from behind with numerous energy bullets. The man who created GIN-SHOCKER grunted and stumbled from the unexpected attack. Turning to see who had attacked him, he was witness to Decade unleashing a powerful forward punch aimed at his face. The Great Leader parried the blow, sending Decade stumbling forward and elbowing him in the side in the process. Decade skidded across the quarry floor and landed next to Showa with a grunt._

_"Shoot. He's fast," Decade grunted. "Faster even than the old perv!"_

_"With all the enhancements he gave himself I'm not surprised," Showa frowned as he and Decade got to their feet. "He's got the best of everything."_

_"Exactly," the Great Leader snickered. "Now allow me to show you true GIN-SHOCKER superiority!"_

_The Great Leader brought out his powerful energies again, this time creating a watermelon-sized orb of power which just radiated death. With an almost bestial yell, the Great Leader unleashed his attack at the two Kamen Riders. The attack struck, unleashing a loud explosion which sent fires into the air and stopped the fighting as the ground shook. Smoke and dust filled the air as the Great Leader admired his handiwork._

_"It is done," he nodded. "Now to finish the-"_

_"HIGURASHI NO YAIBA! ONI NO HONE! KAGE NO HOSHI!"_

_"__**Kuuga-Agito-Ryuki-Faiz-Blade-Ranki-Caucasus-Den-O-Kiva! Final Kamen Ride: Decade!"**_

_A trio of colours erupted from the smoke along with a bright reddish light which temporarily blinded the Great Leader._

_"What!?"_

_When the smoke cleared, it revealed a new Kamen Rider Showa. He was clad in a black bodysuit with golden samurai armor over his body with silver tiger stripes on his chestplate, boots and gauntlets. Black spikes adorned his knees, elbows and shoulders. His helmet resembled a demonic samurai with green eyes and a shuriken mounted in the centre of the brow. On his back was a six-pointed shuriken and he was armed with the Higurashi no Yaiba. He possessed an intense aura that rivalled the Great Leader's own aura. It also revealed Decade in his Complete Form, the Kamen Ride cards displayed proudly on his chest._

_"How could you have survived!?" demanded the Great Leader._

_"Like Ichigo-sempai said, as long as evil exists the Kamen Riders will be needed to combat it. We will never die," declared Showa._

_"Who in the world do you think you are!?"_

_"Us? We're just a bunch of Kamen Riders who are passing through," Decade Complete shrugged before he pointed at the enraged Great Leader of GIN-SHOCKER. "Remember that!"_

_"Why you-!" the Great Leader snarled._

_"Shinichi," Decade spoke, cutting the leader off. "We don't have room to try and wear this guy down. We hit him hard and with everything we've got!"_

_"Sounds good to me!" Showa grinned, possibly exhibiting Oni elements from his helmet. Decade just nodded as he drew a card he had only used once before and slotted it into the core of the Decadriver which was mounted on the right side of his belt._

_"__**Final Attack Ride: Sho-Sho-Sho-Showa!**__"_

_The cards across Decade's chest suddenly activated and flipped over, revealing a new image on each one. Each card now held the same image of Kamen Rider Showa in his Hinamizawa Guardian Form. At the same time, Showa felt a strong pull across his body as he and Decade gripped their swords and took an identical stance. Both moved in perfect synch before charging towards the Great Leader with their weapons glowing, a shining gold for Showa and a shining red for Decade. Behind them, echoes of their comrades followed each holding a sword of their own._

_Ichigo, Nigo, V3, Riderman, X, Amazon, Stronger, Skyrider, Super-1, ZX, BLACK RX, ZO, and J all followed Showa move for move. At the same time, Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Ranki, Caucasus, Den-O, Kiva, and Double followed Decade. The two lines of Riders charged at the Great leader, whom fired energy bolts at them to try and keep them away but to no avail. Decade and Showa burst past, letting the first hits land with showers of sparks. Ichigo, Nigo, and Kuuga got the next ones. V3 and Agito came next. Riderman and Ryuki struck after that with X and Faiz getting the next licks in. Amazon and Blade got clean cuts while Stronger and Ranki came after them. Skyrider and Caucasus were next in line followed by Super-1, ZX and Den-O. Next was Kiva and BLACK RX striking hard before Double, ZO, and J finished it up._

_Showa and Decade came to a stop, their illusionary comrades vanishing as they did. The Great Leader unleashed a howl of agony as his energy surged from his body completely out of control._

_Showa then charged straight at the Great Leader with an empowered fist. He called out, "EXPLOSIVE RYUUSEI PUNCH!!!" as his fist became engulfed in flames._

_POW! BOOM!_

_The explosive punch sent the Great Leader flying and embedded him into his own fortress. He was stuck, spread eagle, and groaning in pain._

_All the Riders ran over to Decade and Showa's position. "Minna…" Showa rallied as he pointed at the Great Leader and the GIN-SHOCKER fortress with his sword, "IKUZO!!!" He ran towards their target and jumped into the air. The other Riders followed suit and jumped up into the air as well, all of them executing flying kicks as their feet bursts with energy with Showa in the lead. They flew straight towards the fortress and blasted right through it._

_"DAMN YOU RRIIIIIIIIIDDEEEEERRRRRRRS!!!" the Great Leader roared as the GIN-SHOCKER fortress collapsed and crumbled before becoming nothing more than rubble. The Great Leader perished within the rubble as his fortress collapsed, creating an explosion that looked like a huge fireball with enough explosive force to knock the unprepared off their feet. After the smoke cleared, it revealed that the destruction of both the Great Leader and GIN-SHOCKER fortress left a deep crater within the quarry._

* * *

"Woah..." Battler uttered seeing the images for the first time. To him it looked like an action movie or one of those TV shows he loved to watch as a kid. Beatrice sighed as she shook her head. She wondered why men loved to see big explosions. "So, those are Kamen Riders?" Battler sounded suspicious, "Is this real or something you made up?"

"It's all up to you, really," Topper told the Endless Sorceror. "Whether you believe it's real or not is no skin off my nose, but you can't deny that it was an amazing battle, right?"

"Well, it sure beats some of the stuff I've seen in movies or on TV," agreed Battler.

"And there's more, young Golden Sorcerer," said Topper as he waved his hand again to show Battler another series of images.

* * *

_"Let us out of here! Let us out!" the Darkloid Generals demanded._

_"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere," said Shinichi. Just as he was about to turn to return to the others, he heard something. Turning around to face the swamp, he saw bubbling on the surface. "What?"_

_It was Okkayb who laughed, "You were too late, you brat! Father is free!!!"_

_Shinichi paled. He'd spent all his power just to buy himself time in order to seal the Darkloid Generals inside the mirror but now he had no power to fight the Original Darkloid, the Dark Being itself._

_A figure began to rise out of the swamp as a dark miasma flowed from it. The figure was 6 feet tall, humanoid and had dark armored skin. Its fingers and toes ended in claws and spikes protruded from its shoulders and ankles. Showa could also see that it hard sharp gritted teeth with narrowed red eyes and a skull-like face. It also sported a pair of antennae. In the centre of its waist, just below the abdomen, was a red gem._

_Shinichi couldn't believe his eyes. The Dark Being resembled a grotesque and demonic looking Kamen Rider!_

_The Dark Being's red eyes glared at Shinichi and the young man gulped. The Dark Being then let out a howl, calling forth its children. The Darklings began to crawl en masse out of the swamp, obeying their creator's call._

_"Not good…" murmured Shinichi as he stepped backwards from the Darklings. The Dark Being pointed its fingers at Shinichi and the Darklings rushed towards him. All of a sudden, the Darklings were ambushed and they exploded, surprising both the Dark Being and Shinichi._

_"Huh?" Shinichi blinked. When the smoke cleared, he saw standing between himself and the Dark Being was none other than the 13 Showa Era Kamen Riders. "Sempai-tachi!"_

_"Warren-san called us," said Ichigo. "He said it was urgent."_

_"So, it's Doras again," said ZO. The Dark Being looked exactly like the combat form the Neo Organism had used to fight against him. "Or at least something that looks like him."_

_"It doesn't matter," said RX. "It's going down!"_

_Shinichi clenched the mirror tightly. "Shinichi!" He turned to see the NEO-NUMBERS arriving. They stopped as they saw the Showa Era Riders surrounding the Dark Being._

_"What's that?" Armadillo asked as he pointed at the Dark Being._

_"The Original," Shinichi answered grimly. "I was too late. The Generals were able to finish the ritual before I sealed them up." He could sense its power levels. They went through the roof._

_"Hey, isn't that the wish granting mirror?" Carmen pointed at the mirror Shinichi was holding_

_"Yeah, but I already used my wish to seal the Generals," Shinichi answered apologetically, "I'm sorry."_

_"You should've wished that this thing didn't get revived," said Musician._

_"Sorry, but I was trying to survive," Shinichi shot back._

_"It's alright Shinichi," Carmen said patting his back._

_"Yeah man. So what if the mirror can't be used?" Armadillo said._

_"We defeated GIN-SHOCKER and now DHS. We will not lose to this guy!" Slasher said lifting up the Onigari no Ryuou._

_"Indeed. Besides, we now have the other Riders to help us again," Arachnea said_

_"Thanks guys," Shinichi said, smiling._

_"Alright enough with the sentimentality," Musician said, rolling his eyes._

_"Indeed we have bigger things to deal with," Zero said._

_"You're right," agreed Shinichi as he put the mirror into his coat before taking out the Scada Buckle. He strapped it on. "Let It Rip!" He pulled the ripcord, activating it and transforming into Kamen Rider Scada._

_The Dark Being roared as it rushed at the Riders. That was the signal to fight back._

_"Machinegun Arm!" Riderman called as his right arm changed into the aptly-named form before firing bullets at the Dark Being, filling it with lead and making it hiss angrily as it jumped up._

_Amazon followed it and tackled it in midair making it crash down to the ground. He began viciously slashing at it with his claws before delivering a harsh bite on its throat trying to tear out its jugular._

_The Dark Being pushed Amazon Rider away. As it saw V3 rushing at it, the Dark Being shot a beam from its eyes._

_"V3 Barrier!" V3 shouted as 1,000,000 volts of electricity ran throughout the surface of his body as it deflected the attack._

_"Propeller Chop!" V3 shouted as his special muscles allowed his arms to spin like a propeller, which allowed him to deliver powerful blows on the Dark Being._

_Arachnea began firing her lasers as Carmen used her chained scythes to slash at the Dark Being. In retaliation, it shot a powerful fire blast at them but Arachnea created a web line and used it to pull Carmen and herself up to avoid it._

_ZX and X also attacked, the latter armed with the Ridol. Using his signature as a whip, X bound the Dark Being's arms to its sides. ZX stuck to long range. He tossed his bombs at the creature, watching as they exploded against it. However, it recovered as it broke the rope and lunged at them._

_"RIDER KICK!" Ichigo called as he led the assault. Himself, Nigo, Scada, ZO and RX launched themselves at the Dark Being and slammed into it with powerful kicks, sending it flying backwards._

_The Dark Being growled as it rose to its feet. With a roar it summoned all of its children. Leaping out of the swamp were the uniform looking Darklings but they were also accompanied by human-sized Darkloids as well. Shinichi recognized a few as the ones he'd killed before and a few were new. While Darklings were weak and mainly cannon fodder who used numbers to their advantage, Darkloids possessed various unique abilities based on their shapes._

_Instantly, the Riders found themselves fighting against an army of Darklings and Darkloid who all sought to kill them for their 'father'. Scada aimed a punch at the Dark Being and struck it across the face. However, it didn't fall over. It aimed its gaze upon him before sending him flying with a backhand that sent Scada tumbling along the ground. Darklings surrounded him but they were quickly taken care of as Slasher used the Onigari no Ryuou on them and Armadillo blasted them with his Blitz Cannons._

_'__Shinichi!__' Yabuki's voice yelled in Scada's head. '__That creature seeks to destroy the village, starting with the Three Great Clans! We mustn't let it leave this place!__'_

_"I know!" Scada replied, "But this thing's unstoppable! We're going to need a miracle to beat it!"_

_Ask, and thou shall receive...A silvery veil suddenly rose up and as it collapsed, Scada was surprised to see Decade. He was also accompanied by Diend, Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki (the Kamen Rider, not the Head of DORA), Faiz, Blade, Ranki, Caucasus, Den-O and Kiva._

_"Hey, Shinichi," said Decade as he identified Scada. "Can we join the party?"_

_"Sure," said Scada. "I don't mind."_

_With a united battlecry, the Heisei Riders charged, attacking any and all Darklings and Darkloids that they got their hands on. The tide was slowly turning in the Riders' favor as more and more of the Dark Being's children were destroyed. However, the demon just kept summoning more, attempting to bring down its enemies by sheer numbers._

_"__**Final Attack Ride: Di-Di-Di-Diend!"**_

_Diend's hissatsu blew a tunnel straight through the ranks of Darklings and allowed more of the Riders to get closer to the Dark Being, attempting to destroy it. The being of darkness seemed largely unconcerned about the advancing enemy. Rather, it seemed like a child who found an anthill interesting. The Riders who did manage to get close to the Dark Being were easily overpowered by it. It seemed largely unconcerned by their attacks on it. They were just pesky insects as they tried to harm it. The Dark Being overpowered them with a series of powerful strikes, mainly kicks and punches, as well as burst of explosive energy that sent them flying._

_"This is getting us nowhere!" Scada cried, kicking a Darkling away. "Whenever we get closer, this thing just summons more Darkloids and Darklings to help!"_

_"Then it looks like we gotta go all out," Decade said as he pulled out his K-Touch and inserted the complete card. Looking to the screen of the device, he began pressing the icons which would allow him to upgrade his armor. This time though, it didn't call out the Riders' names, but something else._

_"__**Ultimate-Shining-Survive-Blaster-King-Armed-Hyper-Liner-Emperor! Final Kamen Ride: Decade!"**_

_Decade assumed his Complete Form as the Kamen Ride cards of the Riders' strongest forms appeared across his chest and shoulders. The human-sized holographic cards also swept over the Riders whose powers he possessed, transforming them into their strongest forms. Not only that, but Scada was also transformed into Showa Hinamizawa Guardian Form._

_"Sugoi…" said Showa in awe. Normally, after using Lucifer Cannon, he wouldn't be able to transform Showa at all but Decade had just allowed him to reach his strongest form._

_He couldn't help but stare at the other Riders in their own greatest forms as well. Kuuga had turned completely black with gold lines accenting his armor. The stone in the middle of his belt had turned black and spikes were rising from his shoulders and legs. The only thing that wasn't black on him was his eyes, which shone bright red._

_Agito was donned in silver chest armor which had strange writing across the front. The horns of his helmet had spread out and turned red while his eyes were yellow. His bodysuit was black while he had silver and red shin guards and arm bands._

_Ryuki was likewise donned in a black bodysuit, but his chest armor was red and styled like a dragon's face with spikes coming from his shoulder. His face grille had turned gold with dragon whiskers rising from the emblem on his helmet. He didn't have his arm guard anymore, but a gun styled after a different dragon's head._

_Faiz had turned bright red with his armor becoming more rounded with yellow lines travelling across it. Black lines likewise travelled across his suit. In his hand was a large weapon which had his phone and means of transformation attached to it_

_Blade was completely covered in golden armor. Each piece had an image of one of his Rouze Cards imprinted on it with a Caucasus beetle etched on his chest. His helmet had three spikes on it, almost as if he were wearing a crown. In his hand was a massive gold sword with a spade and rhino beetle decorating the guard._

_Ranki was covered in red and silver armor which was a far cry from his organic-looking outfit before the change. His Ongekibou Rekka were held in holsters on his back while a short sword with pipes in it was acting as his primary weapon. His face was covered in red markings, but a silver mouth plate was part of the guise. His horns had also grown, becoming longer than before and making him look more like a demon._

_Caucasus was donned in gold and silver armor which was covering most of his body. His chest armor had three gold strips in the middle and sides, making them appear like a Caucasus beetle's horns. His own horns had grown larger and his right leg was covered in metal to help it handle the force of a Hyper Kick should it be needed. Strapped to his hip was a rhino beetle-like device called the Hyper Zector._

_Den-O was in a red bodysuit with chest armor which looked somewhat like the front of a bullet train. His visor enhances the look with large red eyepieces and three extra ornaments which were blue, yellow, and purple. In his hand was the DenKamen sword which held the visors of his four regular forms._

_Kiva was donned in a golden suit of armor which looked downright imperial. His chest armor was red with green stones embedded in it not unlike his chained boot in his regular form. His visor had turned blood red and was jagged, making Kiva appear like a gothic emperor of some kind. It was enough to send shivers down the spine of those who did not know him._

_The Darklings and Darkloids were completely blown away by the Riders' powers, opening a path for them towards the Dark Being. Kuuga and Agito's fists crashed against the Dark Being's chest, sending it staggering backwards. It retaliated by firing crimson energy blasts from its palms at then._

_"__Guard Vent!" __A mechanical dragon covered in armor flew around the two Riders, defending them from the blast. It roared out in pain and returned fire at the Dark Being. It let several Darklings take the blast for it, incinerating them._

_Caucasus and Faiz aimed their weapons, the Perfect Zector and Faiz Blaster at the Dark Being and fired, pushing it back with beams from their guns. Then Blade, Kiva, Den-O and Ryuki attacked the Dark Being in turns, landing slashes upon the Dark Being violently. It roared and struck back, sending them reeling._

_Decade struck hard and fast as well, slashing the Dark Being with his Ride Booker. He was soon joined by Showa who slashed with the Higurashi no Yaiba, which was now empowered by the Orbs of Courage, Power and Wisdom. The Dark Being howled in pain from the assault._

_However, despite gaining various wounds and injuries, the Dark Being still managed to survive. It then grabbed two Darklings and devoured them. It bit into them and the Darklings were absorbed through its mouth, healing its wounds._

_"This is getting us nowhere!" shouted Showa. Now he understood why it had been sealed and not vanquished. It was too powerful. "It keeps healing whenever we hurt it!"_

_"Then we got to finish it off with one big blast!" suggested Decade._

_The Dark Being roared and raised its arms, forming a basketball-sized sphere of dark energy. The sphere absorbed Darklings into itself, expanding in size until it was ten times its original size. It then hurled the dark sphere at the Riders._

_"KIN NO HIGURASHI ZAN!!! HYAH!!!" Showa slashed at the sphere as it came at them. Multiple energy blades flew from the sword, slicing the energy sphere apart and causing it to explode prematurely. "Decade!" That was when Decade activated a card that depicted the symbols of all the Heisei Riders and Showa._

_"__**Final Attack Ride: All R-R-R-Riders!"**_

_The Heisei Riders stood in a line along with Showa as the new card took effect. Kuuga, Agito, Caucasus, Kiva, and Decade charged and leaped into the air for a flying kick. At the same time, Diend, Den-O, Ranki, Faiz, Blade, Ryuki, and Showa prepared for a long range attack which was aimed at the Dark Being. The original Darkloid looked at the several point of attack, unsure as to who to attack first. However, it couldn't decide soon enough…_

_"HYAAAAHHH!"_

_The attacks all struck home, making a massive explosion which could have turned into a fire if the swamp were not so wet._

_The Dark Being wasn't destroyed after being hit by the Riders' finishers. Instead, it let out a howl as a dark smoke spewed out from its mouth and eyes. The Darklings and Darkloids also exploded into black smoke which was then attracted to the tower of smoke rising from the Dark Being as its body turned into a skeleton that finally became dust._

_"That…isn't normal I take it," Decade frowned, watching the smoke swirl and twist._

_"In my experience, it just means things have gotten a whole lot worse," said Showa._

_"Bad! Bad! Bad!" Amazon growled, feeling that the smoke was anything but a symbol of defeat._

_"Jeez! Doesn't the bad guy ever go down easy?" asked Blade with a sigh._

_Looking up, they saw the smoke had turned into a dark cloud. The Dark Being merely assumed a different form as he saw a demonic black skull-like face in the cloud. It was laughing._

_"You've got to be kidding," Faiz gaped._

_"Stubborn one, isn't he?" asked Kiva._

_"Get ready!" called Ichigo._

_"Yosh!" Nigo agreed._

_The dark cloud then reshaped itself again as the Dark Being assumed its most horrifying form. It had the head of a dragon with sharp teeth within its beak-like mouth and a long serpentine neck connected to a spider-like main body with long spindly legs. It also sported 4 pairs of bat-like wings and two tails connected to the spider abdomen. The dark smoke flowed out of its nostrils as it laid its six eyes upon the Riders below. It opened its mouth and its eyes glowed, both unleashing a series of blasts at the Riders on the ground._

"_Watch out!" Showa warned and the Riders scattered. The Dark Being continued to roar and fire at them. The blasts were so strong that it caused the Heisei Riders and the NEO-NUMBERS to be forced back into their default forms as Showa was reverted back to the form of Scada._

"_Kuso…" grunted Scada. He should not have wasted that wish. He should've used it on the Dark Being when he had the chance. Now his world would be finished. Decade grabbed his arm and helped him up. "Huh?"_

"_Are you going to give up now?" Decade asked as he held up a card that depicted the Heisei 9 and their Final Form Ride forms. He slipped it into his Decadriver._

"_**Final Form Ride: All R-R-R-Riders!"**_

_Kuuga turned into the Kuuga Gouram._

_Agito turned into the Agito Tornador._

_Ryuki turned into the Ryuki Dragredder._

_Faiz turned into the Faiz Blaster._

_Blade turned into Blade Blade_

_Ranki turned into the Ranki Akanetaka._

_Caucasus turned into the Zecter Caucasus._

_Den-O turned into Momotaros._

_Kiva turned into the Kiva Arrow._

"_Come on!" Decade called as he hopped on the Agito Tornador, grabbing hold of the Faiz Blaster, and taking off after the Dark Being._

_Scada nodded and hopped onto the Kuuga Gouram, grabbing the Kiva Arrow, before following after Decade._

"_Don't leave me behind," said Diend as he took hold of the Blade Blade and leapt up, taking hold of one of the Ranki Akanetaka's legs and allowing the giant disc animal to take him aloft._

"_Hey, get back here!" Momotaros called as he was being left behind. "Damn it…" He then saw the Darklings rising from the swamp and punched a fist into his open palm. "Yosh, looks like I get to play after all." He drew his sword and cried out, "Ikuze! Ikuze! Ikuze!"_

_Meanwhile, up in the air, the battle raged on. Ryuki Dragredder fired blasts of flame at the Dark Being as the Zecter Caucasus bashed itself against the creature. They did some damage but rather than harming it, the Dark Being simply healed all of its injuries and lashed out with energy beams that would've cut them to pieces if they hadn't dodged._

_At the same time, Diend, Decade and Scada were on the attack. Diend swung the Blade Blade at the Dark Being, the lightning blades slicing through the air and hitting the massive fiend, only for the Dark Being to retaliate by spewing a tongue of dark flames at him. The Ranki Akanetaka flew out of range. Showa and Decade were also firing, with the Kiva Arrow and Faiz Blaster respectively._

"_This thing needs better ammo," stated Scada as he took out the Three Sacred Orbs. He loaded them into the Kiva Arrow via the giant Kivat's mouth and then pulled at the handle. The arrowhead opened, revealing that the three gems had been replaced by the Three Sacred Orbs. "Take this!" Scada let go and the arrow fired. It glowed with emerald, crimson and azure light before striking the Dark Being. The arrow speared right through the beast, actually causing damage to it as it left a large hole where it struck. "Yosh!" He then continued to fire more arrows at the Dark Being, leaving large gaping holes in its body. "Take that! And that! And some more of this!"_

_The holes within the Dark Being's body were slowly closing up. It then struck at Showa with its legs which stretched and swung. Scada ducked under them and gritted his teeth. "How are we supposed to beat this thing?"_

'_You need to destroy its physical form and seal it__,' instructed Yabuki._

"_Any ideas?" Scada asked._

'_Use the Onigari no Ryuou with the Higurashi no Yaiba__.'_

_Scada understood and had the Kuuga Gouram swoop down to the ground. It barrelled through several Darklings, knocking them down, before he approached Slasher. "Chiaki, I need to borrow the Onigari no Ryuou."_

_Slasher didn't argue and handed his sword to Scada who in return handed the Kiva Arrow to his comrade. He then took off with his borrowed weapon in his right hand and the Higurashi no Yaiba in his left hand. Slasher used the Kiva Arrow on the Darklings, wiping them out with one shot._

"_Alright, now what?" Scada asked._

'_Find its core,' __answered Yabuki._

"_Core?" Scada questioned._

'_Seek for the core within the belly of the beast.'_

_Scada frowned. He did not like the sound of that. "You mean we got to destroy it from the inside out?"_

'_Yes.__'_

_Scada sighed. He knew it wouldn't be so easy. He called, "Diend! Decade! We gotta get inside this thing to kill it! Make a hole!"_

"_Gotcha!" Decade replied as he activated his card._

"_**Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!**__"_

_He aimed and first fired the energy cone that drilled into the Dark Being, setting it up for the Decade Photon attack. The crimson beam crashed into the drill and blasted a huge hole right through the Demon Beast._

"_Hurry, before it closes back up!" Scada called and the Riders flew into the hole seconds before it closed up._

_Once inside the Dark Being, the Riders affected by Decade's Final Form Ride card (Ranki, Blade, Faiz, Kuuga and Agito) reverted back to their humanoid forms. The floor, walls and ceiling were made of dark flesh and they could see veins pulsing under their feet and along the surface of the walls and ceilings._

"_You know, this is a first for me," said Decade honestly._

"_Come on, the core's this way," said Scada._

"_How do you know that?" asked Blade._

"_This sword," said Scada, referring to the Onigari no Ryuou, "Was made to both track down demons and then slay them. Right now it's locked onto this creature's core."_

"_Guys?" Kuuga called to their attention, "We've got company." He pointed ahead to see Darklings emerged out from the floor before them and they were also coming out from the ceiling and walls. _

"_Let me," said Scada as he gripped both the Higurashi no Yaiba and Onigari no Ryuou tightly in his hands. He then swung with them, unleashing a payload of emerald energy blades and crimson energy spears that sliced and lanced right through the Darklings, vanquishing them completely. "Come on!" he shouted, leading the Riders as they ran towards their goal._

"_You've got some interesting treasures," appraised Diend._

"_You're not getting them," Scada warned._

"_A man can dream, can't he?"_

_Scada didn't respond. He focused at the task at hand, mainly finding the core. The tunnels within the Dark Being's body were long and treacherous. Darklings would ambush them but the Riders effortlessly dealt with them. They soon found themselves reaching the chamber where the core was contained. It was a black sphere surrounding by a dark aura. It was also suspended upon a pedestal._

"_Is that it?" Decade asked._

"_Yes, it is," Scada confirmed. "Time to finish this!" As he was about to attack, the core began to crack. "Huh? But I haven't done anything yet!" The core then shattered, revealing a humanoid figure curled up into a foetal position. It the stood upright. It resembled the grotesque form that they had destroyed before, except that the spikes on its shoulders and ankles were missing and it sported bigger eyes. It spotted the Riders and growled before charging at them. In a split second they were groaning on the ground as the Dark Being's Core laughed._

"_Shut up!" snapped Diend as he shot at the Core. However, his shots did nothing except aggravate the demon. It sent Diend flying into the wall with a burst of demonic energy. Diend was embedded but then demonic arms wrapped around him, trapping him. "Let go! Let go!" He struggled._

_Kuuga and Agito were both on the attack as they struck at the Core with their signature fighting styles. However, the Core remained stationary. It wasn't being harmed in the least. It then caught their fists and twisted, forcing them to their knees._

"_Hyah!" Blade slashed at the Core from behind._

"_Hah!" Ranki attacked with the Ongekibou Rekka as he hurled fireballs at the Core that exploded upon its body. First it tossed Agito at Ranki, knocking him down and then he used Kuuga as a club, swatting the sword-wielding Rider down as well. It then tossed Kuuga against a wall and demonic arms trapped him too._

_Decade and Scada double-teamed the Core using their weapons. They slashed at it, causing sparks to fly. In the meantime, the others tried to free their trapped comrades._

"_**Attack Ride: Illusion!"**_

_Decade conjured two clones of himself, each armed with the Ride Booker in Sword Mode. The Core lashed out at the Decades, destroying them but missing the real one which struck the Dark Being's Core across the chest with a powerful slash. Scada capitalised on this when he slashed at the stunned Core with the Onigari no Ryuou and Higurashi no Yaiba._

"_**Attack Ride: Blast!"**_

_Blue bolts of energy rained down on the Core, exploding around it. Surprised, Scada turned to see Diend who was freed from his trap. "Diend?"_

"_I'm not an escape artist for nothing," the thief/treasure hunter remarked as he slotted a card into his Diendriver._

"_**Final Attack Ride: Di-Di-Di-Diend!"**_

_The tunnel of spinning cards appeared between his Diendriver and the Core. Taking aim, he lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger. The cards turned into a burst of black and green energy that slammed into the Core, smashing it against the wall._

_Kuuga had been freed by Blade who used his sword and now they along with Ranki, Faiz and Agito stood with Decade and Scada._

"_We better finish this quick," said Decade as Diend's attack was finished. The Core appeared to have cracks all over its smoking body after receiving Diend's Dimension Shot. He took out a card and put it in his Decadriver._

"_**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**_

_Blade slashed two cards through his Blay Rouzer. "__**Kick! Thunder! Mach! LIGHTNING SONIC!"**__ the sword called out before he stabbed it into the floor._

_Faiz pressed a button on his Faiz Phone. It responded with a monotone digital voice saying, __**"Exceed Charge,"**__ before energy flowed from it, down his leg and into his Faiz Pointer._

_Agito summoned his energy as his crest horns spread. The energy under his feet form his insignia as he took a stance and it swirled around before being absorbed into his foot._

_Kuuga took a stance as he summoned up his own energy. He collected energy into his right foot._

_Finally, Scada pulled the ripcord several times on his belt before he took a stance._

_Ranki was the one who started things off as he dashed towards the Core and stuck his belt buckle, the Ongekikou Bakuretsu Kaentsuzumi, to its chest. The belt buckle then enlarged. He then took the Ongekibou Rekka from the back of his belt and started beating on the enlarge belt buckle like a drum, which it essentially was. _

_Ranki called out, "__Ongeki Da Bakuretsu Kyōda no Kata!__" He gave the drum repeated beats with the Ongekibou Rekka before withdrawing. He was just meant to set up the final assault, not to end it._

"_GO!" Decade ordered as he leapt up, the line of holographic cards appearing between him and the Core as he targeted the creature. Faiz, Kuuga, Agito, Scada and Blade also launched themselves into the air as they aimed flying kicks at the Core alongside Decade._

_Decade's Dimension Kick, Agito's Rider Kick, Kuuga's Mighty Kick, Faiz's Crimson Smash, Agito's Rider Kick and Scada's Rider Kick all smashed into the Core at the same time. The Core let out a roar as its entire body shattered, leaving behind an incorporeal smoke body._

"_Now what?" Decade asked and then he saw Scada stab both the Higurashi no Yaiba and Onigari no Ryuou into the floor before taking out the Wish Granting Mirror._

"_This," answered Scada as he also took out the Orbs of Courage, Power and Wisdom. He turned the mirror over, revealing hollow circular slots big enough to fit the orbs in. "Wisdom of the Mind," he began as he put the Orb of Wisdom into the first slot. He continued, "Courage of the Heard," as he put the Orb of Courage into the second slot. He finished with, "Power of the Spirit," as he put the Orb of Power into the last slot. He turned the mirror over, its glass facing the Core's incorporeal smoke form. The blackened glass shone with bright light before it started to work like a vacuum as it began to suck the Dark Being's Core into it._

_The insides of the Dark Being began to shake as the solid chamber started to breakdown. With the absence of the Dark Being's Core, the Dark Being could not exist. Essentially, it was dead._

_Down on the ground, the Darklings and Darkloids suddenly evaporated into nothing._

"_Huh?" Armadillo wondered what was going on as he blinked in confusion. _

"_The hell?" uttered Musician._

"_Look up there!" Super-1 shouted, gathering their attention, as he pointed up at the Dark Being. It was slowly losing its physical form and turning into a dark cloud. They could also see several figures drop down from the cloud and land before them._

_Scada leered at the dark cloud. He then held the mirror up to it. "Seal it!" he commanded and the mirror obeyed. It wasn't a wish, it was an order, and with the Orbs of Courage, Wisdom and Power in it, the mirror obeyed as it began to suck the cloud of darkness into itself until there was nothing else. Scada gave out a sigh as he turned the mirror over and stared at nothing but darkness. The Wish Granting Mirror was now the prison of demons, forever._

_"Shinichi, you did it!" Carmen cheered._

_"Awesome!" Armadillo cheered as well._

_"Where did you learn to do that?" Zero asked curiously._

_"I had help," Scada answered. "Now, let's get this mirror to Storeroom X." He turned to face the Riders who'd come to their aid. "Arigatou."_

_The Riders who came to their aid responded with acknowledging nods before they were swept away by a Dimensional Rift. Once again, they had saved the world of the NEO-NUMBERS from falling into darkness._

* * *

"Do you see?" Topper asked after the images vanished. "Kamen Riders have amazing abilities but only the right people can bring out their true potential."

* * *

As Battler and Beatrice prepared for bed, Battler asked, "So, Kamen Riders are real?"

"Yes, and I've seen them for myself. Even the Stakes have fought them as well," Beatrice confirmed. "And they are not exclusive to a single world. There are many, many worlds and each has their own unique set of Riders. From what I've seen, Riders can be created both through mystical and mortal means."

"So, it's possible for my world to have Kamen Riders then?" Battler asked.

Beatrice answered, "Nothing is impossible." Grinning, she asked, "Why the sudden interest? Do you wish to be one? Do you wish to become 'Kamen Rider Battler'?" She laughed at her joke.

Battler thought about it, even imagined himself wearing a cool suit of armor with a mask and acting like a superhero. "That would be awesome. Back when I was a kid I always wanted to be a superhero like the ones I saw on TV."

Beatrice shook her head. As mature as her husband was there were brief instances of childishness. '_I'm one to talk_.' She too could be childish as well. Maybe that was something they had in common. "Being a superhero isn't always a good thing, Battler," she told him.

"I guess, with the whole double-life thing."

"No, there's more. Remember one of the Riders you saw, the one named Showa?" Battler nodded in response. She continued, "He's a special Rider. In fact, he has a contract with Topper."

"He does?" Battler blinked.

"Yes, but it isn't my place to reveal all the details." She explained, "Showa possesses an incredible power. He can turn time back by 24 hours and fix any damages caused within that time, even bring people to life."

Battler summarized, "So he's got the same powers as us."

"Almost, but his powers stem from technology." She continued, "This, however, doesn't erase his suffering. He once had to watch his friends die over and over in horrific ways, forcing him to reverse time, only for him to experience the horror of their deaths again, 100 times over, repeatedly. This nearly caused him to go insane if it wasn't for the help of some of his closest friends."

Battler listened intently as she continued, "Now, this is important. It concerns the source of his powers. Remember that organization he fought? The one called GIN-SHOCKER?" Battler nodded. "Showa was in fact created by the organization."

"WHAT!?" Battler's eyes widened in shock. "You mean he fought against his own creators?"

"Yes, and there's more to the story than that. Let's just say it was traumatizing for him," Beatrice finished. "From what I've seen, Riders are sometimes born from tragedy. They are weapons and avengers, simply put. It is not until later that they discover their own sense of justice. That is why I didn't want you to make a deal with Topper. I doubt justice is on his mind."

Battler asked, "There's more, isn't there?"

"The title 'Kamen Rider' doesn't always have good connotations, unfortunately. You'll learn that soon enough, Battler."

Beatrice's words would be true soon enough.

* * *

A boat was on its way to Rokkenjima. Topper sat leisurely at a deck chair with a glass of champagne in his hand. Attending to him were Gillian and Francis. The one stirring the ship was Lobo.

Francis was a tall and broad-shouldered man whose tuxedo hid his muscular frame. He had to be at least 6 feet tall and wore white gloves. His short, brownish hair was neatly combed and he had a strong jaw.

Gillian was a pretty girl with black hair that reached down to her shoulders and green eyes. She was dressed in a white buttoned down shirt with a black necktie and a pleated blue skirt that reached down to just above her knees. She also had on a white apron.

At the steering wheel, dressed similarly to Francis, was Lobo. He had unkempt black hair and no tie or gloves. He appeared in his mid-twenties with a predatory look in his eyes.

"ETA, Lobo?" Topper asked.

"We'll be arriving in Rokkenjima in 1 hour," Lobo informed the Infernal Merchant.

"Thank you, Lobo. Now, don't stop at the dock. Just stop at a safe distance from the island before weighing anchor. I want to observe from afar," Topper instructed.

"What of the storm, Master Topper?" Gillian asked.

"A storm will not endanger us, my dear Gillian. Rest assured that my power can keep us safe."

* * *

Anastasia was in her room, holding a cylindrical device containing ashes. She was about to create her newest set of furniture from them.

"As they say, third time's the charm." She smirked as she opened the cylinder and the ashes flew out, forming bodies, and when they finished there was a flash and in place of the ashes, there were each of the fallen NUMBERS. The only difference was that on each chestplate was a 'T' with an eye in the middle.

Anastasia had been watching the battles of the Kamen Riders in Showa's World and when each of the NUMBERS perished she collected their ashes, using magic to remain hidden. Now, the revived NUMBERS were her furniture to command as she saw fit. They were her possession and slaves.

"What the…? What happened?" Parasite asked, confused. He wore blue armor over a black bodysuit. Only the chestplate was red. He wore a Viking helmet that covered his entire head and face with black eyes. His armor had light shoulder braces with straps that crisscrossed over his chest and armguards. His signature weapons, a pair of daggers, were strapped to his belt.

"I think the better question is why we are alive for the third time?" Petrifier added. His armor was shown to be based on a jewel beetle. It was emerald green in color and his chestplate resembled a beetle's abdomen. His helmets visor had three horizontal slits running over his eyes so he could see.

"I brought you back." They all turned to see Anastasia looking at them. "You are my new furniture, Soldats de la Terreur."

"The what?" Scanner asked, confused. His helmet was covered by a metallic hood and the mouthguard looked like a circular mouth filled with razor sharp metallic teeth. His torso was covered in black armor and he had circular pads on his palms that looked like suckers.

Seras answered, "It means 'Soldiers of Terror', you dingbat." Her armor was slim to fit and accentuate the curves of her female body. The armor was black and worn over a purple bodysuit. The helmet pointed forward to resemble a mosquito's needle. Her eyes were also violet. Stamped on her chestplate was IV.

"Wait, what do you mean 'furniture', Onna?" demanded Dancer whose armor was based off a centipede, said. His suit was a rusted silver color with the chestplate looking like plates that had been bolted together. His gauntlets and boots were grey. His helmet was silver with the jaws of a centipede framing the mouthplate, beady red eyes, and metallic feelers that reached all the way from the top of his head and all the way down his back. Around his waist was a belt adorned with a red crystal in the buckle that had a 'V' inside

"It means you're my servants, something even less than human in fact," Anastasia answered, smiling.

"Like hell it is! I refuse to be your servant!" King shouted angrily. His armor was based on a dobsonfly. His armor was brown and worn over a black bodysuit. He had circular shoulderpads and his torso was styled after a dobsonfly's abdomen. His helmet was styled after a barbute with insectoid eyes and a mouthplate with dobsonfly pincers for horns. In his hands were pincer-like swords and hanging from his back were insect-like wings that hung like cape. An 'X' was on his right shoulder, representing his number.

King lifted his sword and swung down, but the Witch of Terror's body broke apart like sand. "Nani!?" King shouted as chuckling was heard. He was then hit with purple lightning that lifted him up and spun him around like some lifeless marionette. He was screaming in agonizing pain before he was dropped to the ground, rather painfully. Suddenly the Witch of Terror reappeared and landed with her feet stepping on King's back.

"Woah…" Bomber uttered, eyes wide. He wore a jetpack that had dragonfly wings flanking it, gold armor worn over a black bodysuit, and his legs were joined together to resembled a dragonfly's tail since the toes had sharp tips with a laser gun mounted on his right ankle. His helmet resembled a dragonfly's head with large bulbous eyes. He also sported arm-mounted machineguns.

"Anyone else want to protest?" Anastasia asked, getting harsh head shakes of no from the rest of the new Soldiers of Terror. "Good. Now that we've established a status quo let's get down to business."

She was going to win this game hands down with her new furniture, the Soldats de la Terreur.

* * *

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: A sequel to Kamen Rider Showa…sorta. If you've seen Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or played the games you know who these people are. Some characters are new OC's and some are from Showa. You remember them, right?


	111. KAMEN RIDER SCADA!

**SHO KASAI: KAMEN RIDER SCADA**

It was mid-May 1987. Shinichi was in the park of Okinomiya with Rena. With them was Sho who was inside a baby carriage which Rena was pushing. Shiori had asked them if they could take Sho outside for a bit and the young couple had agreed. While stopping for some ice cream, Shinichi saw an old friend and greeted, "Hey, Satan-chan!"

Satan was wearing her usual uniform but with a proper skirt that came down to her knees. Looking up from the flowers she'd been admiring she greeted back, "Hello yourself." She took note of the baby carriage and curiously walked over to peer inside to see a little baby staring back at her. She blushed a little as she realized how cute the baby was. The baby had short black hair, chubby cheeks, and eyes wide as they stared at her curiously.

Satan asked, "So, who's this?"

Shinichi answered, "My baby bro."

"Isn't he cute?" cooed Rena.

"His name's Sho. Wanna pick him up?"

Satan was surprised by the request as she stared at baby Sho. Satan nodded and picked up the baby and cradled him in her arms. The baby looked up at her and she smiled down at it before she gasped as his pudgy little hands grabbed on and squeezed her chest area.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, surprised.

Shinichi apologized, "Sorry, but he gets a bit grabby." Sho seemed to like grabbing onto women's breasts.

Satan deadpanned, "So, he's no different from you."

Shinichi went defensive, "Hey, I don't grope women!"

Satan retorted cleverly, "Just your girlfriend."

Sho was reaching up to Satan's pale hair, wanting to touch it. Looking down, she smiled before kissing Sho on the forehead gently.

Satan made a promise as she whispered, "When you grow up I'll become your girlfriend."

Satan returned Sho to the carriage before she broke apart into golden butterflies. Shinichi shook his head but smiled nonetheless.

"Sho, you're going to be a hell of a lucky man when you grow up," Shinichi said knowing somehow that Satan and Sho would be good together in the future.

* * *

**9 Years Later…**

Sho was reading one of his brother's books. His black hair was parted in the middle with a single strand that stuck out at the top like his mother and brother's hair. The book was entitled "The Guardians" and it featured the heroes known as Kamen Riders. Shinichi wrote those books under the name S. Sanban.

Even thought his brother was a cop, Shinichi still had time to write and publish his works. They were pretty famous. The best fantasy/adventure series in Japan.

"You know, Slasher's a pretty cool Rider," Sho said, making Shinichi stumble. "Unlike the others, he wields chainsaws as his primary weapon. That just shows he's a badass."

"Umm…anyone else?" Rika asked her younger foster brother as Shinichi stood with an air of depression.

"Well, the 2nd coolest has to be Arachnea. I mean her weapon is cool too. She can wield 8 scythes at once and she can spit webbing and venom like a real spider," Sho said unaware that he was making his older brother slump down further into depression.

"But the greatest has to be Showa," Sho said making Shinichi ears perk. "He wields the Three Legendary Treasures, AND was the first Rider to appear and help the village the longest. If it weren't for him the other Riders wouldn't have become good guys either!"

Rika rolled her eyes as she saw Shinichi grinning. "Don't get a swelled head," she warned playfully.

* * *

**5 years later, September 2001.**

Sho was now a student in Okinomiya Junior High School. At age 14 he turned out to be a pretty good-looking young man. He still lived in Hinamizawa but his parents enrolled him in a junior high school in the neighboring town of Okinomiya. He had friends and a few admirers. Sometimes he had love letters in his locker. However, deep down, he was a closet pervert. He liked to leer at the girls but was able to play innocent. He didn't peep on them changing or stole their underwear. He just undressed them with his eyes.

Sho was with his friends on their way to Angel Mort when he bumped into a girl with pale hair and red eyes...like rubies. She was wearing a red school uniform that was made up of a blazer, vest, white blouse and white tie. She also had on a short mid-thigh length skirt and wore black knee socks. He used a line, "Where have you been all my life?"

"Away from you," the girl answered, making Sho mentally kick himself for using such a cheesy line.

'_I should've seen that coming with that lame pick-up line_.' Sho then decided on a different tactic. "Okay I deserved that. Let's try again. Hi my name's Sho Kasai." Sho said while holding out his hand. "What's yours?"

The girl nodded as she shook Sho's hand. "I'm Sara. Sara Tanamura."

"Cool! So, do you live around here?" Sho asked.

"Just moved here," Sara answered.

"Ahh, so you're new. Well, relax. You could hang out with me so you won't be scared of a new place and get a heart attack," Sho said and he immediately started kicking himself mentally when the girl narrowed her eyes. '_She's gonna say no!_'

"What?"

_'Damn, this isn't coming out right!'_ Sho chuckled nervously. "Never mind! Just forget I said anything. I'm just putting my big foot in my mouth," he responded.

Sighing, Sara mumbled, "No, it's okay. I think I know what you were trying to say. I'm just…well…I'm just kind of touchy. It's part of my nature." She blushed.

'_Ka…Kawaii_…' Sho said, "It's alright."

"So when do you want to meet?" Sara asked.

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted to give me a tour of Okinomiya. So when do you wanna meet?"

Not believing his luck he answered, "How about tomorrow at twelve?"

"Sounds like a date," Sara grinned as she begin walking away.

"YOSH!" Sho cheered. "I GOT A DATE!!!" He threw his arms up in celebration. "YAHOO! YATTA! HALLELUJAH!"

His friends just stared at him.

* * *

"Long time no see, huh?" Sara peered over to see a cop on motorcycle stopping next to her. He flipped his visor up to reveal himself as Shinichi Banabara.

"What do you want?" she asked sternly.

"I saw you." Shinichi said, "So, you're finally doing what you promised." He's was in a police uniform and on his motorbike as he saw her on the sidewalk.

Sara answered, "I am. As perverted as he is he grew up to be a pretty decent guy."

Shinichi stated, "And I made sure he got a normal life. Something I never had a chance to experience. Take care of him."

"I will. I won't let what happened to you to happen to him."

"Very well, I trust you, I wish you good luck Satan-chan," Shinichi said. He then drove off.

(**Sa**ra **Tan**amura: Satan)

* * *

So Sho, what is your favorite season?" Sara asked as the both walked the streets of Okinomiya

"That's easy. It has to be spring," he answered, smiling. "It's the time for things to begin after all. I was born in spring too."

"Ah I see" Sara said. Some boys who were strolling along took a look at Satan and whistled.

"Hey, stop that!" Sho snapped at them, making Sara roll her eyes but smile

It amused Sara the way that Sho pushed away other men and glowered at them when they looked at her. She repressed a chuckle of amusement, _'He may be perverted like Shinichi but he got that Kasai's seriousness and their protectiveness,_' she inwardly mused

"So where are we going?" she asked making Sho snap to attention.

"Well…let's see. It's still too early for the movie. What do you want to do?" Sho asked. He recalled the rules his brothers gave him about dating.

* * *

_"Are you sure I really need this, Oniisan?" Sho asked Shinichi._

_"Trust me. I am an expert at this," Shinichi answered smiling._

_"But you only dated one girl," Sho pointed out, referring to his big brother's wife._

_"Quiet you!" Shinichi snapped. "The teacher is talking!" He cleared his throat and began his lesson._

_"Rule #1: If her parents are the kind whom you have to meet before taking their daughter out, don't embarrass yourself in any way. Just be polite, calm, answer their questions honestly. Just don't piss off her dad, especially if he's not afraid to use his daughter's cleaver."_

_"Speaking from experience?" Sho said amusedly. Shinichi ignored him and continued._

_"Rule #2: Have fun. Go to the movies, a restaurant, a carnival or even an arcade. Just make sure both of you have a great time. Don't be afraid to ask where she wants to go, and make sure that it is not being run by some weirdo if you decided to go to a carnival."_

_Sho gave his brother and odd look at that._

_"Rule #3: This is simple but still important. It is to keep her safe. It you care for her, you mustn't let anything bad happen to her."_

_"That... makes perfectly good sense," Sho said._

_"And finally, Rule #4: This applies when you're already in a serious relationship. Talk if there's a problem between the two of you. Just don't assume something because there's a good chance you could be wrong about that." Shinichi asked, "Any questions or opinions?"_

_"Okay, despite the first two being a bit ridiculous, I must say they all make perfect sense. Thanks, Oniisan."_

_"Anytime."_

* * *

"H-hey!" Sara said pointing. Sho followed her gaze to see an ice cream truck. "Can you get me some?"

"If that what you wish for Milady," Sho said, doing a theatrical bow.

"B-baka! Stop embarrassing me!" Sara yelled, thwacking him on the head but still smiling.

"Gomen" Sho then went to get the ice cream as Sara watched. He came back with a chocolate cone in one hand, and a vanilla cone in the other.

"A vanilla for you and one chocolate for me," Sho said handing her the ice cream.

"Thanks," Sara said as both sat down and began eating their ice cream in the park.

Sho wrapped an arm around Satan's shoulders. She tensed but began to relax into the embrace. Feeling mischievous, she stole a quick bite of the chocolate ice cream hovering in front of her nose.

"Inexcusable," Sho said sullenly

"Yeah, well that's what you get for holding it so close in front of me," Satan said as she stuck her tongue out to him, but Sho suddenly pecked her quickly on the cheek. "O-OI!?" She was blushing beet red.

"Consider that payback for you stealing a bit of my ice-cream," Sho said, smirking.

Sara glared at him but he simply laughed. "I'll get you for that later," she warned.

"You look cute when you're angry," he told her.

"Shut up!"

"Maybe next time I can kiss you on the lips."

Sara nearly dropped her ice cream when she heard that.

* * *

"Here's your target," said Warren as he handed Shinichi a picture of a man. Warren was on the sidewalk while Shinichi was on his bike.

"A dimensional criminal, huh?" He man in the picture round orange eyes and a wide chest build. His skin was ruddy. He also has a wide forehead and small feet. He wore a worn out hat with a sweater, slacks and black shoes.

"Yep, his name is Frederico Dread. He is charged with several counts of mass homicide and vandalism. Be careful, he can project strange rays as weapons," Warren explained.

"Gotcha." Shinichi said, putting on his helmet.

* * *

Sho whistled as he headed home. His date had ended when Sara had to get home. Nothing had gone wrong. He couldn't wait to tell his big brother. He accidentally bumped into someone and quickly apologized.

"Are you related to Shinichi Banabara?" the man asked.

"Who wants to know?" Sho asked, eyeing the man suspiciously.

"The name's Frederico and I'm doing this to make your brother suffer!" The man grinned. He raised his arm and suddenly fired a heat ray at Sho.

"WAH!" Sho screamed as he rolled away in fright. "Oi, what's with that attack and what do you want with my brother!?"

"They haven't told you?" Frederico quirked his eyebrow

"Told me what?"

"Oh you poor little bastard. You're going to die because you have no idea of what your brother's other job is," Frederico said mockingly. He immediately fired multiple green rays at Sho.

Sho cowered and squeezed his eyes shut. When the pain didn't come, Sho opened his eyes his eyes to see what was hapening and gasped as he saw the figure standing before him with his back facing him. "Kamen…Rider…" Sho uttered in disbelief. Judging by the camouflage armor over the black bodysuit, it had to be Scada!

"Tch, he showed up too soon," Frederico sneered.

"Frederica Dread, you are under arrest for your heinous crimes," Scada said, inwardly seething at the guy for attacking his brother.

"Oh, and you think you can take me on?" Frederico asked, still sneering

"Of course," Scada answered calmly. "I mean you're just some a 2nd rate criminal after all."

"SECOND RATE!?" Frederico snarled. He shot his heat ray at Scada but the Rider dodged the attack. Scada then rushed towards Frederico before slamming his left fist in his jaw. As his body twisted, Scada buried his other fist into his gut forcing the criminal meta-human's body to skid backwards.

"A-amazing," Sho said as he watched the fight. He had to take a picture of this!

"Had enough?" Scada asked. He tensed as all he heard was laughter coming from Frederico. "What's so funny?"

"You think that will stop me? HA!" Frederico laughed as he opened his fist and fired a large purple blast.

"ARGH!" Scada screamed as he got hit and was sent backward before hitting a tree.

"Take this!" Frederico yelled, firing his smaller green multi-rays. Scade dodge to the side but one of the beams managed to hit his belt and send it flying off.

"Crud!" Scada cursed as he was forcefully reverted back to Shinichi.

"Oniisan!?" Sho yelled in shock. His brother was a Kamen Rider! He then noticed the Scada buckle had landed next to him. He picked it up and began to inspect the device.

"Ha! Got you now!" Frederico smiled darkly as he walked towards Shinichi.

"Damn!" Shinichi muttered. He was ready to transform into Showa when suddenly...

"HOLD IT!" both turned to see Sho strapping the Scada Buckle on "Leave my Oniisan alone!"

"Sho!?" Shinichi's eyes went wide as he saw the Scada Buckle fastened around his little brother's waist. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"To be honest, I have no idea," Sho answered. "But, Oniisan, you have a lot of questions to answer after this." He took hold of the ripcord. He knew how the Scada Buckle worked. It was just like how it was described in his brother's books. "Hen…Shin!" He pulled the cord as hard as he could before releasing it, causing the fan in the belt to spin and activate the transformation. There was a blinding light as the energy wrapped around Sho, solidifying into a black bodysuit with camouflage armor on his chest, forearms and shins. A helmet with the same color-scheme as the armor formed over his head. It sported a pair of blue eyes, short antennae, and a faceplate that was colored light green.

Sho Kasai had just transformed into Kamen Rider Scada!

Shinichi's worst fear had come true. From now on his little brother would no longer have a normal life. Realizing that there was no use in keeping this a secret he transformed as well. "GX Henshin!"

Scada stared as he saw his brother assume the form of Kamen Rider Showa GX. His jaw dropped.

"I'll explain later," said Showa, "But right now we have a villain to beat. Are you with me, little brother?"

Scada gave a nod before they both turned their attention towards Frederico. The criminal shot heat rays at them but they managed to leap out of the way. The meta-human then changed tactics and fired multiple rays at them but the double Riders were able to avoid them.

The two Riders were running in circles around Frederico as he fired at them. He still missed despite them being so close in range. Something was wrong here, and he knew it!

The two Riders then struck, Scada kicking Frederico in the back and Showa punching the man across the face. Then the two slammed their palms into his gut, sending him reeling. He fired an explosive blast of energy at their feet, propelling them into the air, but it only served their purpose as they performed a tuck roll in order to execute their signature move…

"RIDER DOUBKE KICK!!!" Scada and Showa crashed into Frederico with their kicks, KO'ing him in an instant as he crashed straight into the wall. Showa jogged over to where Frederico's body lay and stared down at the unconscious criminal before he slapped the special power nullifying cuffs on Frederico's wrists.

"You are under arrest!" Showa declared.

* * *

After Frederico was teleported to ARMOR, Sho and Shinichi reverted back to human form.

"When?" Sho asked. He'd taken off the Scada Buckle but kept it in his jacket.

"When what?" Shinichi answered, trying to avoid the subject.

"Don't play dumb, Oniisan. When were you going to tell me you were a Kamen Rider?"

"Truthfully, never," Shinichi answered.

"Why!?" Sho said

Sighing, Shinichi told him, "Because I never wanted to expose you to the danger of it all." He didn't want to lose his brother because of his job as a Rider.

"Who else knows? Does Mom know? Does Rena-neesan know?" Sho asked, "And who were the other Riders? You're obviously one of the originals but who are the others?"

"First off, the only ones who do know are Kaa-chan, Otousan, Rika, Hanyuu and all my friends from the Gaming Club when I was in school. As for your second question…I can't tell you that."

"Why did you all keep this from me?" Sho asked. How could his family keep such a secret from him?

"Because, Sho, all we wanted was for you to have a normal life," Shinichi told him. "We didn't do it to be mean. You just weren't meant to know, that's all."

* * *

Name: Sho Kasai

Age: 14

DOB: 14th MARCH 1987

POB/HOMETOWN: HINAMIZAWA

Appearance: Sho looks like an average teen with short black hair with an antenna of hair sticking out. His hair reaches his shoulders but is tied into a ponytail to keep it neat and his hair is also parted in the middle. He has indigo-colored eyes.

Personality: Sho is a bit perverted like his older brother and mother, but he also has a serious side like his father. He looks up to his father and brother. He's kind and friendly to his friends but is unforgiving to his enemies.

Bio: He is the son of Shiori and Tatsuyoshi Kasai and the younger brother of Shinichi Banabara. He grew up in Hinamizawa and spent his kindergarten and elementary school years in Hinamizawa. When he entered junior high he attends a school in the nearby town of Okinomiya. As much as he loves his hometown, he also wishes to see the world. He was trained in martial arts by both his brother and father and has a strong sense of honor and justice due to their influence. He is loyal to his friends and hates traitors. He loves to read the books his brother writes which tell the story of the Kamen Riders, unaware that his brother and a few others in the village are Riders. While his brother's birthday falls on Valentine's Day, his falls on White Day. Shinichi also has a girlfriend named Sara Tanamura (unaware that she's Satan of Wrath). His childhood friends are Alan and Harry. One day he gains the ability to become Kamen Rider Scada, learning the secret his family has kept from him in the process.

Abilities: Unlike his brother, Sho is 100 percent human and has not been given any sort of enhancements. He possesses above average martial arts skills. He also has an incredible eye for detail. As Scada, his physical prowess and fighting skills increase and he can fight even super humans as an equal. The Scada Armor also allows him to turn invisible with its camouflage option. He has no weapons.


	112. Kamen Rider Efreet

KAMEN RIDER EFREET: A BLEACH/KAMEN RIDER STORY

"DIE, SHINIGAMI!!!" the Toju roared as it tossed its axe at Tatsu. The Toju resembled a Viking with leather pants, boots that had fur around the opening, shirtless with steel wristbands and a horned helmet. It also sported long red hair and a beard.

Toju were originally Zanpakuto spirits. However, with the loss of their Shinigami masters, they just went berserk. Usually, when a Shinigami died so did the Zanpakuto due to their spiritual connection. However, according to Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Toju were an entirely new phenomenon.

Tatsu, a young Shinigami who looked fourteen, was fighting against the Toju. As a member of Squad 11 under Capt. Kenpachi Zaraki, he loved to fight and didn't care what sort of odds were against him. All he cared about at the moment was defeating this Toju.

"Surge, Mizu no Ryu!" Tatsu called out, releasing his Zanpakuto into its shikai form. It now resembled a Chinese broadsword with a dragon etched onto the flat side of the blade. With a swing, he called forth a burst of water that deflected the axe.

He then called forth for something else, "Henshin!"

"**IFRIT FORM!"**

In an instant, he was clad in a suit of black armor that was worn over a blue bodysuit. The helmet sported a visor with a grilled surface that let out a red glow between the slits.

"**FULL CHARGE!"**

"YOU FIRST, TOJU!" Tatsu roared as he charged at the beast. With a single thrust he ran the Toju threw. The Viking Toju grunted before it was bisected at the waist by Tatsu. The top half of the body toppled over before the feet followed. Seconds later, the Toju reverted back into a broken Zanpakuto. Tatsu then allowed his armor to dissolve.

"Looks like you were able to defeat it," spoke a female voice. Looking up, Tatsu spotted a woman dressed in a one-piece swimsuit. She had dark skin and long black hair that was tied up into a ponytail. She wore armored gauntlets and boots that had scales on them and also armor strapped to her chest and shoulders. Hanging from her hip from a belt were flaps of armor and she wore e headband. The skintight outfit really put emphasis on her large bust. With a grin she leapt down from the roof she'd been sitting on before hugging the Shinigami, pressing his face between her breasts. "That's your reward, Tatsu-kun!"

"Mizu-neechan! Let me go!" he shouted at her. She pouted before reluctantly releasing him.

The woman was the manifested spirit of his Zanpakuto and her name was Mizu no Ryu.

Tatsu peered around at what remained of the Rukongai neighbourhood. The Viking Toju had gone berserk and attacked anyone it could get its hands on. Men, women and children had been hacked by the Toju before he arrived. "Hope they are reborn into better lives in the human world…" said Tatsu.

* * *

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: If you recall, Tatsu is a character from my KAMEN RIDER DAYS series. Hope this gives you a good impression.


	113. Lost In Snow

**-LOST IN SNOW-**

"I give you guys points for attacking me here on the high ground," Showa said while dodging an Axe swing from the DHS Fighter before delivering a sweep-kick that knocked it down to the snow ridden ground. "But not so much, though."

Shiori has token both the NEO-NUMBERS and the Gaming Club to a ski resort. Her latest book was a hit so she wanted to celebrate. The group left all of their belongings in their rooms and got bundled up for the cold weather. In no time they were ready to hit the slopes. Shinichi was just skiing down the slope when he was attacked by agents of the Dark Hatred Society.

"You're indeed good, GX, but can you face the terrible wrath of Walrus Buggane?" The Demon beast roared. It looked like a humanoid walrus but with black hair, claws, golden tusks, a large red mouth and the DHS symbol on its back.

Showa rolled his eyes at the theatrics and drew out his Showa-Blade. He rushed at the Demon Beast and slashed at it, making it grunt, but it fired a huge burst of water at Showa from its mouth that pushed him back. Showa then performed a downward slash on Walrus Buggane, but was unable to do any severe damage.

"Hah, you think you're tough, brat?" Walrus Buggane said cockily but stopped as it felt a gun pressed against its torso, making it look down to see the Showa-Blaster

"Actually, yes. Now taste this! RIDER BLAST!" Showa called out as he pulled the trigger. A massive burst of emerald energy was fired from the Showa-Blaster at point blank, vaporising Walrus Buggane completely as Showa was thrown back  
by the recoil. He was forcefully reverted back to human form due to the force of the attack.

Shinichi hit a tree full force, his head slamming into the trunk. The impact threw him backwards into the snow, out cold.

* * *

When Shinichi didn't return to the lodge as it got dark, the group organized a search party. They all split up into small groups in order to cover more ground. The NEO-NUMBERS had assumed Rider form to help in the search.

"Hey Shinichi, where are you?" Armadillo called as he, Satoshi and Keiichi were out looking for him. "Shinichi, hello?"

"Where could he be?" Keiichi asked.

"Do you think something must've happened to him?" Satoshi questioned.

"To Shinichi? He's a tough guy. This kind of weather can't kill him," said Armadillo confidently.

"Are you sure about that?" Keiichi asked.

"Positive," Armadillo affirmed. "It'll take more than this weather to do him in."

* * *

"Damnit, where the hell is he?" Musician muttered. He was using his Cricket Fork and echo location to look for Shinichi. So far, he found nothing on his radar. There was some sort of interference. With him were Shion and Slasher.

"I hope he's okay," said Shion.

"He should be. Though it's best that we find him soon before he freezes to death," said Slasher.

"That guy won't let the cold kill him," snorted Musician. "He's way too stubborn."

"Still, we should find him soon," said Shion. "Shiori-san's already lost her son once. Losing him again would devastate her."

* * *

"Hey, Shogo! Did you find him yet?" Mion spoke to Zero who had been searching from the air.

"I'm sorry, Mion-sama, but so far no luck. However, I will keep on searching," replied Zero as he began his search anew.

"I hope we find him," Shiori said worriedly with Arachnea trying to comfort her. Michiru stayed behind to make sure Rika, Satako and Hanyuu remained in the lodge. They don't want the younger kids to get lost as well.

"Don't worry, Shiori-san," said Arachnea. "We'll find your son. We won't abandon our comrade just like that."

"Thank you, Hana," said Shiori. "Shinji! Shinji, answer me! It's Kaa-chan!"

* * *

"Shin-kun! Shin-kun, where are you? Shin-kun!"

Rena was the only one not in a group and she was trying her best to locate Shinichi. She was about to look another way when she spotted something. She rushed towards and gasped. "Shin-kun!" She knelt down to check for a pulse, relieved to see that he was alive. "Thank goodness." She found a bleeding wound on his head. "Don't worry, Shin-kun. Rena will take you back." She gently picked him up and carried him on her back. Despite her appearance, she was a lot stronger than she looked, especially when she wanted to take something cute home with her.

* * *

"Mion-sama, the weather is getting bad," informed Zero. "We should head back to the lodge."

"But what about the Shin-chan?" Mion asked.

"It won't do us any good if you freeze to death," said Zero.

"No, we have to keep looking!" Shiori insisted.

"No, not in this weather," denied Zero. "Shiori-san, I know how you must feel right now, but I don't think Shinichi would want you to freeze to death looking for him."

"He's right, let's head back," Arachnea agreed.

"But-" Shiori began to argue.

"They're right, Shiori-san," said Mion. She hated to admit it but they simply couldn't risk it. Even the NEO-NUMBERS needed appropriate conditions to continue the search and a snowstorm was definitely not ideal conditions.

* * *

Rena found a cave nearby to take shelter in when the blizzard hit. She gently lay Shinichi down. She gazed down on him. He was still unconscious. The blood had already dried and the wound was healing. Of course Shinichi would heal quickly from such a wound. He wasn't an average person, after all.

As she brushed his hair aside, her eyes fell upon the XIII scar. She hated the mark and what it represented once she discovered the truth behind it. The scar differentiated Shinichi from the other NEO-NUMBERS. They had tattoos. Only Shinichi had the infernal scar.

She laid herself over his body, holding him in order to keep him warm. Ever since she found this strange boy in the rain, she couldn't let him go. She needed him to be around. She knew Mion and Keiichi loved each other, but she also wanted her own love. She wanted someone to hug her, kiss her, and never abandon her. Shinichi did those things and much more. Sure, he'd tried to run away but only because he thought he was trying to protect her. He did it because he really did care about her and he was afraid he might hurt her. He nearly did leave after he found out his true identity.

* * *

_Shinichi spent his days as usual in the Ryuugu home, but he didn't talk much to Rena. It was the same thing with the Gaming Club. He ate lunch alone and even withdrew from club activities early. It was like he was avoiding them. It was like he was avoiding her, which hurt._

_One day, during the walk home from school, Mion stopped walking and turned to face Shinichi. "OK, Shin-chan. What's going on?" Mion asked._

_Shinichi looked back at the Gaming Club president, a little puzzled at the question. "What do you mean?" blinked Shinichi._

"_Well, you've hardly said anything to me, Keiichi or anyone in the club this week, not even Rena. You haven't been this withdrawn since the time you started going to school and even then it wasn't this bad."_

_Shinichi shifted uncomfortably before denying, "I don't know what you're talking about."_

_Keichii spoke up next, "Yeah right. You've been acting strangely ever since that big fight with the mechanical tentacle monster."_

"_Shin-kun, please tell us what's going on?" pled Rena._

_Shinichi answered, "I have no right to associate myself with you all. I'm not human. You saw what happened. I nearly killed you guys. It's best if I just leave and never come back."_

"_That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say," sighed Keiichi._

"_So what if you aren't human? You're still you," said Mion._

"_But I tried to harm you. If it weren't for Kasai, I would've killed Rena," Shinichi said._

"_It wasn't Shin-kun's fault. It was that bad man," Rena said. "You're a hero Shin-kun. You protect us from the Darklings without asking for anything in return. So please, don't leave." Rena was hugging Shinichi with tears in her eyes._

"_But…" Shinichi began, still feeling conflicted. He yelped as Mion whacked him on the head. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"_

"_You felt that, right?" Mion questioned._

"_Yeah, so what?"_

"_That means you're human. If you can feel things like pain and also feel love, courage and what not, that means you're human. You just have a very strange birth is all," Mion said._

_Shinichi chuckled, "I can't get away from you guys, can I?"_

"_Nope!" Mion answered. "You're stuck with us, Shin-chan!"_

"_Sides, who's gonna fight the monsters when you're gone?" questioned Keiichi._

"_And Rena wants to take Shin-kun back home with her and be all lovey-dovey!" added Rena._

_Shinichi was touched, but he still couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad might happen in the future if he chose to stay. "What if BLACK 13 wakes up again? Then what will you guys do?"_

"_I'm not particularly worried," Rena said._

"_Neither are we," Keiichi and Mion stated._

"_Why not?" Shinichi asked in confusion._

"_Simple; you broke free once, you can do it again. We believe in you Shin-kun!" Rena smiled._

"_Thank you, guys," Shinichi said, smiling._

"_Aww, don't mention it," Mion said. "Now who's up for a trip to Angel Mort? My treat!"_

"_A treat would be seeing you dressed as one of the waitresses," said Shinichi grinning._

_**WHAP!**_

"_Itai!"_

"_Good to have you back, Shin-chan," Mion grinned._

"_Good to be back," he replied, smiling genuinely while he rubbed his head._

* * *

Rena was so relieved to hear that he would stay in order to protect them from the monsters. Even when Shiori came to take him, he never abandoned her. He stayed close by to be with her.

"R…R…" Shinichi began to murmur.

"Shin-kun?" Was he awake? Was he calling for her?

"Rina…don't die…" he murmured.

Rena sighed. Of course. It had to be Rina that he dreamt about. This wasn't the Rina the dirty woman who had dated her father in order to cheat him of money, but the Rina who'd been Shinichi's friend back when he was BLACK 13. This was also the Rina Gebok had tricked him into killing.

"No…please…no…no more…" he started again. "Rena…Rena-chan…"

Rena listened.

"Don't die…please don't die…don't die…don't leave me…" He was begging in his sleep.

Rena tightened her grip on him as she whispered, "Rena won't leave you, Shin-kun. Rena promises that Rena will be right here."

He began to relax. "Rena-chan…" Rena didn't know about the suffering he had to go through due to his own endless December. That time, on December 31st of the previous year, he had to experience tragedy after tragedy. He'd seen her die in gruesome ways and reversed time in order to prevent it. He'd broken down but Warren saved him from falling into madness.

Rena touched his face. It felt cold. So, she began to pepper his face with kisses before stopping at his lips. She gave him a deep and passionate kiss to warm him up. That was when he began to regain consciousness and felt a soft and warm sensation on his lips. "Rena…" he mumbled through the kiss.

Rena's eyes snapped open and she gasped. "Shin-kun!" He embraced him tightly. "You're okay!" She got off him and let him sit up.

"Ow…" he groaned. He placed a palm on his head. "My head…What happened?"

"Rena found you in the snow. You were hurt," she answered. "What happened?"

"Had a run in with the DHS," he told her. "They tried to ambush me but I managed to put up a fight."

"Why won't they leave you alone?" Rena frowned. "Can't they leave you be?"

"I'm a threat to their plans, Rena-chan. They won't rest until I'm permanently out of the picture." He informed her, "That's the way things are for us Riders. We can never stop fighting it seems." He thought that after GIN-SHOCKER he could live in peace but then this new organization showed up. "We can never know true peace."

"That's not true!" she denied.

"How can you be sure?" Shinichi asked. "Are you willing to bet your life?"

"I did, we all did, when we asked you to stay," she said.

He remembered. It was after he found out how he got his powers and why he had them.

* * *

_Shinichi was sitting outside as he stared up at the night's sky. Both Rena and her father were asleep. A few days had passed since the confrontation with Dr. Gebok and the revelation of his origins. Despite the words of encouragement he received from his friends, he still felt some doubt within himself._

_He idly touched his scar. The XIII scar branded him as a weapon for the GIN-SHOCKER organization. BLACK 13. He'd been created and given his powers for the sole purpose of becoming their killing machine and nothing more. So much blood had been spilt by his friends._

_His friends didn't understand. Maybe they just couldn't. Shinichi didn't blame them, but that didn't stop it from hurting. He was a monster. He was created to kill and conquer by the mad scientist known as Gebok, and because of that he nearly killed his friends._

"_I've gotta distance myself," Shinichi murmured. It was the only way. He couldn't risk losing control and losing Rena or the Club again._

* * *

He'd distanced himself from his friends and avoided them. He knew it had hurt them but he just thought it was best that they didn't associate with a monster like him. They never did see a monster, though. Rather, they saw someone who suffered due to their pasts. They all had something in common. They each had past regrets.

Shinichi saw Rena shivering. "You're cold," he concluded.

"Rena is fine," she lied. She was freezing. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"You liar," he said playfully. "Let me keep you warm."

Rena relaxed into the embrace, closing her eyes. She wouldn't mind staying like this forever…

"Let's have sex," he stated bluntly.

"Huh!" Rena stared at him, bewildered. "In a place like this!"

"Well, we have to share body heat or we'll freeze to death," he rationalized. "If we have sex then our bodies will get hotter and we'll be able to survive."

It goes to show that Shinichi really was perverted. Rena shook her head and smiled slightly. At least he was being perverted to her and she didn't mind. "Alright, we'll do it your way, Hentai-Shin-kun."

"I thought you liked me when I was being a hentai," he teased. He then leaned in and gave her a deep kiss that she soon returned. "So, yes or no?"

"With you? Yes…" she purred.

Shinichi smiled.

* * *

Daichi, Shion and Chiaki returned to the resort lodge empty handed. "This is bad," Shion murmured. They had failed to locate Shinichi and because of the blizzard were forced to return.

"Maybe the others have better luck," Chiaki said hopefully but that was shortly crushed as they saw everyone with an aura of despair around them.

"No luck, huh?" Daichi said wearily.

"Unfortunately no, in fact it just got worse," Hana said.

"Huh?" the three who'd just returned uttered but then they noticed that one more person was missing and her name was Rena Ryuugu

"Crap," Shion cussed. Rena must've gone missing during the blizzard.

"This is bad, our friends are lost out there," Hanyuu said worriedly.

"Yeah, this is not the kind of weather you want to be out in," Keiichi said with Shiori looking worried

"Tch, I think you're all underestimating that bakayarou." Daichi spoke, making all eyes turn to him. "That man has survived far worse. It'd be embarrassing if he lost to a blizzard. Knowing him he found Rena and they are somewhere warm and safe."

All looked shock at the Cricket Rider except for Shion who murmured, "I knew it." Despite his apparent resentment for Shinichi, he still cared about the former BLACK 13.

"Daichi has a point," said Yokoshima. "I mean, Shinichi has done a lot of amazing stuff."

"Guess we forgot that," said Satoshi.

"Still, that doesn't mean they can't be in danger," said Hana logically. "However, there's a possibility that Daichi's right. Shinichi's always been resourceful. We just have to wait until the storm clears before we begin another search."

"Ironic," snorted Daichi. "He killed us and now we're trying to save him."

"We've all forgiven him, Daichi," said Shogo. "It wasn't his fault. It was GIN-SHOCKER."

"Whatever you say, Shogo," responded Daichi. "I just can't wait to rub it in his face that we were the ones that saved him instead of the other way around."

"You know, Daichi," spoke Michiru. "You can be such an asshole sometimes."

"Whatever…" Daichi shrugged and rolled his eyes before picking up his guitar. "Any requests?" he asked.

* * *

The following morning, the NEO-NUMBERS began their search anew. Rena was now missing and the entire group feared the worst. Shiori feared that she'd lost both her son and her future daughter-in-law during the snowstorm. The NEO-NUMBERS had to wait until the blizzard cleared since visibility was limited during said storm.

Zero was searching from the air. "Where are those two?" he asked himself. "Have you all found anything?" he asked the others through the comm-link. He received negative answers. "Where could they be?" He then stopped in mid-air as he saw a flash in the distance. "A signal flare?" He then used his built-in optical zoom to see that it was Showa who was shooting into the sky using the Showa-Blaster as a signal flare. Rena was also with Showa. "They're safe! Thank God!"

Zero then hovered down and landed before the two. Zero removed his helmet. "You're both alright!" said Shogo happily.

Showa removed his helmet and smiled, relieved, "Glad you saw my signal, Zero."

"Thank goodness you're both safe. Everyone was…" Shogo paused when he realized something. "Rena, why are you wearing Shinichi's clothes?" Rena and Shinichi blushed in response.

Shinichi began, "Well, you see…" But Shogo held his hand up to stop him. "Shogo?"

"On second thought, never mind. I think I can guess," said Shogo. "So, you shared body heat to survive, huh?"

"Actually, there's something you should see," said Shinichi. "Come on, follow us."

Shogo followed after Shinichi and Rena and they surprised him. "All the way out here?"

"Pretty neat, huh? After the storm cleared we still felt a little cold but then I sensed there was something nearby," explained Shinichi. "And lo and behold we found this hot spring."

That was what Shogo was seeing. It was a natural hot spring. Hot steaming water was right there in a pool. The only other bathers were some macaques, which Rena found cute.

"That must have helped you stay warm," rationalized Shogo.

"We should tell the others, Shin-kun," Rena suggested.

"Right, they're at the lodge and have been worried sick," Shogo informed them. "Let's go!"

* * *

"YOU'RE BACK! YOU'RE ALIVE! THANK GOD!" Shiori exclaimed as she hugged both Shinichi and Rena tightly. "I WAS SO WORRIED!"

"Kaa-chan…need…to breathe…" Shinichi rasped out as she was squeezing too tight. She may not have been a modified human, but she was indeed a tough customer.

"Sorry," Shiori apologized.

"How did you guys survive?" Mion asked curiously.

"Well, Rena and I found a cave, but since we didn't have a fire we had to…" Shinichi trailed off.

"Had to what?" Satoshi asked.

Shion guessed, "Oh…I see…you had to share body heat, am I right?"

Rena and Shinichi blushed.

"Ah, I see. You both had sex," Shiori added.

"KAA-CHAN!" yelled Shinichi, his face blood red. Rena's face was also flushed.

"Well, you're not denying it. I mean you had to share body heat somehow, right?" said Shiori.

"Speaking of heat, there's something we have to show you," said Rena, quickly changing the subject. "And bring bathing suits!"

* * *

Using snowmobiles, the group went to the hot spring Rena and Shinichi had found. They had their swimsuits on as they submerged themselves inside the pool.

"Ahh, this is nice…" Yokoshima sighed as the warm water of the hot spring loosened his muscles.

"Yeah, it was a good thing Rena chose this cave as shelter from the blizzard or else we would never know about this hot spring," Michiru said

"Yep, it's nice that we got something out of this whole mess!" Mion nodded as she and Shion sat near their boyfriends.

Shiori sighed happily. Her son and his girlfriend were alright. She relaxed as she was being rejuvenated by the water. The steam shrouded her hair and face and the water's made her feel almost weightless.

"Yeah... I wonder if Warren will be mad when he realizes that we used one of the time trains just to get our swimsuits before coming back here for the hot spring," Daichi said.

"Eh, I'm sure he'll understand... hopefully," Shinichi said as he strode over to the edge of the hot spring and slowly lowered himself in.

"I'll take any punishment at the moment," Chiaki said, sighing happily. Both Rena and Shinichi looked at each other and smiled. Despite their terrifying experience, their trip ended on a happy note.

**-THE END-**


	114. Monster or Hero

**MONSTER/HERO**

I don't deserve to be here. I don't deserve to live. I don't deserve to exist. But most of all, I don't deserve…

Her.

When I met her she didn't know what I was and I wasn't sure what I was either. I was confused about my purpose but meeting her caused a spark to flare within me.

She didn't treat me like others had treated me, mostly because she was ignorant of the truth. I believed she would reject me if she knew the truth.

I was wrong.

And she didn't pity me either. She accepted me despite knowing what I was, knowing what I could do and knowing what I had done.

She didn't reject me at all. I didn't know what to think.

I am a monster, but she never saw a monster.

She called me a hero but how could I be after all the sins I've committed?

My past was a terrible one and I committed horrible acts, robbing people of their lives without hesitation.

It didn't hurt before but now it did.

Why?

Was it because of her?

I used to put a shield around my heart but she found a crack and slipped through, taking up residence within my heart.

She became my most precious treasure.

She became the one good thing to have ever happened to me.

She became my motivation.

She became my purpose, my drive, my soul, and my heart.

She became my everything.

And with the hands of a monster I will walk the path of a hero.

Because she believed.


	115. Should I Stay?

**SHOULD I STAY?**

They didn't understand. Maybe they just couldn't. Shinichi didn't blame them, but that didn't stop it from hurting. He was a monster. He was created to kill and conquer by the mad scientist known as Gebok, and because of that, he nearly killed his friends.

"I've gotta distance myself," Shinichi murmured. It was the only way. He couldn't risk losing control and losing Rena or the club again.

* * *

Mion stopped walking and turned to Shinichi. "OK, what's going on?" Mion asked.

Shinichi looked back at the gaming club president, a little puzzled at the question. "What do you mean?" blinked Shinichi.

"Well, you've hardly said anything to me, Kei-chan or anyone in the club this week, not even Rena. You haven't been this withdrawn since when you started going to school and even then it wasn't this bad."

Shinichi shifted uncomfortably, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Keiichi spoke up next, "Yeah right. You've been acting strangely ever since that big fight with the mechanical tentacle monster." He was referring to Gebok.

"Shin-kun, please tell us what's going on?" pled Rena.

Shinichi sighed before he answered, "I have no right to associate myself with you all. I'm not human. You saw what happened. I nearly killed you guys. It's best if I just leave and never come back."

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard you say," sighed Keiichi.

"So what if you aren't human? You're still you," said Mion.

"But I tried to harm you. If it weren't for Kasai, I would've killed Rena," Shinichi said.

"It wasn't Shin-kun's fault. It was that bad man," Rena said. "You're a hero Shin-kun. You protect us from the Darklings without asking for anything in return. So please, don't leave." Rena was hugging Shinichi with tears in her eyes.

"But…" Shinichi began, still feeling conflicted. He yelped as Mion whacked him on the head. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

"You felt that, right?" Mion questioned.

"Yeah, so what?"

"That means you're human. If you can feel things like pain and also feel love, courage and what not, that means you're human. You just have a very strange birth is all," Mion said.

Shinichi smiled, "I can't get away from you guys, can I?" It was best to give up. There was no arguing with Mion's reasoning.

"Nope!" Mion answered. "You're stuck with us, Shin-chan!"

"Sides, who's gonna fight the monsters when you're gone?" questioned Keiichi.

"And Rena wants to take Shin-kun back home with her and be all lovey-dovey!" added Rena.

Shinichi was touched, but he still couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad might happen in the future if he chose to stay. "What if BLACK 13 wakes up again? Then what will you guys do?"

"I'm not particularly worried," Rena said.

"Us neither," Keiichi and Mion stated.

"Why not?" Shinichi asked in confusion.

"Simple, you broke free once, you can do it again. We believe in you Shin-kun!" Rena smiled.

"Thank you guys," Shinichi said, smiling.

"Aww don't mention it," Mion said, grinning.


	116. Daichi & Levi

**DAICHI AND LEVI**

'_Damn, it's already 5:30,'_ Daichi thought looking at his watch. '_I better get home soon or I'm going to get soaked!' _He'd just finished worked and was running home before it rained.

"In a hurry to get home, aren't you?" a female voice said. He turned to see Leviathan running next to him. If he didn't already know her true nature, he'd be surprised by her sudden appearance.

"What do you want?" Daichi responded.

"Can't I just say a hello?" Leviathan retorted.

"No. Don't you remember? I made a guideline about our relationship"

Leviathan frowned. "I'm just trying to be nice, jerk."

"Bah, I've been called that and worse so many time that it means nothing," Daichi said. She huffed as she began walking away. Daichi was about to continue on his way when his eyes spotted something. He saw a drunk driver swerving and he was about to hit Leviathan. Without thinking, the Cricket Rider ran at her. Increasing his speed he ran towards her and pushed her out of the way, sending her to safety. Daichi looked up and saw the car coming at him.

_'CURSE YOU DRUNK DRIVER!' _Daichi screamed mentally.

The last thing he saw and heard was a feminine scream and then darkness….

"Ohh…" Daichi groaned as he slowly got up. He noticed he was in bandages. He looked around to see he was in a hospital room with bandages wrapped around his body to. To his right he saw Leviathan sleeping on a chair.

"Ahh, Daichi you're awake," said Dr. Hasuma as he entered.

"What happened?" Daichi asked.

"Well.... you got hit by a car but your cybernetics helped you survive the major impact. However, the collision still messed your body up," Ryuki answered. "Leviathan took you here for treatment."

"Ah right, its all coming back now," he murmured, wincing as he felt as he felt an intense pain. "How long was I out?"

"Truthfully, a week." Ryuki said as Leviathan slowly woke up. She yawned and then gasped as she saw Daichi awake "Daichi!" Leviathan cried out, tears in her eyes, as she plunged on the boy for a hug. "You're awake!!"

"You're alright." Daichi murmured. He was still sorta out of it.

"Bakayarou, why did you save me? You hate me," Leviathan said crying

"Because... I can't lose you," Daichi said lifting his hand to stroke her hair "I may not say it much, but you're someone I care about."

"D-Daichi." Leviathan was blushing.

"Leviathan? Daichi?" Dr. Hasuma interrupted.

"What is it?" Leviathan asked, annoyed.

"Visiting hours are over. We have to do some tests and Daichi needs some rest for his wounds."

"Okay..." Leviathan said as she got off Daichi. "But I'll be back tomorrow!"

Daichi sighed and then saw Dr. Hasuma smile. "What?" Daichi demanded.

"Nothing, I'm just happy for the both of you, that's all." Dr. Hasuma responded.


	117. Hana & Michiru in Kyoto

**HANA & MICHIRU IN KYOTO**

Michiru whistled as she walked down a street in Kyoto. "Hard to believe I came from here of all places. Heh, the others are going to be so jealous," Michiru snickered.

"I wonder if I should go to To-ji temple," Michiru mused. She accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh sorry," she apologized, eying the one she'd bumped into.

"You bitch! This was a new coat," the delinquent snarled. He grabbed Michiru by the collar but stopped and keeled over in pain. Behind him was an annoyed Hana.

"I take my eyes off you for one second and you're already in trouble," Hana said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry Hana-chan. I'm just so excited!" Michiru exclaimed. Thanks to ARMOR and Warren, they were able to locate Michiru's grandmother, who was operating a tea-house in one of Kyoto's wards.

"Yeah…well remember we have to find the woman first," Hana said as the two continued to walk.

They stopped near a teahouse. They paused to read the sign properly and then pushed open the door before stepping inside. On the other side of the room, a woman was busy gathering and stacking the dishes from one of many small, tidy tables.

"Sorry we're…" The woman stopped as her eyes fell on the girl. "It can't be…Michiru?" the woman asked, tears running down her eyes.

"Hai…Grandma," Michiru said, her eyes watering as well. She started walking closer as Junko Misame started to cry abruptly. Michiru pulled her grandmother into a hug so that her head rested on her shoulder.

Hana rubbed the back of the head, feeling sort of out of place but happy that Michiru met her grandmother again.

"W-where have you been?" Junko asked her missing grandchild.

"Let's talk later, Grandma," Michiru said.

"Alright, you can also bring your friend, or is she your girlfriend?" the woman asked making both blush as they entered the store with Junko hanging the 'We're Closed' sign in front.


	118. Shogo Delivery Rider

**SHOGO: DELIVERY RIDER**

Opening the office door, Shogo stepped into Shion and Mion's father's office with the important papers he'd been requested to collect.

"Ah, Shogo! Did you bring the papers I asked for?" the father of both twins asked in a cheery voice.

Returning the smile, Shogo replied, "Of course sir. They're right here. I admit it was difficult, even with Kasai's help Shiori is very hard person to persuade, but in the end we succeeded."

"Excellent," said the man. Looking left and right, he whispered, "Giving my wife one of Shiori's new books before it appears in stores will make an excellent anniversary gift."

"Indeed," Shogo nodded. Akane and Shion were big fans of Shiori work; though the latter toned it down to keep her mother happy.


	119. Never Make Hanyuu Angry

**NEVER MAKE HANYUU ANGRY**

Hanyuu was tied to a chair by steel chains. She watched helplessly as Shiori stood upon a narrow platform that was 30 feet in the air. One false move and the author would fall to her death. The madman responsible for this was Gebok.

"You can never leave Shinichi alone, can you?" Hanyuu questioned angrily.

"Of course I can't," Gebok answered. "I did create him but he betrayed me. What an ungrateful child."

"What does he have t be grateful for? You took him away from his family, turned him into a Kaizo Ningen against his will, and made him kill his comrades. You even tricked him into killing the girl he loved," said Hanyuu in an accusing tone.

"Call it 'tough love', my dear," Gebok replied nonchalantly. "A parent has to be firm so their children can grow."

"And stop claiming to be his parent!" snapped Hanyuu. "Shiori-mama has done more for him, for us, than you ever did!"

"Which is why this is the perfect way to teach BLACK 13 a lesson," remarked Gebok. "This isn't just about beating him. This is about making him suffer and the sight of his dear mother dying will cause his mind and heart to snap. Sure, he can reverse time and try to save her, but that just means I can try other ways to finish her off each time." He leaned over towards Hanyuu who grimaced in disgust. "As for you, my dear, I'm going to experiment on you and see what makes you tick." He added, "Don't bother using those powers of yours. That collar around your neck presents you from using them."

Hanyuu growled, "You have no idea who you're messing with." Her eyes seem to glow red which Gebok didn't notice.

"You mean BLACK 13? I know all his tricks now and I've seen what he can do. I've seen what his friend Alan Smith can do too. Nothing surprises me," remarked Gebok.

"I wasn't talking about them," said Hanyuu as she phased right through her bindings.

"What?" Gebok gawked. "How?" The collar around her neck also fell off. He reached for his gun and aimed it at her, only for an invisible force to knock into him and send him flying straight into the wall with a hard thud. "Ugh!" he grunted.

Hanyuu's hair flailed about as she hovered a foot off the ground. Her eyes glowed red and the aura was radiating off her body. She approached Gebok who found himself staring at the girl in fear. He wasn't looking at some girl with super powers. He was looking at the embodiment of the Hinamizawan deity, Oyashiro-sama.

"_**Let me tell you something and make sure every lowlife you know hears this as well. I want you to spread the message**_," she spoke in an eerie ethereal voice. "_**As of right now, our families and loved ones are OFF LIMITS! You come after our loved ones, threaten them, bump into them on the street or even THINK of hurting them, then what awaits you is a slow and painful END!**_" Gebok screwed his eyes shut. "_**I'm talking to you. Look at me! I said LOOK AT ME!**_" He had no choice but to comply

Before Gebok's eyes, Hanyuu seemed to grow 15 feet tall with a demonic visage. The aura around her intensified as well. "_**Remember what I said, Gebok. Don't you ever come after the people I love ever again, do you hear me? DON'T YOU EVEN DARE!!!**_"

He could do nothing but scream.

KR Chrome: I was inspired by that scene where Gwen in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, transformed into an Anodite and threatened Zombozo. I just thought Hanyuu could do something similar.


	120. Unposted Horror Stories

"Not all spirits are gentle," warned Yami ominously. It was now her turn.

* * *

_Sean's house was covered from head to toe in family photographs. Some from family retreats to Ireland, others showing lost family relatives. Most of these photographs would include Sean in them, so it was only natural that he would look at them from time to time. However, one day he noticed something rather strange about the pictures: His mother seemed to have a red face in all of the photos. Rather shocked by this, he immediately ran downstairs to ask if anyone had done something to the pictures. They all answered no; even his mother, whom was quite worried. Later that day Sean's mother went to the hospital due to horrific 3rd degree burns caused by a grill catching fire for an unknown reason._

_Sean's father decided to stay at the hospital that night and thought it best to send Sean home with his big brother Thomas and little sister Maria. As Sean walked into the house he caught glance of the family photograph in which he noticed the change to his mother's face, and found that Maria was not in the picture._

_He ran upstairs to her bedroom only to find that she was nowhere to be seen. Alarmed by these strange events Sean called the police. Sean informed them that his sister had been kidnapped and that someone was in his house, possibly vandalizing his family's belongings. The phone immediately went dead, and as Sean went to put the phone down he caught a glimpse of an animal in the corner of his eye. He rushed out of the safety of his room to go and find the beast, but what he found was far worse._

_The mangled bodies of his family lie in the corridor in front of his room, their faces frozen in a state that almost makes him vomit. And then it struck him. All the photographs had been removed from the walls, except for one which was a picture of Sean, with his face scribbled out._

_The next day his two best friends went to visit him, because he was not answering his phone and was not at school all week. As they arrived, they noticed that the door had been left open. So they let themselves in, and were never seen again._

* * *

With that, she blew out her candle.

Yami had told the story well in her usual monotone that sent chills up her audiences' spines. She made the story very descriptive. The way she ended it without any explanation also made the audience speculate the cause of all the supernatural events.

It was now Lala's turn for a story. She was excited and really happy. "Hooray! It's my turn!" Not even the creepy atmosphere could dampen Lala's ever cheerful attitude.

* * *

_One school day, a boy named Tom was sitting in class and doing math. It was six more minutes until after school. As he was doing his homework, something caught his eye. _

_His desk was next to the window, and he turned and looked to the grass outside. It looked like a picture. When school was over, he ran to the spot where he saw it. He ran fast so that no one else could grab it. _

_He picked it up and smiled. It had a picture of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had a dress with tights on and red shoes, and her hand was formed into a peace sign. _

_She was so beautiful. He wanted to meet her, so he ran all over the school and asked everyone if they knew her or have ever seen her before. But everyone he asked said "No." He was devastated. _

_When he was home, he asked his older sister if she knew the girl, but unfortunately she also said "No." It was very late, so Tom walked up the stairs, placed the picture on his bedside table and went to sleep. _

_In the middle of the night Tom was awakened by a tap on his window. It was like a nail tapping. He got scared. After the tapping he heard a giggle. He saw a shadow near his window, so he got out of his bed, walked toward his window, opened it up and followed the giggling. By the time he reached it, it was gone. _

_The next day again he asked his neighbors if they knew her. Everybody said, "Sorry, no." When his mother came home he even asked her if she knew her. She said "No." He went to his room, placed the picture on his desk and fell asleep. _

_Once again he was awakened by a tapping. He took the picture and followed the giggling. He walked across the road, when suddenly he got hit by a car. He was dead with the picture in his hand. _

_The driver got out of the car and tried to help him, but it was too late. Suddenly he saw the picture and picked it up. _

_He saw a cute girl holding up three fingers._

* * *

Lala blew out her candle.

"So, this spirit in the photo kills people?" asked Daichi.

"Yeah, cute and deadly," nodded Lala. "Actually, she leads people to their deaths."

"I better be careful about picking up photos then," said Shinichi.

"Spirits aren't always there to cause mischief, though," said Amora. "Sometimes, they can give you a message. Here's a tale I heard in my travels…" spoke Amora. "It originates in the frozen north of Europe."

* * *

_The native villagers say that there's a stretch of tundra just north of the village that is occupied by benevolent spirits. These spirits grant insight and warning, they say, to whoever visits them at night, once the sun has disappeared entirely and left the world in jet darkness. _

_A man named Toki drove out to the middle of the frozen expanse of ice and waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever commanded these people's reverence. They send their children out, bundled in furs to keep from freezing, on the eve of their 15th birthday to seek an audience with these spirits. Once they have achieved this, the children run home to their parents to share the news. From then on these children are considered adults in the village. Engaged couples visit this tundra on the night before their wedding. The entire village stays up all night awaiting their return, as it is upon their return that the couple either decides to proceed with their marriage, or to abandon it. The elderly visit the tundra whenever they are sick or ailing, and often make their condition worse by staying all night in the cold. When they return, however, it is most often with an air of sheer serenity. _

_So Toki waited, curious to see what phenomenon might inspire people so powerfully. He waited for hours, bundled in his parka and sitting on the hood of his pickup. He waited until he felt that he was going to freeze to death, even in his thick clothing. _

_He heard the spirit before he saw it. _

_A crunching of snow in the silence made him jump off his truck and spin around. A hunched, gray-skinned man stood a few meters away. Sad, yellowed eyes stared back at Toki, set inside a skull from which sprouted only a few greasy hairs. He breathed heavily, with a rattle that shook his fragile ribcage, and one of his arms looked as if it had been messily broken and then neglected, allowing it to knit back together imperfectly. Badly scarred flesh marred his splayed legs. The man stared at him for perhaps ten seconds, breathing in the frigid air and exhaling a sickly dribble of steam, before disappearing when Toki blinked his eyes. _

_He spun around; looking for the man, but the man was truly gone. Approaching where the man had stood, he found a pair of bloody footprints in the snow. Frantic with fear, Toki got into his pickup and headed for the village as fast as the ice would allow. A few villagers were waiting for him when he arrived, knowing that he had gone out and curious as to what might happen._

_He hastily got out of my truck and, approached the nearest villager. He demanded, "What is so benevolent about these spirits? What is so insightful? How do these spirits help you?" _

_"What did you see?" the villager asked, the look on his face now mirroring the fear in Toki's. _

_"I saw a man, horribly disfigured and desperately sick!" Toki screamed into the man's face and the rest of the villagers around them backed away a step. "Why? What does that mean?"_

_"The spirits show only one thing," the man explained. "They show their visitors, a year in the future."_

* * *

"Not all messages are good ones," said Amora before blowing out her candle.

"Yes, which is why we shouldn't try to see into our own futures," nodded Shinichi. "Things happen."

"Indeed," agreed Amora. "And we can never predict what will happen next. Bad things can happen to good people too."

"And done by the people we lease expect," said Conda. It was now Conda's turn to tell a scary story. She was going to tell them a story she had been told as a young girl. It had been told to her by her father, who in his final days had visited the land of the Amazons.

Conda began her story quietly, "As legend goes, to become a skinwalker you must attain priesthood, and then kill a member of your own family. Then and only then can you gain the powers to shapeshift. Then, and ONLY then, are you a true skinwalker…"

* * *

_According to local folklore, a man had done just that. A priest had supposedly not only killed one, but 5 immediate members of his family. They never caught this man. He disappeared into the woods, never to be seen again. _

_When Jason and Alex set out for their camping trip they knew all the old legends. And they laughed at the idea that a "skinwalker" would come get them it they trespassed on the old land. The same land that the supposed murders had taken place. And why should they believe the legends? A man becoming a beast was probably the most ridiculous thing imaginable._

_Jason and Alex were brothers. They spent their entire lives together until Jason had gotten married. Then Jason moved away, and started a family. But not Alex. Alex stayed in their hometown, tending to their parents, making an honest living off the land, and trying to be a good person._

_And Alex had succeeded at this. He hadn't broken a commandment in years, and was well on his way (well in his own mind) to heaven._

_3 years had passed between their last get together. And 3 more might have passed if Alex didn't insist on a camping trip. But insist he did, and there they were._

_It was getting dark, and the two of them were lying out under the stars. They were deep in the woods, and they had no maps, but they knew the path back from where they were. They had gone there as kids._

_"…never know."_

_"Huh?" Alex replied. He only caught bits and pieces sometimes._

_"We can never let dad know," Jason reiterated._

_"Know what?"_

_"That we stayed here past dark. We promised him as kids, and I wouldn't want to upset him now. He's getting pretty close to dead, and if we started an argument now we may not resolve it in time for…you know. Just don't tell him or Ma. OK?"_

_"OK, no problem."_

_They both were silent for awhile, until up creeped a small raccoon._

_"Well look at that," Alex called, as he pointed towards the critter. _

_It stared at them for several minutes. Not moving, not attempting to flee when they motioned towards it. It stayed almost perfectly still. And then finally it left. _

_Minutes later came a deer. Again the creature stayed and watched them. Unwavering determination glared in its eyes. _

_For about 2 hours the duo was kept awake as every animal they knew to live in the Forrest, and some they were sure didn't inhabit the area, came to gaze upon them. _

_The final animal was a grey wolf. It slowly moved towards them, and when it was 5 feet away it stopped. _

_"Don't move. Don't panic. It'll go," Jason assured Alex. _

_The wolf slowly stood up onto its hind legs and then its limbs began to contort and pop. Horror slid over Jason and Alex's faces as they saw the fur tear open, revealing light brown flesh underneath. Finally, they gazed upon what looked like a man with a wolf head. _

_The skull of the wolf split open like a melon. The fur sliding off it, the bone chipping and falling like a fragile eggshell. And in its place slowly grew out the head of a man. _

_The man now stood before the paralyzed brothers. They couldn't seem to move. _

_"This is my land," said the man, with an almost supernatural smile. _

_"Now…Now…Mister I'm gonna have to ask you to g…g…g…" Alex trailed off. _

_"Get the fuck away from us," Jason said as fiercely as he could. _

_The man began to laugh. And as he continued to laugh the pitch changed. It grew deeper, from that of a man to that of a demon. And soon it sounded as if Satan himself was bellowing out at them. _

_The man's skin grew black as coal, and his eyes yellow like a cats. His demonic laughter echoed through the Forrest, as he drew closer and closer. The brothers being unarmed had no choice other then to flee. And that's what they did. They ran as fast as they could, except instead of out to their cars, they were cornered into running deeper into the woods. _

_For hours they seemed to play cat and mouse. Several times animals they passed would burst open in a grotesque manner, revealing the deranged man. But they continued to run. _

_Finally reaching a cabin, they ducked inside. They were filled with fear, and the brothers felt that leaving the cabin meant for certain their deaths. _

_What they found in the cabin made them regret their ignorance on legends. For in the main bedroom of the cabin were corpses. At least a hundred of them. Every animal they had seen that night was there, along with some larger bodies…some human bodies…_

_It was then that the man burst into the room, except he was once more a wolf. In his deep voice he snickered out, "Welcome home!" _

_The following week the authorities found the cabin during their search for Jason and Alex. _

_Both brothers' faces looked as if they were eaten by an animal of some sort. _

_6 days later a security camera several cities over caught Alex filling up a car with gas. Several eyewitnesses also reported seeing the dead man. And on nearly all accounts he was seen smiling a wide, toothy, unnatural grin._

* * *

The way Amora told it had been eerie, and she made her story as descriptive as possible.

"My turn," Michiru said, smiling.

"Heh, this should be interest," Daichi muttered.

"It should, one of the people of ARMOR told me about it," Michiru said.

* * *

_Ezekiel sighed. This was the fourth time a girl had dumped him. "When will I ever meet a girl that loves me?" he muttered under his breath. He was close to seriously doubting the existence of such a girl._

_As he walked, he was not watching where he was going. Then, after a while of walking, he had a collision with a girl. Both of them had a surprised look on their face when Ezekiel fell on her. They both blushed at the situation._

_He quickly got up. "I-I'm sorry, are you okay?" He helped her up. He gasped. She was beautiful._

_"Yes, Thanks, my name's Sarah by the way," she said, grinning at him with a blush on her cheeks._

_"Cool, my name's Ezekiel. Nice to meet you Sarah," he said, grinning._

_Sarah was about to say something but she stopped. She looked past Ezekiel, her eyes where filled with fear. Ezekiel turned around only to see a priest glaring at the girl. She turned around and started running._

_"Wait!" Ezekiel said. He ran after her until they reached a crossroads. After some cars passed, he looked to where he saw her last. But to his shock, she wasn't there anymore. It was like she had disappeared._

_

* * *

_

_Ezekiel spent some time on the street for a few days as he tried to spot the girl from before. He then spotted a paper on the sidewalk. Curious, he grabbed it._

_"Girl dies in car crash…" Ezekiel muttered, surprised. He began reading the article. "Sarah died at 4:12 at Friday May 4th from a black car of some kind. Police are still looking for the driver."_

_He stopped reading as he muttered "No way…" The girl he meet, was she…was she a ghost?_

_"Correct child." Ezekiel whirled around to see the same priest from earlier. "The girl you met was a ghost, and I was the priest that attended her funeral."_

_"Then, why did she appear?" Ezekiel asked._

_"She felt scared and alone, she wanted someone to be with her in the realm of spirits and would have taken you with her, but I stopped her from doing that," the priest said. But Ezekiel wasn't listening. He saw the look in the girl's eyes before the priest arrived. Even though they'd just met, they realized they cared for one another._

_"I see thank you, priest," Ezekiel said, sounding a bit hollow as he began walking away._

_

* * *

_

_The Priest was making his rounds until he heard something from two men, "Did you hear about that boy they found who'd hung himself in his room?"_

_"Aye, Ezekiel, wasn't it?" The priest's head snapped up. He remembered hearing the boy introducing his name as Ezekiel to Sarah._

_"Yep, he apparently committed suicide. When they read the suicide note, it just said, 'I'm meeting her on the other side'," the first man said._

_"Ack, not another fool who killed himself because he lost a girl…Poor lad," the second man said._

_"You don't know the full details," the priest thought sadly as he began walking away._

* * *

"Well I have this one story. I got it from reading a book written in Romanian," Chiaki said getting surprise looks from most of the others, except the NEO-NUMBERS. "What? To make sure our universal translators worked on other languages in written format; we read and decode foreign books," Chiaki said, annoyed.

* * *

_The woman stood silently and was wearing black. Her blue eyes could see the lumbering creatures around her. She clenched her jaw as the first one charged._

_A tall, Romanian man stepped in front of her holding a sword in his hand. She looked amazed as he effortlessly cleaved the demon in two. Another creature charged. In the blink of an eye, the man was behind it and it was bloody chunks on the grounds._

_The mahogany-haired man growled intimidating at the other creatures and they fled in fear of him. "Don't tell me. You wandered into these woods, disbelieving the stories of the demons that haunt these woods?" the man said, turning to the girl, annoyed._

_She answered scared, "I-I thought it was fake…a myth."_

_The tall man developed a sour look on his face as he mumbled, "An eternity, that's how long it will take for people to get past the 'haven't seen it, don't believe it' mindset."_

_He began walking away but stopped as the girl shouted, "Wait!" He turned around to see her crying a bit._

_"You can't leave me here. I-I can't remember the path," the woman said, scared._

_The man sighed as he said, "Fine, I guess I'll take you to my house tonight."_

_"Oh, thank you!" the woman said gratefully. Her eyes seemed to be glowing when the man's back was turned._

_

* * *

_

_"So, that's your house mister…" she said to the man as she saw a small cottage._

_"Dragomir," the man grunted._

_"Nice to know, my name's Andreea," the girl said, getting a grunt._

_"So, how did you heal the wound on your arm?" Dragomir asked, surprising Andreea._

_"Ohh, well you see, it wasn't my blood. One of those demons was bleeding," Andreea said, shifting her eyes. Dragomir narrows his eyes but said nothing as he stepped inside his house. Andreea said nothing as she was nervous._

_"Well get in," he said, making the girl nod as she stepped in. Dragomir showed her where she was staying for the night._

_

* * *

_

_Dragomir opened his eyes to see his arms and legs were bound to a chair._

_"So you're awake." He turned to see Andreea with a dark look in her eyes and shadowy wings. "So glad that the fool that's been attacking us demons is about to meet his end."_

_"So, it was a trap?" Dragomir asked._

_"Of course. I can't believe that an idiot like you could fall for such a lame excuse," Andreea said. "I created that trap knowing the idiot human that's been attacking my kind would appear." As she said this, her body mutated to a large head with sharp claws. "PREPARE TO DIE!" Andreea screeched, opening her mouth to eat but stopped as Dragomir grabbed her jaw, having easily broke the binding, and pushed her backwards._

_"What!" Andreea said, shocked, but her eyes widened when she saw Dragomir mutate into a dragon/gargoyle like creature._

_"Foolish idiot, did you really think a human would be foolish enough to make a house here?" Dragomir chuckled darkly._

_"W-what! Why are you helping humans!" Andreea said, shocked._

_"Simple. You idiots are too gluttonous. If all the humans are gone, most of our species will go extinct, so I decided to take care of fools like you who only think with their stomachs," Dragomir sneered. "Besides I found an alternate food source for myself."_

_"W-what alternate food source?" Andreea asked, scared. She froze at the dark look in his eyes._

_"That's simple…My fellow demons," Dragomir grinned as he lunged at Andreea. All that could be heard from outside of the cabin was loud screams of pain and horror.

* * *

_

KR CHROME: The stories that didn't make it into the final version so I put them up here.


	121. ZERO NO DUELIST

**SAITO HIRAGA: ZERO NO DUELIST**

**Chapter 1: Time to Duel!**

Before being so forcefully transported to this world, Saito was on his way to pick up his Duel Disk from the shop. It'd been broken so he sent it over to be repaired. He had applied to Duel Academy and was planning on going to the entrance exam the following exam when he ended up being summoned by Louise and becoming her familiar, even losing his first kiss to boot. Sure, she was cute, but loud, bossy and rude too. Not only that but he was going to be in a world of pain.

Saito grunted in pain from the punch he'd received from the Bronze Golem. The whole situation started when he had spotted the bishonen student drop a bottle of fragrance which he had probably gotten from his girlfriend. Being a nice guy, Saito returned it to him. It turned out that the rose-wielding wizard did get it from his girlfriend, one that the girl he was flirting with didn't know about. The girl was understandably upset and made a big show of reaming Guiche out in front of everyone. Embarrassed at being caught, Guiche in turn decided to take it out on Saito, challenging him to a duel.

Being a duelist to the internationally acclaimed game Duel Monsters, Saito agreed before he remembered that he was in a different world which probably never had Duel Monsters. Out in the courtyards that became more apparent when Guiche the Bronze summoned one of his Bronze Golems and sent it after Saito.

Guiche snickered as he watched Saito struggle to stand, clutching his stomach from the impact from the Bronze Golem's punch. He was panting, exhausted from dodging and taking that one hit definitely did not help. Louise, however, was frightened. Bronze Golems were many times stronger than humans when they were made right and part of Guiche's reputation stemmed from just how well he made them.

"Guiche, stop this now!" Louise demanded. Saito may have been a lousy familiar thus far, but he was still her familiar and she didn't want to see anything bad happen to him!

"Oh, I will, but only after this commoner kneels and begs for forgiveness," said Guiche, snickering at the pain Saito was in. No one made a fool of him in front of his peers and got away with it.

"Never," Saito growled. He had his pride, after all. All anyone did in this stupid school was look down on others just because they were able to use magic. People jeered and mocked him, calling him 'commoner' left and right and it was starting to really tick him off. Guiche's little act of toughness just made it the final straw!

"Then, don't blame me for what I am about to do," Guiche shrugged. If the commoner wanted to be disobedient then he should be ready to accept the consequences. Looking up to his construct, he gave his next order. "Now, finish him!" he commanded his spear-wielding Bronze Golem.

"SAITO!" Louise cried out as Saito was about to receive a violent haymaker. Saito grit his teeth and prepared for the worst. He was just too tired and winded to make another dodge. Maybe if he was knocked out he'd wake up in his own bed and not a pile of straw.

He waited for the blow, but it never came. Guiche may have milked the fight for the drama but this was a little much! Saito opened his eyes which he'd screwed shut when the Golem attacked. He blinked in confusion as he saw the fist of the Golem frozen inches from his face. He looked around. Everyone was silent. Correction: everyone was frozen.

"What is this?" Saito blinked.

"Saito Hiraga," a voice called and Saito looked to see someone approaching him. He gaped as he saw who it was.

He was a tall man who was donned from head to toe in dark purple robes complete with a pointed hat. He had an imperial face and he radiated power. He didn't just walk the walk of the power, he made the walk. In his hand was a long ornate staff which was green and gave off a faint feeling of energy which Saito had felt since arriving in this strange world, magic. However, that all took second place as the young man recognized who was approaching.

"Dark Magician!" Saito exclaimed.

The purple-clad spellcaster smiled and nodded. "Yes, that is I."

"OK…what is going on?" Saito asked.

"Your Duelist spirit burned when you were challenged by that boy," Dark Magician explained, coming to a stop in front of Saito. "Using my power, I interrupted in this moment to appear before you."

"Okay…but…why?" asked the confused boy.

"You have been pulled into a world where magic is commonplace and so to combat those who would come up against you, you must be prepared to use magic against them," the Dark Magician explained. "I am here to…even the playing field.

"But I don't know any magic," argued Saito. The Dark Magician seemed to find the answer amusing before he reached into his robes and withdrew a deck of cards. The cards had a brown and gold back which seemed to move in a swirl while the front of the cards were face down. "A Dueling Deck?"

"It's a special deck and one you recognize," said the Dark Magician as Saito took the deck. The young duelist began flipping through the cards before his eyes sparked with recognition as he peered at each card.

"This is MY deck!" Saito exclaimed. He thought he'd lost it when Louise had pulled him into her world.

"It was trapped between dimensions," the Dark Magician explained. "You're lucky that your spirit is strongly bonded to those cards or I may not have found them on my way to meeting you."

"So…can I beat Guiche by using them?" Saito asked hopefully. He needed something to beat the self-absorbed student with.

"Yes, but you still need a weapon," said the Dark Magician and with a wave of his wand, an orb of light appeared between the two. Like it had a life of its own, it flew over to Saito's wrist and attached itself on before the orb winked out, revealing a brand new Duel Disk in its place.

"Wow, a Duel Disk!" Saito was pleased. He had one back home, but he had to get it fixed at the shop. The Duel Disk he was wearing now looked custom made, easily outdoing his Battle City era model. It was blue with black runes around it and the LP counter was circular instead of rectangular. The Card Platform for the Monster, Spell and Trap Zones was missing…or hidden. Taking the deck in his hand, he inserted it into the deck zone. The machine instantly came to life as a part on the left side folded outward before the card zones folded out like a segmented scythe blade. "Cool!

(This is the Doom Duel Disk, if you must know).

"Use it well for you will need it for the trials to come," Dark Magician smiled.

"I will," Saito grinned, his excitement growing despite the bad situation he was in. "Thanks!"

"My pleasure. Now, Saito Hiraga," said the Dark Magician. "It's time to Duel!"

The Dark magician waved his wand and the world went white. Saito didn't try to stumble around though. He quickly blinked the light from his eyes before he took in the world again. He found that he was several feet away from the Bronze Golem whose fist was buried in the dirt where he had been. In fact, if Saito wasn't mistaken, it was the appropriate distance between two duelists who were using Duel Disks.

"Missed!" Guiche cursed, annoyed that his Golem's plaything had gotten away. However, that annoyance turned to confusion when he saw that Saito had gained a piece of equipment. "And what is that?"

"My weapon," said Saito as he drew his hand. He scanned the six cards he now held. "And the keys to my victory!"

"Cards?" snorted Guiche.

"Not just any cards, Guiche!" Saito shouted. "And let me show you that you're not the only one who can summon!" He took a card from his hand and slapped it onto the Monster Card Zone. "I summon forth…Vorse Raider!"

All of a sudden, from a circle of light, the monster materialized. Its face was in a frozen scowl with its mouth filled with razor-like theeth and it wielded a wicked looking axe/sword. It wore an elaborate headdress and dark clothing, all of it decorated with sharp spikes, making the monster look quite intimidating. The students all gaped at the monster's appearance, especially Louise and Guiche who were standing closest to the new beast.

"Now, Vorse Raider!" Saito commanded. "Attack the Bronze Golem with Raider Slash!"

The Vorse Raider bellowed loudly before it rushed towards the Bronze Golem and slashed it down the middle, destroying it. The pieces fell to the ground before dissolving away, returning to the material which Guiche had used to create it.

"And I set these two cards facedown and end my turn," Saito continued, sliding two cards into the slots under the Monster Card Zone. Said cards materialized on the field, enlarged and facedown.

"Do you think this is a game?" Guiche demanded. While he didn't know what was happening, he wasn't going to be humiliated by some commoner and his card tricks. With a wave of his rose wand, the petal fell and out came five more Bronze Golems. "Crush the commoner and his ugly pet! Now!" Obediently, the Golems began their charge, raising their weapons to fight a battle. Vorse Raider tensed, ready to do battle, but it really hadn't of bothered…

"Activate Trap!" declared Saito as one of the facedown cards flipped over to reveal what was on it. "Go, Mirror Force!"

The first of the Bronze Golems stabbed at the Vorse Raider with it's spear, but instead of striking the monster, it struck some kind of invisible barrier. When the Golem was still, the barrier concentrated into an orb of light which shot at the Golem, knocking it back into its fellows, destroying them all in a smoky explosion.

"WHAT!" Guiche screamed.

"That Trap card activated when your Bronze Golems attacked and destroyed them," explained Saito.

"Mirror Force? Trap card? I've never heard of such spells!" said Guiche.

"Yes, I know," Saito smiled. He drew a card from his deck and smiled as he saw what it was. "Alright, Guiche, make your move."

Guiche then decided to use the summoning spell again and waved his wand, but Saito was ready.

"Activate Trap card!" called Saito as his other facedown flipped over. "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell! By discarding one Spell card from my hand I can negate any Spells being cast by my opponent and in addition my opponent cannot use the same spell again for the rest of the duel!" He slid a card from his hand, Swords of Revealing Light, into his Duel Disk's discard slot.

Quite suddenly, a large circular seal which all of the students would later say would remind them of some of the rituals they learned appeared underneath Guiche's feet. It glowed with yellow power while the runes were nothing anyone had seen before. Most unnerving of all was the red streams of energy that rose from the edges like the bars of a cage. Guiche attempted to cast his spell to summon his Bronze Golems again, but like Saito said, it didn't work. "How are you doing this!" he demanded. Spells which could cancel out other spells were practically unheard of in their age group yet this…this…commoner managed to make a seal which did just that in the blink of an eye!

"My move," answered Saito as he drew a card, ignoring Guiche's demands. Looking at the card, he began to smile. "Alright, now you're going to see a real monster, Guiche! I activate the Spell card known as Ancient Rules!" placing the card in his disk, the other students saw a giant green card depicting a parchment with a picture of a dragon on it. "This allows me to Special Summon a Normal Monster from my hand that is Level 5 or higher without having to sacrifice. And the monster I've chosen is…my Ace!" He slapped the Monster card onto the Duel Disk. "Presenting…GOGIGA GAGAGIGO!"

When the creature materialized, Guiche nearly peed himself at the biomechanical horror before him. It looked sort of like a humanoid reptile of some kind, but it was encased in some kind of gold technological armor which made it look that much scarier. The green-tinted red skin made it look incredibly intimidating and the feral look in its eyes certainly wasn't helping Guiche's bladder control either.

"Gogiga Gagagigo, attack!" Saito called, pointing at Guiche.

The large reptile monster roared before charging across the field towards the unarmed Guiche. Getting closer, it raised its arm for a powerful punch much like Guiche made his golems do when he was toying around with Saito.

"EEEEK!" the blonde playboy cried in terror.

Gogiga Gagagigo wasn't inclined to stop despite Guiche's obvious fear. Reaching the scared student, it unleashed a powerful punch which caught the magical student in the chest, knocking him clean off his feet and several feet away before he skidded through the grass and finally came to a stop at the feet of his fellow students. The punch had taken its toll and he was unconscious, meaning that Saito was the winner by default.

"Whew," Saito sighed, removing the cards from his Disk, allowing the monsters to disappear. It seemed that the playboy didn't have any other tricks up his sleeve when those Bronze Golems weren't allowed in the duel.

"Saito!" Louise called out to her familiar, catching his attention. Looking over to her, he saw her approaching, but all of the other students weren't moving an inch closer to him. Heck, they were getting nervous when he was looking in their general direction. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Saito nodded, pocketing his deck before the Duel Disk folded in on itself once again. "A little sore I guess though."

"Well you got off lucky then!" Louise huffed, crossing her arms. "You were getting dominated until you started using that strange magic! This is why you shouldn't duel the other students! You could end up getting seriously hurt you know!"

"Right, right," Saito sighed. He could tell Louise was getting off onto another rant and probably not going to stop anytime soon.

Up above the ring of students and the two who were standing out in the middle of it, the wizened headmaster of the academy and his admittedly very attractive secretary were both eyeing the events which had occurred. Both were so shocked, the old man wasn't even trying to molest her, not that she would have resisted very much since she was just as shocked as he was.

"Sir…what did we just see?" the spectacles-sporting woman asked.

"Something which this world has never seen before," the old man replied, frowning slightly.

Word quickly spread about Saito's apparent magical ability and Guiche's crushing defeat. People were really beginning to wonder just what the heck Louise the Zero had managed to summon as her familiar while others were teasing Guiche about how he got beaten so easily. Although, the flirt managed to get a horde of adoring girls by his side, doing their best to make him feel better and offer to nurse him back to health so the situation wasn't entirely bad for him. On the other hand, whenever Louise was alone, many of her classmates would try to grill her, attempting to see if she knew what Saito really was, being his master, or if she just lucked out and got him by accident. If Saito was around, people kept their distance. They didn't want that Gogiga Gagagigo to appear and attempt to eat them.

Later that night, in Louise's room, Saito was inspecting his Duel Disk while laying on his…pile of straw. It really was a work of art. He had never really seen one like it before. It was way more compact than his old one with its ability to fold the card zones inside such a small space. His deck, of course, was the same as the one he played back home. It was filled with Normal Monster cards, something of a personal choice of his since he considered himself a pretty ordinary guy.

He looked through his deck and smiled. With the Duel Disk and deck on him, he would be a match for any mage that came his way. The Duel Disk didn't produce holograms. Instead, it materialized his monsters and made them real. If any more students decided to start giving him or Louise grief, a duel would be able to solve the problem. That's how lots of problems were solved back home. Still, he couldn't help but wonder just how his new Duel Disk was able to bring the monsters to life.

"Wonder if it has something to do with this world," Saito mused aloud. He then noticed Louise was still staring at him from her bed. She had been eyeing him for the past few minutes but hadn't been talking. "Hm?"

"How were you able to perform magic?" she asked finally the question which had been nagging at her. "I thought you were a commoner. Commoners can't perform magic."

"To be honest, it wasn't me," Saito answered. Raising his arm, he showed her the Duel Disk. "This Duel Disk and deck have the real magic. I just play them."

"Duel…Disk?" Louise stared at the device. "So, it's a magical weapon."

"You could say that," Saito answered. "Basically, everyone back home has one of these but they just create realistic illusions to play Duel Monsters."

"Duel Monsters?" Louise repeated.

"It's a very popular card game from where I'm from, and many people play it," said Saito. "In fact I've been in a few tournaments since I learnt how to play."

"So…anyone can learn how to play this game?" Louise asked, her interest now sufficiently captured.

Saito answered, "Yes." Before he could go onto any further explanations, the circular screen on his Duel Disk suddenly came to life, showing something akin to a radar screen with a red blip on it."Huh?"

* * *

"And now your magic is mine!" the mysterious Duelist boasted as his Duel Disk folded up. The noble he'd defeated fell to the ground. From his body, a blue aura was drained out and pulled into a card the duelist held. The card shone in the darkness for a moment, but then dimmed. "Hm, not very powerful." He pocketed the card. "I heard there was a school for mages here. I bet I can harvest some more magical energies there."

* * *

The radar screen suddenly shut off. "What was that?" Saito murmured.

"Forget about that!" Louise huffed. "I want to know how to play this game from your home!"

"Bu-huh?" Saito blinked, Louise's yelling bringing his mind back to the normal world. "What?"

"Teach me how to play that game!" the pink-haired sorceress demanded. If she could learn the game, then maybe she could tap into the secrets of whatever magic was used to summon the real monsters. No one would ever call her Zero again!

Saito asked, "Are you sure? I can teach you, sure, but I don't have any extra cards on me."

"Then give me your deck," she added. Saito shook his head in denial. "Why not?"

"A deck you get from someone isn't worth as much as a deck you built yourself. This deck of mine was built by myself and it took a lot of time and effort for me to select the right cards and create my strategies," Saito explained.

Louise frowned.

"But…" he continued, "If there was a time I couldn't duel, I could lend you my deck and Duel Disk."

Louise beamed and Saito blushed. She looked really cute when she was smiling. It was just a shame that she often acted so snooty with the other nobles around or was angry because of the way the students would tease her because of her (lack) of magical ability.

"Let's get started!"

* * *

Saito took a whole hour to explain to Louise the basics of the game. First, he had to explain about the type of cards. There were basically three types of cards: Monster cards, Spell cards and Trap cards. Monster cards depicted creatures and Saito showed her the Vorse Raider and Gogiga Gagagigo. Since Saito only used Normal monster cards, they were colored yellow. He explained to her that there were also Effect monsters with special abilities and also monsters that could only be summoned via Rituals and finally Fusion monsters that could be summoned by combining two or more monsters together. He explained that the Effect monster cards were orange in color, Ritual monster cards were blue and Fusion monster cards were purple. He explained summoning rules. He explained that a player was only allowed one Normal Summon per-turn under normal circumstances. Flip Summon was when a facedown monster is flipped from facedown Defence Position to face up Attack Position. Special Summoning was where a monster was summoned because of a spell, trap, or monster effect. Where Normal Summoning was limitied to once a turn, Special Summoning could be done as many times as possible. He explained that when a monster is set facedown horizontally, it was in Defence Position and it was in Attack Position when put vertically face up. Monsters can also switch their battle positions once per-turn during the Main Phase.

Spell cards were colored green and there were several types. Normal Spells only last for the turn they are used. Then there were Continuous Spells that last for the duration of the duel until they are destroyed. Quickplay Spells could be played like Traps went set facedown and also used like Normal Spells. Equip Spells could be considered weapons for the monsters, increasing their power or even granting them new abilities. Field Spell cards affected the entire field and could be advantageous for the player who played them. Finally, Ritual Spells could be used to summon the previously mentioned Ritual Monsters.

The magenta-colored Trap cards were tricky. They were used as counter attacks. They also came in several categories but the general rule was that they had to be set before they could be used, which would be after the start of the opponent's turn. There were Normal Traps, Continuous Traps and finally Counter Trap cards.

After explaining the types of cards in detail, Saito then explained the phases of Gameplay. The Draw Phase, followed by the Standby Phase, the First Main Phase, then the Battle Phase, the Second Main Phase and finally the End Phase which was where the player ends their turn. Saito explained what could be done during each phase. He also went and explained how damage was calculated when two monsters battled.

This, of course, made Louise's head spin. There was so much to learn about a card game. It was so complicated. Saito, of course, assured her, "It just takes practice. I mean it took me a while to learn how to play."

* * *

"Tristian's Magical Academy," the mysterious duelist smirked, seeing the admittedly picturesque castle in the distance. "Well, if I can't get quality magical energy, a huge quantity is just as good."

Chuckling to himself, the duelist began his approach.

* * *

It took a little while for Louise to get the general drift of the game, but it helped when Saito would make up some duel puzzles for her to get a hands-on means of learning the game. Since it didn't involve magic at this point, she wouldn't be able to make anything explode which Saito was thankful for. He didn't want his new cards to get ruined.

In thanks for assisting her and because he wasn't as bad a familiar as she first thought, Louise managed to get something for Saito to sleep on. It was a mattress on the floor, but it was a lot better than the straw he had to sleep on before. Louise knew he wanted an actual bed, but she had the only one in the room and she wasn't going to let him share her bed. He may be her familiar and an impressive one, but he was still a boy. She just…

As Louise slept, she was suddenly awoken when Saito's device, a Duel Disk he called it, began beeping shrilly and repeatedly.

* * *

The mysterious duelist walked around the school grounds. He managed to sneak in without notice. It was funny how little security was around a school for supposedly high-class children, but He did take notice of several men floating up to a window. They were floating, which marked them as magic users.

"Time to fill up on Mana," the duelist grinned as he locked his deck into his Duel Disk.

* * *

"Shut that thing up!" Louise snapped at Saito. Not being one who liked being woken up and late hours of the night, Louise threw one of her shoes at Saito, waking him up and demanding he stop his machine.

"I can't!" he told her. The thing looked like a radar and was beeping over and over again. Something about the red dot on it made. "Wait…maybe it's trying to tell us something?". Snapping the Duel Disk on, Saito got up and walked out the door.

"What could an artifact be trying to tell us?" Louise grumped.

"That something's not right," Saito frowned. Getting up, he headed for the exit to follow the red dot on the screen.

"Hey, where are you going!" Louise shouted as she got up and followed. "Get back here!"

Stepping out into the hallways, Saito looked to his Disk to get a general direction of where the red dot was before he started moving towards it. He however didn't get very far when a he stepped past Kirche who reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Half-expecting it to be Louise, he turned only to find the tanned redhead Kirche "Hi!" She smiled sultrily. "Where are you off to in a hurry?"

"I got a lead to follow," said Saito, shrugging her off. Something was not right and his Duel Disk seemed to only add to that feeling. He didn't have the time to deal with Kirche being friendly with him or Louise trying to order him around While he slept, the Dark Magician had paid him another visit.

-FLASHBACK-

_"My Duel Disk can detect other duelists?" Saito questioned._

_"It can detect other active Duel Disks," the Dark Magician clarified. "That screen on your Duel Disk has a built in radar which allows you to pinpoint their position. This will be very important, Saito Hiraga. Remember."_

-END FLASHBACK-

"I said stop!" cried Louise, finally making it into the hallway. She was still in her nightclothes as compared to Kirche who was dressed normally. Seeing the busty redhead, Louise immediately frowned. "Great. What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask the same of you," Kirche smiled, but with no kind of affection in it like she would do for Saito. "It is past curfew you know. Heading out for a romantic escapade with your familiar?"

"What? No!" Louise cried, her face instantly aflame with embarrassment.

"Will you be quiet?" Saito asked with a frown. "We don't need to be caught right now!"

* * *

Inside one of the towers which populated the academy, several of the boys had quietly attempted to sneak into the girls' wing where they were confident they would be able to get a glimpse of none other than the busty Kirche in something other than her usual uniform. However, their excursion into the girls' dormitories was tragically cut short when they were interrupted by a strange man in a black cloak who had attacked them with swarms of locusts and scarabs. They then started to feel weak before collapsing.

The mystery man sighed as he peered at the card he had in hand, he grumbled, "Well, it's better than nothing…"

"Hey, you!"

The mystery man turned to see Saito approaching him. He then spotted something on Saito's arm. It was a Duel Disk. '_So…there is a Duelist here…What luck!_'

Saito spotted the unconscious men and then the cloaked mystery man. "Did you do this!"

"Why, yes I did," the intruder answered. Saito saw that the man was also sporting a custom-design Duel Disk. The card platform looked like an insect's wing.

"Why?" Saito asked.

"Just collecting magical energy. These nobles are full of it, and also hot air," the man answered. "You, of course, on the other hand…"

Now Saito understood why the Dark Magician had given him the Duel Disk. There were other Duelists in this world, like him.

"Oh, and they're not dead," the mystery Duelist answered. "Just in a coma after I drained them of their magical energies." He showed Saito the card which was glowing with magical energy. "But I'm after a bigger prize here." He pointed at Saito. "You, and your deck."

"Then you gotta duel me!" Saito challenged, activating his Duel Disk.

"Fine by me!" the Duelist replied.

"Saito!" Louise yelled. Saito turned to see Kirche and Louise not too far behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Louise, get back!" Saito told her.

"Ah, and an audience. Good…" the Duelist grinned under his hood. "Now, shall we get started?"

"You bet!" accepted Saito.

"LET'S DUEL!" Saito and the Mystery Duelist called.

**SAITO: 4000 LP**

**MYSTERY DUELIST: 4000 LP**

A circle of light surrounded both Saito and the Mystery Duelist, causing both Louise and Kirche to take several steps backwards. Both Saito and the Mystery Duelist drew their opening hand of five cards.

"I think I'll make a move, first," said the Mystery Duelist as he put a hand to his deck.

"Mind taking off the hood?" Saito asked. "I'd like to see what you look like."

The Mystery Duelist looked up at Saito and shrugged. "Fine by me." He pulled down his hood. He had pale skin, dark green eyes and a brown bowl cut with a short ponytail at the base of his skull.

"I'm Saito Hiraga," Saito introduced himself. "And you?"

"Just call me Swarm," the Mystery Duelist, now calling himself 'Swarm', answered. "Now, time to start my turn! Draw!" He added the card to his hand and smiled. "Alright, I set one card facedown, and then I set another monster facedown in Defence Mode and activate the Spell card, Insect Barrier!" The card appeared next to Swarm with an image of a beetle and a butterfly attempting to move through a yellow barrier with little success. "With this card, any and all insect monsters on your side of the field cannot attack!"

The card flashed brightly before a web of yellow lines bisected the playing area, separating Saito and Swarm from one another.

"I'll end my turn with that," Swarm grinned.

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Saito announced, drawing his sixth card. He knew that any Insect-type monsters were now forbidden from attacking, but luckily he didn't have any save for one in his entire deck! "I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf in attack mode!"

Saito put the card down and the magic activated. Emerging from a flash of light was a bipedal white creature which had four arms. The hands were black with red claws while it's face may have been considered human-like except for the fact that purple fur/fabric was covering it and under its arms. Louise and Kirche could only cringe at its appearance, thinking that the only thing they could call wolf-like on the monster was the wolf-like ears on its black-furred head.

**Gene-Warped Warwolf: LV4/EARTH/Beast-Warrior/2000/100**

"Attack his monster with Gene-Warped Smash!" Saitoh ordered, pointing at Swarm's facedown monster.

The Gene-Warped Warwolf roared and smashed its fist into the facedown monster, which flipped face-up as soon as it did. There was an explosion, followed by a cloud of smoke.

"Man-Eater Bug's effect activates," declared Swarm.

Emerging from the smoke which the Warwolf had created, an insect monster appeared. It was brown with thin limbs and large claws on its hands and feet. The monster was wounded and angry, but not dead. Hissing, it launched itself at the Warwolf, wrapping its limbs around it and then suddenly exploded, taking its opponent with it.

**Man-Eater Bug: LV2/EARTH/Insect/450/600**

"Crap!" Saito hissed, shielding his eyes from the smoke.

"Hey!" Louise cried as she and Kirche witnessed the destruction. "What gives? Saito told me all the rules and your monster's defense was pitiful compared to his monster's attack power! Why'd that bug destroy his monster?"

"Newbies," Swarm sighed, glancing at the pinkette. "Because, stupid mage, my Man-Eater Bug has a special ability. When it's flipped, it can destroy any monster on the field. That also activates when it is attacked like your little boyfriend did just now."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Louise snapped angrily. "He's my familiar!"

Saito rolled his eyes, trying not to get distracted. He had to concentrate right now. "I throw one card facedown," a large card appeared at Saito's announcement. "Then I'll activate my Spell card, Heart of the Underdog!"

The Spell card displayed depicted a young man with a green vest, long brown hair and a headband struggling against a wind.

Saito finished, "I end my turn."

"Now, my move," said Swarm as he drew his card. "Alright, I summon Flying Kamakiri #1 in Attack Mode!"

**Flying Kamakiri #1: LV4/WIND/Insect/1400/900**

The monster which appeared resembled a dragonfly which stood on its hind legs. It was as tall as a man and sported vicious claws.

"Flying Kamakiri #1, attack my opponent directly!" declared Swarm.

Flying Kamakiri flew across the field and slashed at Saito. As the claws dug into him, he let lose a scream of agony. It felt like he was actually being cut by the claws of the monster although there was no sign of injury.

"Saito!" Louise cried. Kirche could only gasp in horror at what happened.

**SAITO: 2600 LP**

"Ugh…I'm…I'm fine!" the self-proclaimed ordinary boy managed to choke out as he struggled to get his footing back.

"You won't be for long. I end my turn by setting a card facedown," finished Swarm.

"I activate my Trap card, Solemn Wishes!" declared Saito as his facedown card flipped up, depicting a woman with rain coming down on her. "Now, when I draw a card, I gain 500 Life Points!" He declared, "Ore no turn! Draw!" He drew a card and this caused Solemn Wishes' effect to give him 500 Life Points.

**SAITO: 3100 LP**

"Now, my Heart of the Underdog activates!" He showed what he had drawn. "I drew Alien Shocktrooper, so I draw again!" He drew and his Life Points went up.

**SAITO: 3600 LP**

"Now, I just drew my Luster Dragon, and since it's a Normal monster, I may draw again!"

**SAITO: 4100 LP**

He smiled at what he'd just drawn. "Now, time for a counter attack! I activate my Spell card, Ancient Rules! Now, come forth Frostosaurus!"

Another flash of light heralded the appearance of a monster. This one appeared to be like a brontosaurus of the dinosaur era, but was in fact covered with a thick layer of ice which radiated cold that seeped into the room. The chilling beast let off a powerful roar as it finished materializing in the room.

**Frostosaurus: LV6/WATER/Dinosaur/2600/1700**

"Now, Frostosaurus, attack Flying Kamakiri #1!" Saito ordered. "Ice Age Burst!"

The Frostosaurus reared its head back, taking in a deep breath, before breathing out a literal blizzard at the insect monster. If the attack connected, then Swarm would lose a huge amount of Life Points. Saito wasn't worried about losing any points. With his Heart of the Underdog and Solemn Wishes combo, he was sure to gain plenty to survive this duel.

Swarm smirked and declared, "I activate a trap! DNA Surgery!" One of his facedown cards flipped open, depicting surgeons. "This Trap card allows me to alter the monsters on the field into the Type I declare, so from this point on all monsters on the field are INSECTS!"

Frostosaurus suddenly gained an insectoid look as its eyes became compound eyes and it grew antennae, gained insect mandibles and a pair of additional legs appeared. Its attack hit the Insect Barrier and left the Flying Kamakiri #1 monster unharmed.

"Should've known…" murmured Saito. That was a simple combo, yet it was also impenetrable as long as those cards were active on the field. He checked his hand. If only he had Mystical Space Typhoon or even Dust Tornado right now. Too bad his hand only had Monster cards. There was also another card that could help. "I end my turn by summoning Luster Dragon in defence mode!"

**Luster Dragon: LV4/WIND/Dragon/1900/1600**

The blue-scaled dragon was kneeling in a defensive pose. It then turned more insect-like as a result of Swarm's DNA Surgery.

Swarm drew a card and smiled. "You're not the only one who can Special Summon, boy!" He activated his Spell card. "I activate MY Ancient Rules in order to summon Metal-Armored Bug in Attack Mode!"

**Metal-Armored Bug: LV8/EARTH/Insect/2800/1500**

Materializing onto the field was a silver-armored beetle. It was as huge as Frostosaurus and didn't look very friendly.

"And he won't be alone! Next, I tribute Flying Kamakiri #! in order to summon Insect Princess!"

The dragonfly vanished, to be replaced by a humanoid yellow butterfly with feminine curves, four arms and beautiful wings.

**Insect Princess: LV 6/Wind/Insect/1900/1200**

Swarm was left with an empty hand but he wasn't afraid. "Now, Insect Princess, attack his Luster Dragon!"

The beautiful monster swooped across the field and struck Luster Dragon, destroying it.

"And my Insect Princess has a special ability. Each time she destroys an Insect monster in battle, she gains 500 attack points, and because of my DNA Surgery, your monsters are now Insects so now she gets a power boost!"

**Insect Princess: 2400/1200**

"Now, Metal-Armored Bug will attack your Frostosaurus!"

The bug crawled across the field and slammed into Saito's ice monster, causing it to shatter apart.

**SAITO: 3900 LP**

Saito let out a grunt at the loss of Life Points. Things were looking bad.

"Saito, are you okay?" Louise cried.

"Just fine, Louise," said Saito.

"I end my turn," said Swarm.

"My draw!" declared Saito. "And now Solemn Wishes grants me 500 Life Points!"

"That would be true under normal circumstances but not with THIS!" Swarm's facedown card activated. "Bad Reaction to Simochi!"

The Trap card depicted a cowering woman surrounded by ghostly yellow arms.

Saito grunted as his Life Points fell.

**SAITO: 3400 LP**

"What happened?" questioned Kirche.

"Saito told me that his Trap card, Solemn Wishes, helps him gain Life Points when he draws, but I don't know what happened," answered Louise.

"Bad Reaction to Simochi is a Trap card that reverses the effect of any card that increases Life Points, dealing damage equal to the amount they would've gained instead!" explained Swarm. "So, now when he draws, he loses his Life Points instead of gaining them."

Saito saw what he drew. It was a Normal Monster card. Should he use Heart of the Underdog? He was going to lose Life Points either way. "I just drew Soul Tiger so I may draw again!" Saito let out a grunt as he drew.

**SAITO: 2900 LP**

"Saito, stop drawing!" shouted Louise.

"I drew Battle Footballer, so I draw again!" said Saito, ignoring Louise.

**SAITO: 2400 LP**

"I drew Insect Knight so I draw again!"

**SAITO: 1900 LP**

"Are you trying to lose?" questioned Swarm. Had his opponent lost his mind?

Saito drew again and declared, "I just drew Sabersaurus so I draw again!"

**SAITO: 1400 LP**

He drew his next card

**SAITO: 900 LP**

Saito didn't look all too well after drawing so many cards and losing so many Life Points. He was sweating.

"I drew my Vorse Raider, so I draw again!"

**SAITO: 400 LP**

Saito looked like he was going to collapse.

"Idiot," snorted Swarm. Swarm still had all his Life Points (4000) while Saito was down to only 400 LP

Saito had stopped drawing and gave a smirk.

"Now, it's my move! I activate the Spell Card, FINAL DESTINY!"

Saito removed five cards from his hand sent them into his Graveyard. This caused the Spell card he'd activated to show on his side of the Field. It depicted a mushroom cloud rising into the air behind a scraggly and despairing character. "Final Destiny has a heavy cost. I have to discard five cards from my hand, but since I used Heart of the Underdog to draw that many cards, I don't suffer that high a price! Now, Final Destiny will destroy ALL the cards on the field!"

The instant he said that, the Spell and Trap cards all detonated and finally both Insect Princess and Metal-Armored Bug were destroyed as well.

The Field was clear and it was still Saito's turn.

"Now, I activate my second Ancient Rules and bring out Giga Gagagigo!"

The monster resembled Gogiga Gagagigo, but with green scales and silver technological armor. He looked smaller, but no less mean.

**Giga Gagagigo: LV5/WATER/Reptile/2450/1500**

"And I also summon Alien Shocktrooper to join him!"

The monster appeared to join Giga Gagagigo. The first thing that the girls thought when they looked at the beast was 'centaur', but that was before they saw that it was a large green reptile with the shape of a centaur. It was donned in black armor with blue bubbles on it and wielded a large sword. The beast only hissed amusedly

**Alien Shocktrooper: LV4/EARTH/Reptile/1900/800**

"Now, attack Swarm directly!" Saito commanded.

The two monsters didn't need another order as they charged across the field. Swarm's eyes shrank as the two reptile monsters approached. Both of the beasts reared back their fists, Giga Gagagigo on the right and Alien Shocktrooper on the left.

"No! No! Wait a second!" Swarm shouted

**POW!**

Swarm was hurled clear across the room and collided with the wall as the two punches collided with him. His face looked bloody and already swelling after just taking the hit while his Life Points hadn't faired any better.

**Swarm LP: 0 (Winner: Saito)**

Swarm couldn't move nor get up. "Who…who are…you?" Swarm asked.

"Saito Hiraga," Saito answered before he toppled over and collapsed.

"I…see…" Swarm closed his eyes as darkness claimed him. He began to vanish, leaving behind only his cloak and Duel Disk.

* * *

Duelist Profile #1

Saito Hiraga

Age: 16

Nationality: Japanese

Deck: Normalcy Beatdown

Saito was unexpectedly summoned by Louise during her familiar summoning ritual and ended up bonded to her as her familiar. At first, both of them was upset about the arrangement but then Saito ended up in a duel against Guiche and ended up showing the nobles what he could do. The Dark Magician gave Saito a new Duel Disk and a dueling deck to use against Guiche and won. Originally intending to be a student of the famous Duel Academy before being summoned by Louise, Saito is going to show the world the power of a duelist. Saito's deck is centered on Normal Monsters and utilizes Spells and Trap card to support them.

Duelist Profile #2

Swarm

Deck: Insect Swarm

Swarm was a Dark Duelist who was collecting magical energy for an unknown purpose. He then entered Tristian to collect more Mana when Saito found him. Swarm used a DNA Surgery and Insect Barrier combo to defend himself from Saito's attacks and also used Bad Reaction of Simochi to use Saito's Solemn Wishes against him. He lost the duel and vanished, leaving behind his cloak, deck and Duel Disk. The only monsters he was seen using during the duel were Flying Kamakiri #1, Insect Princess and Metal-Armored Bug.


	122. DRT1

**Journey Through the Decade: Dark Rider Thesis**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 1: Sachiel**

The streets of Tokyo-3 were silent as the grave. No people were around which was unusual given the size of the city in which Tokyo-3 was. Usually there should have been a bustling population of people, talking, walking, and running in all directions. The silence alone was deafening and unnerving should anyone have been in it. However, the streets were silent and alone so no one had to feel that unease.

That would quickly change.

The sounds of a whistle cut through the air as the door to a nearby apartment complex opened. However, rather than the inside of the building, the image of a desert with rocky canyons was visible as what appeared to be a futuristic bullet train sped by. Emerging from that door were three teenagers who seemed to be drastically different, but as close as siblings.

The first one was female and the eldest. She was moderately tall with reddish-pink hair that reached down her shoulders. She seemed to be wearing what amounted to a black bodice which left a tantalizing amount of cleavage with straps on her shoulders that were practically slipping off and leaving her shoulders bare. She wore a simple black skirt which had a white edge that reached down just past her knees. She had a beautiful face and a soft smile as she walked with the other two with her. On her head she wore a sunhat which covered the top of her head and increased her gothic look along with the high heel sandals on her feet. Her name was Lucy Smith and she was 18.

The second was a boy and looked slightly younger than the girl. He wore a simple black T-shirt with a red spiral design on it. Overtop was a black jacket which he left open which had orange accents on the front. He wore khaki pants which had orange bits on the pockets. His eyes were a crystal blue, but he tended to squint. An odd marking was the three whisker-like marks he had on both cheeks. He also had spiky blonde hair which had a look of gold in it. His name was Naruto Uzumaki-Smith and he was 16 years old.

The final boy was the youngest of the trio. He seemed a little plainer than the other two, but somehow made his presence known just the same. He had a simple white button up shirt on with black jeans and blue sneakers. His had short brown hair and blue eyes which seems to sparkle with laughter and happiness, but tempered with maturity beyond his years. His name was Shinji Ikari-Smith and he was 14 years old.

In other worlds, times, and places, these three would have been dealt very awful hands while growing up. Lucy would have been raised in an orphanage while tormented by the others until she finally snapped, going on a killing spree several times in her life. Naruto would have been kicked out of his orphanage, blamed for the crimes of the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed within him. Shinji would have grown up alone and introverted thanks to the manipulations of his heartless and obsessive father. However, Fate decided that these neglected children deserved a happier fate. One filled with the love and family that they so craved.

Their happiness came in the form of Warren Smith. The man appeared in Lucy's orphanage, saving her beloved puppy from being hurt by the bullies there before he brought her home to her new mother Raven who accepted her with open arms. She even got a new little brother and sister, Alex and Tessa. Lucy thought she had found heaven until it suddenly got better. Her new daddy came home with a new little brother for her. Naruto had been thrown out of his orphanage and digging through trash for food when Warren found him. Naruto had leaped at the opportunity to have a home and family, but he was afraid it wouldn't last. Lucy was more than happy to be his big sister and show him it wasn't a lie. Finally, Lucy and Naruto both got a new little brother in Shinji Ikari who had been abandoned by his father immediately after the death of his mother. The boy was still mourning over losing his parents, but the Smith family done all they could to make him feel wanted and loved, which had done miracles for the boy.

Growing up with Warren and Raven was infinitely better than growing up alone for the trio. Lucy was accepted for her looks and abilities without hesitation, helping her bloom into a beautiful young woman who had much love to give. Her boyfriend Kouta could attest to that. Naruto, with all the encouragement in the world and then some, had proven to be an intelligent young man who was skilled in academics as well as athletics, making him something of a school heartthrob, but he only had eyes for his Hinata-chan. Shinji had bloomed like his siblings, finding joy in life, his cello music, and had a bunch of friends in school growing up.

"So, this is Tokyo-3," said Lucy. "A bit quiet."

"Yeah, at least Konoha had some life in it," stated Naruto. "So, is this where we're supposed to be, Shinji?"

"Yes, Nii-san," said Shinji as he checked the letter, which also came with a picture of a beautiful woman. The letter was more of a summon call with one word: come.

"If you ask me you should've chucked that letter in the trash," snorted Lucy.

"I could, but Father did tell me that a man has to uphold his duty," said Shinji. "This world will be in danger and we have to protect it."

"Protect it from what?" Lucy gestured to the quiet city. "Boredom?"

"Lucy-neechan, there must be a reason why the city's quiet," said Naruto. "Most likely it's something bad."

"Kaijin?" Lucy supplied.

"Possibly," nodded Naruto.

"What kind, though?" questioned Shinji.

"That's why we're here. To find out."

It was no secret that the three siblings came from different worlds. As such, Warren maintained properties and/or contacts in each of the worlds so to keep an eye on any and all things which might be happening. It also gave his three children a chance at a broad education. They received a simple upbringing in Lucy's world, to tutoring in the ninja arts in Naruto's world, and the advanced education which could be found in Shinji's world. As such, all three of the Smith children were experienced in many different things and were easily capable of defending themselves from most threats. Of course, that didn't stop a concerned father from giving his children a helping hand, but that can be discussed later.

The reason that the Smith Children had returned to Shinji's world was because of the letter their younger sibling was holding. Days ago, the man who was supposed to be raising Shinji for Gendo (a contact and friend of Warren) received the letter and passed it on to the boy. Remembering the pain the man caused for Shinji, Lucy and Naruto insisted they go with him to make sure the old man didn't try to hurt their little brother again. That led to their quick trip on the ChronoLiner to Shinji's native world where they currently are.

Shinji looked up from the letter and picture with suggestive comments on it. He didn't see anyone like the person in the picture around. Naruto was complaining about boredom while Lucy walked over to a nearby telephone booth to try and call the number she had spotted on the picture.

"_We're sorry. Due to special emergency, all lines are currently unavailable._" The pre-recorded voice on the phone droned. Lucy frowned and hung up, turning back to her siblings. "Apparently there's an emergency going on."

"Emergency?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "How can they call an emergency when nothing's happening?"

Shinji tuned his siblings out as he tried to see if there was anyone else out there he could ask for assistance. As he searched, he spotted someone standing in the middle of the road. She wore a simple white blouse with a green skirt and had red eyes with blue hair. Shinji at first she was an albino since she was so pale and her eyes were red, but the hair suggested differently. Maybe she dyed it to look more normal but it failed or something?

The sudden onrush of birds nearby caught Shinji's attention for a moment. Chiding himself for being jumpy, he turned his attention back to the girl, but found her missing. It was like she had vanished. '_How…strange…_'

"Yo, Shinji!" Naruto cried to his little brother. "What are you looking at? Do you see someone?"

"I…" Shinji began.

That's when the explosions started.

* * *

-**Roughly at the same time**-

The street was quiet in this section of Tokyo-3 much like it was all over the city. However, it didn't stay that way for long. In the centre of the empty street with he abandoned cars a flash of silver light erupted from the air. Something akin to a silver veil appeared before it shifted backwards, revealing two figures.

The first was male in his mid-teens. He wore Chinese clothes consisting of a blue shirt with wood ties and black tang pants and slippers. His hair was black with it being tied in a pigtail. His posture spoke for massive martial arts experience and battles at the extreme of human ability and even beyond in some cases. His name was Ranma Saotome, the one-dimensional fighter also known as Kamen Rider Decade.

Next to him was a girl just leaving her teens wearing a simple housedress. She was slightly taller than Ranma. She had long dark hair which she kept in a simple yet functional ponytail. She was the eldest of the Tendo sisters who called Nerima home alongside Ranma. Her name was Kasumi Tendo and she was his traveling companion during his adventure through the Rider Worlds.

"Where do you think we are now Ranma?" Kasumi asked as she eyed the buildings. They looked so futuristic and technologic. It was like being in a movie.

"Not sure," Ranma sighed, glancing at the Nanban Mirror, their means of traversing through the multiple worlds. "The only image I got was three Riders dressed in black. They looked like they came from Caucasus, Kiva, and Faiz Worlds, but those worlds were saved. It's not like they merged, did they?"

"I hope not," Kasumi frowned.

"Anyway, let's try to get our bearings and see what this world is like," Ranma sighed, stashing the Mirror in a ki pocket to be brought out later.

Nodding, Kasumi and Ranma began heading down the abandoned streets, trying to find some clue as to where they were and what Ranma would end up fighting. It was slightly unnerving to find the streets so empty and quiet. Were they too late? Had the threat already completed its work? Would it be like Desaint World where the monsters were attempting to subjugate humanity?

It didn't take long for some of their questions to be answered when explosions could be heard on the horizon. Kasumi gasped in shock and Ranma quickly drew the Decadriver, his means of transforming into his Rider form as it happened. However, even the hardened Kamen Rider gave pause when he saw the large shape beginning to loom over the rooftops.

* * *

"Holy SHIT!" Naruto gaped at the giant monster.

WHAP!

"Ow!" Naruto's head lurched forward as something apparently invisible smacked it from behind. "Nee-chan!"

"I will not have my brothers have foul mouths," the young woman frowned at her brother even as she cast her gaze at the monstrosity coming through the city.

It was a giant beast which easily loomed over the rooftops. Its body was a dark green with massive shoulders and long spindly arms which ended in large hands. It didn't have a head coming from the shoulders, but it did have a white bone mask with a large nose at the point where the neck should have been Just below that mask was a large red sphere which stood out against the dark flesh of its body, surrounded by bone-like armor which resembled ribs. Its shoulders were covered with the same appearance.

VTOL's from the JSSDF were firing volleys of missiles at the monster, but for some reason the missiles would explode before actually reaching the beast. In retaliation, the monster would raise its arms and a long lance of white energy would surge out from its palm and pierce one of the flying machines, sending it sprawling to the ground.

"This is worse than a Kaijin!" Shinji cried as the siblings watched one of the machines crash nearby. "It's a Kaiju!"

"A little bigger than we're used to dealing with," Lucy frowned. The frown turned into a confident smirk "Still, after facing the likes of Makamou, how much tougher can it be?"

"Why don't we find out?" Naruto laughed, his grin matching his sister's.

"I'm game," Shinji nodded.

Lucy moved first, drawing a leather belt from assumedly a ki pocket before wrapping it around her waist. The centre of the belt was made of metal and looked technologically advanced. On the hip was a long black sword which looked likewise technologic. Lucy then brought out a gold and black phone which had an omega symbol stamped on the front and opened it before typing in numbers.

**0-0-0-ENTER**

**"Standing By."**

"Henshin!" Lucy cried, snapping the phone closed before inserting it into her buckle and securing it horizontally on the belt.

**"Complete."**

Gold lines burst from the sides of the buckle, weaving a pattern over Lucy's body before a golden light shone brightly. As it dimmed, Lucy was donned in a suit of armor. It was mainly black with gold lines etched on it. Two strips of black cloth with gold on the edges fell from her back like a cape and a pair extended from her belt like a trench coat would. Her chest armor had a round red core in the centre which seemed to glow with power, surrounded by the gold lining. Her helmet was mainly black and gold. It also had an ornament shaped like an omega symbol. There was a red stone on the forehead which connected to her red visor. She also had a silver mouth guard which fully concealed her identity.

She was now Kamen Rider Orga!

"**Standby!**" an electronic voice came from Shinji's waist, revealing a technological metallic belt. There was a buzzing sound and a small black shape flew towards Shinji. Shinji caught it, revealing it to be a robotic black beetle.

"Henshin!" Shinji called as he slid the beetle along the front of his belt and secured it.

"**Henshin!**" the belt echoed as a hexagon field began to cover him.

Shinji was quickly covered in a black bodysuit which had metal strips on the shins and feet for protection. His torso was covered by thick gray armor which had red accents on it. His shoulders were bulky with an insect-like logo on one shoulder with circular plating covering his arms and more plating covering his hands. His helmet was thick with a V-shaped ornament on his forehead and a large yellow visor.

Shinji had become Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto!

Dark Kabuto reached to his waist and unlocked the horn of his buckle, bringing electric surges through his armor. The heavy pieces of metal loosened as the energy passed through it.

"Cast Off!" Dark Kabuto cried as he yanked the horn.

"**Cast Off!**" the machine called before the heavy armor of Dark Kabuto's Masked Form exploded from his body in all directions.

Dark Kabuto's form was now somewhat smaller without the heavy armor on it. His torso armor was a glossy black with red circuitry designs running on it. The shoulders were rounded gray metal with some black on them. His helmet was black with a yellow visor. However, a rhino beetle horn hidden under the armor folded upward to attach to the helmet, bisecting the yellow visor.

"**Change Beetle!**"

"Kivat!" Naruto called and a creature that resembled a black and red mechanical bat flew down from the sky towards him. The bat's yellow eyes focused upon Naruto as he extended his hand.

"Biting!" the bat, Kivat-bat the Second, said as he bit into Naruto's hand, causing the stained glass markings of the Fangire Clan to appear on his skin. The markings also appeared on his cheeks. His whisker markings flared with red chakra as the Kyuubi was roused. Black chains wrapped around his waist and melted before forming into a black belt with a perch on the front and slots on the side holding items called Fuestles, six in total with three on each side.

"Henshin!" Naruto called as the bat swooped to the belt and hung upside down from the front. This caused a pulsing sound to be released as Naruto's body was covered in green tinted quicksilver. His body then shifted before the quicksilver shattered from his frame.

He was donned in regal blood red armor which seemed to be sharp on every edge it produced. His chest was covered with a black crest similar to bat wings with three green gems embedded in it. A black cape hung regally from his shoulders like he was royalty. His helmet was blood red with large dark green eyes and a silver mouth guard with fangs on it. Bat wings extended from the temples as if they were part of a crown suitable for a king. From the centre of the forehead was a bat-like head which completed the vampire theme of the armor.

Naruto had transformed into Kamen Rider Dark Kiva.

"Well then," Orga spoke up, gripping her sword. "Shall we teach this Kaiju a lesson about invading cities?"

"Hai!" Dark Kiva and Dark Kabuto nodded. With all three of the siblings in agreement, they charged towards where the monster was facing off against the military.

* * *

Ranma and Kasumi gaped at the appearance of the giant monster which was fighting the military. It looked like something out of a Godzilla movie only worse. People were really dying when the monster attacked them. Kasumi quivered at the sight while Ranma tightened his grip on the Decadriver.

"Kasumi," Ranma frowned. "Do you think you can find someplace safe to hide?"

"Anyplace away from that…thing, would be safe," Kasumi shuddered. "I'll be fine, Ranma-kun. You have to go do what Kamen Riders do."

"Okay," Ranma nodded, holding the Decadriver to his waist. A silver strap wrapped around his waist while a metal book called the Ride Booker appeared on his left side. Opening it, Ranma drew a card with a Kamen Rider with green eyes and a barcode-like face with several short horns on the front. Opening his Decadriver, he held up the card.

"Henshin!" he called before slipping the card into the Decadriver and shutting it.

**"Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

Nine symbols of the Heisei Kamen Rider appeared around him before forming into gray human images. The images then converged on Ranma, donning him in a suit of armor which was gray with black segments and a white X on his left bicep that stretched across his left shoulder and chest. Several red panels emerged from his belt before fusing to his helmet, filling the gray sections with color. The eyes of the helmet flashed green as the transformation was completed.

Ranma had changed into Kamen Rider Decade.

"I'll be back. I promise," Decade swore before he took a running leap and landed on top of one of the buildings. He then charged off in the direction of the giant monster which was cutting down the strange helicopters with ease.

"Ranma-kun," Kasumi sighed softly, very worried for her little brother.

* * *

"OK, Nee-chan, how are we supposed to do this?" asked Dark Kiva. The three Dark Riders stood atop a building.

"Papa always said to look for your opponent's weakness," Orga reminded. Her visor covered eyes were focused upon the monster's red core which was mounted on its chest. "My guess it's that red ball in its chest."

"My Rider Kick can handle it," said Dark Kiva confidently as he took out his Dark Wake Up Fuestle. Orga grabbed his hand. "Huh?"

"Not yet," said Orga diplomatically. "This is Shinji's world so Shinji should be the one to take it down, with our help of course."

"Me?" Dark Kabuto pointed to himself.

"Your Clock Up ability," Orga reminded. "No way that thing can counter it." Her eyes then spied another figure that stood atop another nearby building. "Huh? Who's that?"

"Who?" Dark Kiva asked.

"There, standing on that building," Orga pointed. Her brothers followed her gaze to see someone in a suit of armor leaping across rooftops to get closer to the monster. "It looks like…a Kamen Rider!"

"A Rider besides us? Here?" Dark Kabuto asked. "What is he doing here?"

"Hopefully helping," answered Dark Kiva.

Indeed, it was Decade's intention to assist. Looking at the giant monster, he guessed that the red orb on its chest was a possible weakness. Grabbing his Ride Booker, he unfolded it into its gun formation before drawing a card. Opening his Decadriver he sipped the card inside before shutting it.

**"Attack Ride: Blast!"**

"Hey ugly! Down here!" Decade shouted before he opened fire, aiming at the red core. Energized red bullets shot through the air and appeared to be heading on an unobstructed path towards the monster's centre. However, before they could hit, the rounds collided against some kind of invisible wall. As the rounds hit, orange hexagons spread from the impact points like ripples.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Decade moaned. However, it did succeed in capturing the monster's attention. It pointed its palm at Decade before its energy lance shot towards him. "Woah!"

Decade's speed managed to save him as he leaped onto the next rooftop while the energy lance smashed through the building he was in. The large monster withdrew its lance, but it didn't keep its gaze off of Decade. Lethargically, it began aiming for another shot.

* * *

**Inside NERV Central**

"Status report!" one of the generals in charge of the operation barked out.

"_The enemy has stopped moving!_" one of the technicians in charge of monitoring the enemy reported through the communication system. "_Something's distracting it at the moment!_"

A man was sitting at his post with his hands folded together, watching the monitors with an unblinking gaze. He had dark brown hair and a beard while wearing green tinted glasses and a dark jacket. He knew this enemy very well. It was why his organization was created. Nothing should have stopped the enemy save for perhaps an N2 mine or one of the secret weapons in his possession. What could have possibly distracted the enemy from its course?

"Distracted it?" one of the generals blinked. "What the hell could distract it when all of our units couldn't even make it stand still?"

"Get us a visual on what it seems to find so damn interesting!" ordered another general.

"_Yessir!_" the technician replied and began typing at his console.

All eyes were on the monitors as they zoomed in on the area in which the massive creature seemed to be paying its attention. It was hard to notice at first, but as the cameras from nearby VOTL's zoomed in, four figures could be seen. One was running away from the enemy's lance, donned in an odd suit of armor which was red, black, and white. Running towards the first figure were three people in dark suits of armor.

"Just who the hell are they?" demanded the first general. "We don't have time for civilians playing hero!"

"People fighting monsters in costume," an elderly gentleman standing next to the bearded man spoke. "Reminds me of shows before Second Impact."

"Hnn," The bearded man frowned. He didn't care if people wanted to go insane and dress up in strange outfits, but why did the enemy pay them any mind?

* * *

"Holy smokes!" Dark Kiva cried as he and his siblings dashed over to the unknown Kamen Rider. He had managed to escape a second assault by the energy lance and had emerged just a bit dusty from the encounter. "Hey, you okay?"

"Peachy," Decade grumbled as he looked up at the three Kamen Riders who had apparently decided to take part against this monster. "Do you guys know what this thing is?"

"Never seen it before," Orga answered as she looked up at the Kaiju.

"First time fighting one," Dark Kiva added.

"It's new to me," Dark Kabuto agreed.

"Stupid thing has a force field around it too," Decade grumbled as the monster began setting its sights on the four of them. It seemed confused or curious at the moment. That suited the four of them fine since it allowed a moment of rest. "Any ideas about what to do?"

"Well, in my experience protective fields can either only last so long or can only take so much force before they break," Dark Kiva spoke as he gripped his Dark Wake Up Fuestle. "I think I'll try for the latter." Bringing the item to his 'buckle's' mouth, he slipped it in before closing Kivat's mouth, tapping the chin as he did

"**Wake Up One!**" Kivat cried as he unleashed the first level of his magic.

Clouds rolled into the sky as day turned into night. A red moon hung in the sky, bathing everything in red light, making it seem as if the sky was awash with blood. Growling, Dark Kiva's form was engulfed in red energy with a healthy amount of green mixed in. The enemy was staring at the sky in confusion at what was happening.

* * *

**NERV**

"What the hell?" one of the generals gaped, seeing day turn into night. "Is one of those costumed weirdoes doing that?

"It has to be a malfunction!" cried a second.

The bearded man narrowed his eyes as he watched the event unfolding. This was completely unexpected and there had been no hint that something like this was to be expected.

…this was not part of the scenario.

* * *

Dark Kiva glared at the monster, keeping the red core in sight with imaginary targets on it. Decade, Orga, and Dark Kabuto backed away to give him space as the energy field grow larger. Trembling from the amount of energy he pooled together, Dark Kiva gave off a snarl before leaping into the air. He soared through the air, reaching the apex just at the monster's bone mask. Gravity took back its hold and Dark Kiva began sailing back down, sailing towards the red core. Arching back his fist, the energy he collected swirled around it, turning a bright bloody red.

"**Darkness Hell Crash!**" Dark Kiva roared, punching forward with his energized fist.

The energized punch collided with the force field the monster emitted, causing the hexagonal ripples to appear. Dark Kiva kept up his attack, pushing his might and demonic chakra into the blow. The hexagonal ripples began to become erratic and asymmetrical. The monster itself even seemed to begin staggering from the force of the attack. The ripples became more erratic, losing their shape until…

KERSMASH!

* * *

**NERV**

The operations centre was quiet as everyone froze at the image of what happened. The human leaping into the air was shocking enough, attacking the enemy with just his fist even more so…but this… this…

"Did he just…break through the AT Field?" asked one of the generals in shock. "With just a punch?"

"I think…he did…" gaped the second.

The bearded man began to frown at the sight. This was not supposed to happen. Where had this variable come from?

* * *

"One hole ready to use!" Dark Kiva laughed as he landed on the rooftop with his fellow Riders.

The monster seemed off balance as a visible hole was seen in its field. It was easily big enough to fit several people in it. The only way one could tell there even was a hole was because of the glowing edges of the shattered field. However, Orga noticed something right away as the Kaiju was coming back to its senses.

"It's regenerating!" she cried, seeing the edges of the hole spreading back to cover the space. Dashing to the edge of the rooftop, she began to put her special gift to use. "Oh no you don't!"

Unseen to the naked eye, but noticeable to those sensitive to the energies of the human body, Orga lashed out with her psychic limbs known as vectors. They were her special gift and could function as normal arms, but also could be sharpened enough to cut through anything she desired. Often she used them when she needed an extra hand, but today they served a different purpose. Lashing towards the hole, the vectors gripped the edges and began pulling trying to keep the hole from closing.

"It's…too far!" Orga cried as she struggled to keep the hole in the AT-Field open. "It's still…closing! FINISH IT!"

"Right!" Dark Kabuto nodded as he reached to his belt and began pressing the button-like legs.

"**1, 2, 3,**" the machine called out as Dark Kabuto reset its horn.

"Rider Kick!" the dark Rider called as he yanked the horn again.

"**Rider Kick!**" the machine echoed as tachyon energy began to pulse through his armor, making his visor glow and the circuit patterns in his chest light up.

"You're not leaving me out of this one," Decade frowned as he drew a gold card and opened his Decadriver. Slipping the card in, he shut the device, making it speak.

**"Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**

"Hyah!" Decade shouted as he leapt up.

"Hup!" Dark Kabuto followed.

At the peak of their jump, the holographic cards appeared between Decade and his intended target before he began to descend at an angle, aiming with his right leg out and his other tucked in. Dark Kabuto did the same. The two Riders performed their signature moves as they flew straight into the hole.

SMASH!

CRASH!

Dark Kabuto's Rider Kick and Decade's Dimension Kick smashed hard into the monster's core. Cracks began to spread from the point where their kicks connected. Decade and Dark Kabuto leaped away, leaving glowing footprints where their attacks had landed and the glowing cracks began spreading further out. Orga panted as she released her vectors as her little brother and their ally came back down to the rooftop.

The monster screeched as it stumbled backwards as if it had been shot. The cracks on its core continued to spread with more light seeping from them. Bits and pieces of the core began to fall from the main body as more energy was released through the cracks.

"It's gonna blow!" Dark Kiva cried as the Kaiju's thrashing became more erratic.

"Hit the dirt!" Orga cried, grabbing Decade and Dark Kabuto, pulling them alongside Dark Kiva to find some cover.

BOOOOM!

* * *

**NERV**

The room was silent as they watched the monster erupt in a massive explosion which took the shape of a cross. The cameras were temporarily blinded by the light, making determining the status of the enemy impossible. Eventually, the glare from the explosion began to die down.

The immediate area of the explosion was just a big crater. Everything had been leveled from the detonation. However, there wasn't a single trace of the monster remaining.

"The Angel…has been destroyed!" a technician cried, going from shock to awe in only a few words.

"Thank Kami," one of the generals sighed, leaning in his chair. "I don't know who those masked men were, but they all deserve medals for this."

"Indeed," the second general nodded. Reaching to his radio, he brought up his troops. "I want medics and soldiers examining the area where the enemy exploded! See if anyone is still there!"

"Looks like we didn't need your secret weapon after all," the third general snickered "Eh, Ikari?"

The bearded Ikari frowned deeply.

* * *

"Okay…that hurt…ugh."

The groan came from beneath a large slab of rubble which was scorched black. It shuddered before being pushed onto its front. Emerging from an un-scorched piece of asphalt Dark Kiva brushed the dust from his shoulders. Behind him, Dark Kabuto and Orga emerged, shoving more bits and pieces of rubble. Lastly came Decade as he shook his head to get the buzzing noise out of his head.

"Woah," he sighed as he got to his feet and saw the destruction. "Now that was a cool explosion."

"Totally," snickered Dark Kiva.

"Oh yeah," Dark Kabuto nodded.

"Boys," Orga huffed. "If you're not too busy with admiring the senseless destruction, how about helping me see if anyone is hurt?"

"Oh! Right! Coming Nee-chan!" Dark Kiva cried as he and his little brother began shifting through the rubble further away from the point of detonation and in the half-crumbled buildings. Decade wasn't far behind as he began shifting through the larger piles of destroyed buildings.

Orga tore a destroyed door off a half collapsed building when she heard it, a soft whimper of either pain or fear. She knew the sound well since she had made it several times before her father adopted her. Stepping into the ruined building, she heard it again.

"Hello?" she called softly. "Is anyone here?"

A choked sob replied.

Orga stepped past piles of rubble and found a room with the door blown off. Walking inside, she heard the whimper again. Looking to the corner of the room, she spotted, much to her surprise, a little girl with brown hair huddled in the corner, clutching her knees and crying softly.

"Excuse me," Orga spoke softly, slowly stepping towards the scared little girl. She didn't look like she was that old. Just in the early grades of school if anything. What was she doing out here? "Sweetie? Are you okay?"

The girl looked up at Orga and sobbed a little more before managing to choke out, "Is…is the monster gone?"

"Yes," Orga nodded, kneeling down in front of the girl. "It's gone. My friends and I beat it and made it go away. It can't hurt anyone now."

The little girl choked back a loud sob before scrambling towards Orga, capturing her neck in a hug before crying loudly. Orga gently held the little girl as she stood up, carrying her outside of the ruined building while speaking soothing words to her. Stroking the terrified girl's hair, she found her brothers and their unexpected ally running towards them.

"Did you find anyone else?" asked Orga.

"No," replied Dark Kabuto. "All of the civilians must be in shelters or something."

"What about the soldiers in the downed ships?" the eldest Smith asked.

"They didn't make it," Dark Kiva sighed. "The thing pierced each one on the pilot's side or had stomped on them."

"I see," Orga sighed. Turning to the sniffling child, she decided to ask. "Sweetie? What's your name? How'd you get out here?"

"I'm…Mari," the girl hiccoughed, wiping her eyes. "The shelter…it was scary and…crowded…and I didn't like it. So…so I ran out here…but then…then the monster came and there were all these big booms…and then the bright light…and then the building almost ate me…sniff…I want my big brother!" she broke down into sobs again, hugging Orga's neck. The female Kamen Rider just gently stroked Mari's back, trying to calm her down.

"It's okay. It's okay," Orga spoke soothingly. "Mari-chan, can you show us where the shelter you were in is? We'll take you back to your big brother right now."

"Really?" Mari asked with a sniffle. Seeing Orga's nod, she pointed down the street to the right of the battlefield. "I came from over there."

"Okay Mari-chan, we'll take you back," Orga spoke softly. Gesturing to the other Riders, the four of them made tracks towards the shelter Mari had mentioned.

* * *

People were already exiting the shelter after everything was clear, the military giving the all clear signal. The Angel had been neutralized so everyone was allowed to return to their homes, if they had any. A huge portion of the city had been reduced to rubble due to the monster's explosive destruction. The only reason the entire city hadn't gone up in smoke was because the explosion went straight up rather than in all directions.

One boy, a 14 year old with short brown hair and wearing a black tracksuit, was calling out for his missing sister. "Mari! Mari, where are you?" He was worried and his dad would kill him. He was supposed to be watching her. "Please…don't be dead."

"Onii-chan!" the boy heard, his eyes widening. It was Mari's voice.

"Mari!" Toji called out and he gaped at what he was seeing. There were four figures, dressed in strange suits of armor, and one of them was holding Mari in their arms. Toji quickly jogged up to them. "Mari!"

"Is she yours?" Orga asked, surprising the boy, Toji, because he didn't expect the person wearing the armor to be female.

"Yes," Toji said. Orga put Mari down. The little girl happily ran to her big brother, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"You should learn to keep a better eye on her. She was out there with that monster stomping around. She could've been killed," Orga scolded.

"…sorry," Toji sighed, allowing his sister to hug him. Whispers and questions were being raised by the people behind him, but Toji still had to ask. "Just who are you guys?"

The armored man with green eyes and the X on his chest chuckled as he supplied an answer, "We're just a bunch of Kamen Riders who are passing through. Remember that!"

With the dramatic answer made, the four Kamen Rider turned their backs to the crowd and began walking away. As they reached a fair distance, they suddenly all leaped up and used a nearby fire escape to leap on top of a building before vanishing into the distance. The people from the shelter began chatting about the four strange people as Toji and Mari watched the group leave.

The four Kamen Riders quickly reached another part of the city before coming to a stop. Kivat II removed himself from Dark Kiva's belt, shifting the Kamen Rider back to Naruto while the Dark Kabuto Zector reset and removed itself, undoing Shinji's transformation and Orga removed her phone and punched the END button, allowing her own armor to vanish. Not one to be rude, Decade removed his belt, allowing his transformation back to Ranma. However, Ranma's outfit had changed from his Chinese clothes to a school uniform which consisted of a white button up shirt and black pants. Nothing fancy like his Smart Brain High School uniform had been.

"It seems like we owe each other some thanks for fighting that monster," Lucy sighed softly, letting her shoulders slump from the exertion.

"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "I don't think I could have done it without some help this time around. Thanks."

"Hey, no problem!" Naruto grinned.

"Any help in a situation like that is appreciated," Shinji laughed as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

"No kidding," Ranma agreed before he sighed. "Well. I have a friend to catch up with first. Maybe we can catch up on this situation another time or something."

"Count on it," Lucy nodded. "Now go see to your friend."

Ranma nodded and took off like a shot, heading towards yet another part of the city. Naruto just heaved a sigh as he rested his arms on top of his head before yawning.

"We'll, I'm starving," he spoke. "Anyone want to go for some ramen?"

"You're an addict, Boy," Kivat II sighed, shaking his head.

"Hey, it's nature's perfect food! Don't mock the perfection that is ramen!" Naruto sniffed angrily at his partner.

"Um…shouldn't we try finding that Misato Katsuragi woman first?" asked Shinji. "I mean, that's why we came here in the first place isn't it?"

"Shinji is right," Lucy nodded. "We still have to see what Gendo Ikari wants with our little brother before we can tell him to go to hell and rot there and then leave."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Naruto grinned. "Let's kick that jerk's butt while we're at it!"

"Uh…we don't have to do that much," Shinji gulped. It felt nice to know that his brother and sister were so protective of him, but he didn't want them to get in trouble for his sake.

* * *

Meanwhile, parked at the spot where the trains would unload, Misato Katsuragi was waiting in her blue Renault for Shinji Ikari to appear. She normally should have gone to headquarters to fulfill her duty as the Operations Director, but she had to pick up Shinji first. When she got to the appointed spot, the kid wasn't there. Not that she blamed him considering what was going on at the time. Most likely he had run to a shelter to keep out of harm's way. She was about to go to the nearest shelter to hunt him down when for some reason, the Angel just went and blew up. Not that she minded, but she was sort of hoping to use the Evangelion units on it. Still, the Angel was dead so she couldn't complain. Of course, her superiors would be doing a lot of complaining when the fallout from this incident came up.

"Now where the heck is that kid?" Misato asked out loud.

"Hey! Yoohoo!"

Misato blinked and looked over to see the boy she was supposed to pick up and a couple of older teens with him. One was a blonde with whisker marks on his cheeks and another was a redhead in gothic clothes and a hat. The boy in the lead was definitely Shinji. He looked more or less the same as his file photo. The only difference between a photo and the real thing was that there was more life in his eyes than in the picture she had of him. Apparently Shinji was very good at posing for pictures. Still, the information she had on him as surprisingly lacking considering the Commander had supposedly had agents reporting in on the boy every so often for the sake of records.

"Oh, there you are," Misato smiled, relieved that she wouldn't have to go rooting through the various shelters in the city to try and find him. Removing her sunglasses, she decided to introduce herself. "My name is Misato Katsuragi. I'm supposed to be taking you to NERV when you arrived here."

"We know. Nice picture by the way," Naruto grinned, flashing the photo Misato had sent along with the letter the commander had told her to mail. Of course, seeing how the blonde seemed to enjoy it made her feminine pride swell. Still, she had to ask a question concerning the two with Shinji. Were they friends? Relatives?

"Um…who are you two?" Misato asked.

"We're Shinji's brother and sister," Lucy introduced. "I'm Lucy."

"Call me Naruto."

"Like the ramen topping?" Misato questioned.

"No! It means maelstrom!" Naruto snapped.

"Considering that you're addicted to ramen, the first definition seems more appropriate," snickered Lucy.

"Nee-chan!" Naruto whined.

Misato was confused. She didn't think that the Commander had any other children. On closer inspection she didn't see a resemblance at all. Not a single one. There was probably a logical explanation about that, but either the commander had slept around or Shinji's guardian had brought in more kids.

"Are you really brothers and sister?" asked Misato carefully.

"We're adopted," the trio answered in unison.

"So, Ms. Katsuragi, you'll be taking us all to NERV?" asked Shinji.

"Call me Misato, and I was only supposed to bring Shinji here but I guess since you're all together we can all go. Since the Angel's been dealt with we won't have to be on high alert anymore. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Shotgun!" Naruto called quickly before leaping into the passenger side. Lucy rolled her eyes and went to the backseat with Shinji.

"OK, hold on kids. We're headed to NERV!" declared Misato.

* * *

They were in a hurry, so Misato drove quickly. However, the Dark Riders wondered where the woman got her license. She was driving like a madwoman! Naruto was clutching the front dash, wondering if being the first in the front seat wasn't such a good idea as it seemed. Lucy and Shinji had strapped themselves in with seatbelts, but they were still clutching each other protectively while Misato kept making wild turns.

"So you were all adopted by the same person?" Misato asked, making conversation. "That wasn't in the file I got about you."

"Not surprised," Shinji sighed. "Gendo Ikari would have probably forgotten all about me if he didn't need for whatever reason he called me in today. If he checked to see what happened to me, he would have found out I was adopted."

"So who is your father now anyway?" wondered Misato.

"His name is Warren Smith," Lucy answered. "He's a very kind man who took all three of us in when we were small. He's give us a home, family, and more than enough love to show any lucky child." Her eyes grew foggy with happy memories while Shinji and Naruto's did the same. "All three of us were very lucky to meet him when we did. I'm sometimes afraid to think of what would happen if we didn't and how we would have turned out."

"I try not to," Naruto sighed. "Way too dark for me."

"Wow. Sounds like quite a guy," Misato smiled bitterly, recalling the failings in the field aside from where he saved her life during Second Impact. The way his kids talked about him, the guy sounded like he'd be an easy winner for Father of the Year. "So you guys have anyone else in the family?"

"Well, there's Aunt Teresa and Leon," Naruto grinned, remembering what the blonde woman would babysit them when they were little. "Then there's Kaa-san and the twins, Alex and Tessa. Our little brother and sister."

"There are also Aunt Liz and Aunt Angela, with Steve and Michael," added Lucy. "They're 7. They're like little brothers to us."

"I see Shinji's got experience being a big brother," grinned Misato.

"Oh he's in for a world of experience still," Naruto laughed, making even Shinji chuckle slightly. "Lucy and I sure learned quickly when we got our own little brothers and sister."

"Yes, it was a rather new experience," Lucy grinned. "Having a little sister and brothers was very pleasant for me, even if Shinji was a complete goofball half the time."

"Heh!" Naruto laughed.

"Well, I've gotta say you three seem pretty interesting," Misato smiled. "Maybe with you guys around NERV won't be such a dull place."

"Trust me, Misato," said Lucy. "We'll be turning the place upside down." Her grin was an evil one, almost demonic. She really wanted to meet Gendo. She wanted to let the man know exactly what she thought of him. "So Misato, just what is this NERV place you're bringing us too all about?"

"Glad you asked," Misato smiled. "The organization known as NERV is charged with the duty of defending mankind from the threat of the Angels who wish to trigger Third Impact and wipe us all out."

"Woah. Heavy," Naruto grimaced. When their father said there was a threat to Shinji's world, they weren't kidding.

"Trust me. It's as heavy as it gets," Misato nodded.

"So, what does my biological father have to do with any of this?" asked Shinji, although he was starting to get a sneaking suspicion about it.

"Well, believe it or not he's the supreme commander of NERV and the one spearheading the effort of saving the world along the rest of the organization," Misato answered.

"Hmph! You've made a very poor choice in selecting a commander then," Lucy snorted. Seeing Misato raise an eyebrow in confusion while looking at her through the rearview mirror, she decided to explain. "Gendo Ikari is the last person I'd pick to lead a humanitarian organization like you say NERV is on the account that he has promptly abandoned everything that symbolizes the positive aspects of humanity. How can you have someone who abandoned everything that made him human lead an organization which is supposed to defend humanity?"

Misato wasn't sure how to answer that. Even she had to admit that the commander was a bit…cold. The guy just wasn't pleasant to be around. However, Misato couldn't afford to be picky about who her boss was. She had her own vendetta against the Angels and willing to do anything to get her revenge on them. The scar left on her 15 years ago was a mark that would forever remind her of the disaster the Angels had caused 15 years ago with the emergence of Adam, the first.

"Personally, I think Dad would make a better commander," said Naruto.

"Seconded," Lucy nodded.

"That I will have to agree," Shinji nodded.

* * *

Gendo, in the conference room, was getting an earful from Instrumentality Committee, the backers of NERV who kept the facility funded for their operations. There were only six of them here, but they were only a section of the greater organization known as SEELE. They were not happy because not only were the Evangelions not sent into battle, but the Angel had been defeated by some unknown variables.

"Why were the Evangelions not mobilized sooner against the Angel?" demanded one of the members. "They are what we are practically bankrupting small countries to build and maintain aren't we?"

"The military insisted in continuing their attempts at destroying the Angel," Gendo replied calmly. "NERV is technically a civilian-run organization and thus the military had priority in defeating the Angel before NERV could make its attempt. The situation was out of my hands at the time."

"Perhaps," Keel Lorenz, the head of the council nodded. "However, there are the four anomalies which must be dealt with. What do you plan to do about them, hm?"

Keel pressed a button and four holographic displays lit up. Each one depicted one of the four Kamen Riders during their battle with the Third Angel. The images revealed Dark Kiva breaking the Angel's AT Field, Orga somehow keeping the hole open, and Dark Kabuto along with Decade dealing the deathblow.

"They will be dealt with as soon as possible," Gendo reassured the committee. "I hardly think they'll be able to hide for long. We will capture them and eliminate them from the scenario. Their armor will be studied so to combat further Angels should the need arise."

"I hope for your sake you're right Ikari," another member commented. "We've put too much into NERV and our purpose to let something ruin it now. Take care of these anomalies and get things back on track."

"Of course," Gendo nodded to his superiors.

"Then this meeting is adjourned," Keel nodded. He and the remaining members save for Gendo then winked out of existence, revealing themselves to be holograms. Gendo would have sighed, but he restrained himself. Pressing a button on his desk, the lights in his office came on.

There was a knock at his door and Gendo said, "Enter." Sub-commander Fuyutsuki entered. "What is it, sensei?"

"Your son has arrived," said Fuyutsuki.

"At least something is going as planned," grumbled Gendo. His son…his tool to make his plans a reality had arrived.

"But there's just one thing you need to know…" said Fuyutsuki.

* * *

"LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs as his blue eyes gazed upon the EVA Unit-01. As promised, Misato had brought the Smith siblings into NERV. Naturally the three of them found themselves in awe over the manmade Geofront which NERV headquarters was situated. Of course, the awe turned to annoyance when Misato got them lost in the connecting tunnels. That just got the head scientist of NERV Ritsuko Akagi to come down and find them, which wasn't helped since she wasn't in the best of moods. Of course, Naruto just had to make the comment if only babes could work at NERV then where could he sign up, which got him discretely smacked upside the head by Lucy again. The blonde doctor then led the group straight to where they were now, looking right at Evangelion 01's ugly face.

"Ugly paintjob, though," commented Lucy. "Just who designed this thing anyway?"

"My mother," answered Shinji solemnly.

"Oh, sorry," Lucy apologized. Yui Ikari, Shinji's biological mother, was still a sore issue for the young boy. "Aside from the paintjob it's still cool."

"So, they want you to pilot that thing, huh, Shinji?" grinned Naruto. "Oh, I am so jealous of you right now!"

"Don't be," frowned Shinji. "If I pilot that thing, you know that means I have to work for…" His siblings nodded.

"So, you're here," Gendo spoke as he approached Shinji. Instantly, his eyes hardened like his fathers.

"Gendo," Shinji acknowledged coolly.

"If you had arrived sooner then we could've mobilized the EVA," retorted Gendo.

"Well, it seems to me you don't need me to since the threat has been taken out," answered Shinji. '_By us_,' he added mentally.

Gendo didn't visibly bristle but clearly the boy before him was no what he expected. What he'd expected was a meek, timid boy desperate for his attention and acknowledgement, not this young man. His eyes fell upon Naruto and Lucy. "You aren't authorized personnel."

"Wherever Shinji goes, we go," said Naruto.

"We're a team and inseparable," added Lucy, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She was so tempted to run him through with a vector or at least toss him off the walkway. She could make it look like an accident, but her Papa forbade her from killing…unless it was necessary.

"Regardless, you aren't allowed here," Gendo insisted in his stone demeanor.

"I could care less what you allow here or not," Naruto growled. "The point is Shinji is our little brother and we're going to stick with him like glue. Now get to the freaking point before I kick your ass off this walkway. I doubt anyone would miss you anyway."

Gendo frowned while Misato and Ritsuko gaped at the trio for speaking out against the supreme commander of NERV like they had. Rarely anyone had the guts to talk to him like that and when they did, they found themselves getting shunted to some of the worst possible or most dangerous positions in NERV.

"Dr. Akagi mentioned something about me being labeled the Third Child," Shinji frowned. "Care to explain that one?"

"Your designation refers to your capabilities of piloting the Evangelion units," Gendo spoke, gesturing to the giant purple machine. "These machines are the salvation for humanity against the Angels."

"Not anymore apparently," Lucy snickered. "Someone sure beat the monster out there and it didn't seem like this hunk of scrap."

Gendo again withheld the urge to bristle, but Ristuko definitely didn't. She had a lot of pride in her achievements concerning Evangelion technology. She was the chairperson of Project E after all. She especially didn't like hearing someone talk trash about something she put a considerable portion of her life into perfecting and improving on. She may not have invented, built, or designed them, but she was the reason why they were still functioning today.

"An unexpected reprieve against the Angels," Gendo replied calmly. "I doubt it will happen again."

'_Wanna bet?_' the Smith children snickered internally. Now that they knew how to beat the monsters, they just had to get used to fighting things their size.

"As such, you have been selected as the Third Child to pilot Unit 01 against the Angels," the commander continued.

Shinji didn't like where this was heading. He had a feeling that it wasn't coincidence that he was called to Tokyo-3 on the same day that this monster or Angel as it was designated, decided to attack. If anything, that would have almost guaranteed his piloting the machine if he and his siblings didn't have their means of becoming Kamen Riders. Knowing how low Gendo Ikari could sink, Shinji didn't doubt that the man probably planned that just to get him to pilot the machine.

"You said Shinji's the Third Child," Naruto spoke up. "What happened to numbers one and two?"

"The Second Child is stationed in NERV Germany," Ritsuko explained. "Since we weren't sure where the Angels would appear, we had Eva units in each of NERV's branches. The First Child is here…but she was injured in a training exercise and was unable to pilot."

"Remarkably sloppy means of commanding your facility then," Lucy snorted. "Judging from the size of this place and the technology that has apparently gone into it, you've been expecting these…Angels, to come for quite some time. If my history is correct probably since Second Impact since it's the only event of world history that I can think of that these things may possibly be involved in." She noticed Misato flinch slightly, taking her guess as true. "If that is the case then you've had more than ample time to create a fighting force to combat them yet you've apparently only have one pilot here and only one unit to fight it with. Such sloppy tactics will spell the end of humanity as we know it. You're a real credit to the facility 'Commander'."

"Selecting pilots isn't that easy," Misato spoke up, trying to defend her workplace.

"Fifteen years and you guys only managed to find three pilots?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, that isn't because of difficulty, that's because someone was dragging their feet."

"Or someone with an agenda," added Shinji, his eyes on Gendo.

Coolly, Gendo said, "Since the Angel has been neutralized, you can use this time to train yourself and get accustomed to the Evangelion. Dr. Akagi, prepare the Third Child for the synch test." As Gendo turned, he tripped and fell flat on his face.

Lucy grinned.

* * *

"I'm so glad he didn't raise me," said Shinji as he was ready to enter the Unit-01's entry plug.

He was currently dressed in a skintight outfit which was blue and white with the numbers 01 printed on the chest. He also had a pair of clips on his head which were supposed to help him synch with the Eva, but personally felt the whole ensemble made him look stupid. He had only agreed to this simply for his own reasons. Of course, Naruto and Lucy had a hand in it, really. What better way to jam Gendo's gears by planting a mole in NERV? All three immediately suspected that the man had something big planned if an organization which was supposed to be guarding humanity was being so sloppily run. There was no other plausible way in which they could get in this deep without being on the payroll anyway.

"Me too. I mean I thought Ichijyo was cold," said Naruto. Gendo made the head of the Smart Brain Corporation look like a warm and fuzzy bunny in comparison.

"At least Ichijyo has human emotions. Gendo is like something that shouldn't exist." She added, looking to Shinji, "The only good thing he ever did was help bring you into this world."

"He's the sperm donor for all I care," remarked Shinji. "Father is my real father."

"Speaking of which, you think we should report to Dad later?" asked Naruto.

"Papa will get worried if he doesn't hear from us," nodded Lucy. "All things considered, I think he really needs to know what's going on here."

"By the way, thanks for tripping that jerk up, Nee-san," said Shinji with a grin. He would have used a more colorful name for Gendo, but that always resulted in getting smacked by a vector. Lucy didn't like her family using bad language.

"Hey, he deserves worse," Lucy shrugged. She had a vivid and bloody imagination. The only thing stopping her was her Papa's disapproving look. She couldn't bear to see that especially since he rescued her from that orphanage and gave her a family.

"Hey Shinji!" Misato's voice crackled over a loudspeaker. "We're all set here. Just hop into the entry plug and we'll get the test started. Lucy and Naruto can join us up here in the operations booth."

"Got it!" Shinji waved up to where he could see Misato observing everything. Turning to his siblings, he sighed. "Well, looks like its starting. Hope it looks cool from your end."

"I hope so too," Naruto laughed. "See ya soon!"

"Be careful," Lucy nodded, kissing her brother on the cheek. "I don't want this thing to eat you too."

"It won't," Shinji reassured his sister. "I'll be fine."

Lucy sighed again before nodding. With that, Shinji ducked inside the entry plug while Lucy and Naruto made tracks down the walkway towards the elevators.

The two eldest of the siblings managed to reach the operations booth. At the front were three technicians who were keeping track of the mainstream data. While Shinji was getting ready, Lucy and Naruto found their names to be Makoto, Maya, and Shigeru. The three seemed nice enough to the elder Smith siblings. Behind them were Ritsuko and Misato who were overseeing the operation. At the back of the room was the commander (or to Naruto, The King Bastard) and the sub-commander, a man named Kozo Fuyutsuki. Lucy didn't think he looked like the kind of person who would associate with someone like Gendo too much. In fact, she pegged him to be more of a teacher than anything. She had to wonder why he was in a place like NERV.

"Entry plug has been inserted," Makoto reported. "Beginning startup."

"Harmonics are normal so far," Maya added.

"Synch ratio beginning to rise," Shigeru spoke. "Ten percent and rising steadily."

"Just to let you know," Naruto spoke, getting Gendo's attention. "If anything happens to him in there, you're a dead man."

Gendo didn't even give a flinch that he heard, but Naruto was confident that he did. Lucy silently agreed with the sentiment. If something did happen to her beloved little brother, then Gendo was going to find out what death by vector felt like. She might be merciful and let him live if Shinji was able to recover from such an incident, but she wouldn't leave Gendo whole from the encounter.

"Synch ratio just breeched the fifty percent mark!" Shigeru reported with a bright smile. "Man, this kid is something!"

"Wow," Misato admired. "That's better than when Asuka first tried."

"Asuka was just a little kid when she first got into her Eva," Ritsuko reminded her friend. Cynical comment it might have been, it didn't detract from how impressed she felt considering Shinji's synch so far.

"Maybe, but it's still impressive," Misato shrugged. Stepping towards the consoles, she found the communication system which was linked to Eva 01. "How are you feeling in there Shinji-kun?"

"_Well, your LCL tastes like blood and I almost choked on it,_" Shinji grumbled. "_A little warning would have been nice. It feels a little weird though. It's like I can feel my own body, but I can also feel the Eva's body as if it were my own. The latter feeling is getting stronger too._"

"That's normal," Ritsuko reassured the young man. "The higher your synch rate is the better control you'll have over the Eva."

"But won't that mean he'll begin feeling what the Eva feels?" asked Lucy with some concern. Shinji was no stranger to pain, being a Kamen Rider, but she didn't like the thought of her little brother getting hurt.

"That's one of the downsides of this system I'm afraid," Ritsuko sighed. "We can achieve a phenomenal amount of control over the Evas, but the feedback can be quite painful."

"Some secret weapon," Naruto sighed.

"Breeching seventy-five percent and still rising!" Maya reported. "This can't be possible. Are we sure it's his first time in an Eva?"

"_I'm sure ma'am,_" Shinji nodded. At least the bridge technician people seemed to be nice. No point in being mean to people just because they willingly worked under Gendo. "_I've never even seen one before today._"

"Well, it looks like you'll be our new ace around here," Misato smiled. "If you keep this up the Angels will have a serious fight on their hands."

"_I'll give them everything I got!_" declared Shinji with pride in his voice. He wasn't lying. As a Rider he made sure to give it his all.

* * *

"I am so glad to be out of that gunk!" said Shinji, relieved to be in his own clothes after a hot shower. The test took over an hour since there were over a hundred things in the Eva's operation that needed checking and testing since someone new was piloting it. Despite pressing for details, Ritsuko was being vague about it which gave Lucy and Naruto the impression that if the Eva didn't accept the pilot, bad things happened. "And back in my own clothes too. That suit was riding up my…"

"We don't need that imagery," Lucy interrupted. "Still, things are running smoothly."

"All we gotta do is just sit and wait before we act," said Naruto, "And gather intelligence." As ninjas, they were trained to gather as much information on the enemy as possible. Gendo was marked as one along with the Angels, and Gendo must know something about them if he was preparing for their return after 15 years.

"Ano, Nee-san, Nii-san, do you think we'll ever see that other Rider?" asked Shinji, referring to Decade. It was quite surprising to see a Rider in this world where none had been before and they didn't really take the time to introduce each other even though they knew each others' faces.

"Maybe," nodded Lucy. "If he's here to help that is."

Misato approached the trio and Naruto greeted, "Yo, Misato!"

Smiling, Misato informed them, "OK, kids, I'm pretty sure you can all guess since Shinji's the newest pilot, we'll need him to stay in Tokyo-3 for when another Angel attacks. To that end NERV is trying to get him an apartment. Before anything is finalized though, I was wondering if you guys wanted to crash with me at my place. I mean, I have two extra rooms so Naruto and Shinji will have to share, but I think we can all fit."

Lucy shook her head, saying, "Don't worry about it Misato. That won't be necessary. As the oldest I am their guardian since I'm eighteen years old. And as for living arrangements, Papa already got us a place."

"Oh." Misato blinked. She didn't expect that. Then again if Lucy was telling the truth about her age then it wouldn't be a problem. She just didn't expect the three to have their own place already.

"Here's the address," said Naruto as he fished a small sheet of paper out of it. "We're new in town so we may need directions." He handed the paper to Misato. The captain took the paper and read over it before a smile overcame her face.

"Hey, I know this place!" said Misato with bright eyes and a happy smile. "It's right next door to mine!"

"Huh?" three eyebrows were cocked.

"Looks like we'll be neighbors! How about you drop by my place later so we can celebrate?"

"Oh…joy…" groaned Lucy, murmuring cynically, "That would be perfect."

* * *

"I want Section 2 to watch the Third Child and his…companions," ordered Gendo. His scenario was already off to a very rough start. He couldn't afford one of the keystones to his plan to be uncontrollable. Not when things were as they were now.

"According to Captain Katsuragi, they're his brother and sister," Fuyutsuki commented. "Apparently after you left the boy behind he was taken in and adopted by a fellow named Warren Smith."

"Then get someone to learn everything about him as well," Gendo ordered. "I want to know everything about the man, his relatives, everything down to his daily schedule."

"Collateral over the Third?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"He's too wild at this point," Gendo spoke. "Control has to be maintained on him for the scenario to reach completion. To do that, we need to learn what makes him tick as well everyone around him. Start with his companions and move from there."

"Of course," Fuyutsuki nodded.

* * *

"And here it is, home sweet home!" declared Misato as she opened her door, welcoming the Smith siblings to her...pig sty.

There were trash bags filled with empty cans of beer, a full ashtray, and then there was the smell. Instant food packages littered the kitchen along with more trash bags filled with the same. Magazines were littering the living room and the table was covered in a castle of beer cans. Lucy and Shinji both cringed at the sight, being ones who were lean out of habit. However, Naruto felt strangely at home in the mess.

"Was there already a party here?" Naruto asked carefully.

"Sorry for the mess," Misato apologized. She was a little embarrassed by it all, but she honestly never had the time to clean. Between her duties at NERV and taking time to sleep, she was lucky to have time to get her laundry done and eat. Still, she didn't let it get her down as she bravely forged a path into the mess.

_'THIS ISN'T A MESS! IT'S A BIOHAZARD ZONE!_' the three siblings thought at once. They walked inside, carefully putting on the house slippers. They weren't sure if anything was alive in the mess, but they decided to err on the side of caution. One never knew what secrets the mess would hide.

"I haven't had time to clean up," excused Misato.

"I can see that," mumbled Lucy. '_And I thought Naruto was messy..._'

"We could help you clean up," suggested Shinji. "Won't we, Nee-san? Nii-san?"

Lucy sighed. If they were going to have a party, they might as well clean up. Besides, Misato was trying to go out of her way to be friendly to all of them, especially after they were on edge after dealing Gendo. A party sounded nice to relax and maybe a little cleaning would keep her mind off the prick that helped create Shinji Ikari-Smith.

Not even several steps into the dirty apartment, the three Riders then saw a penguin waddle out of the bathroom, into the kitchen, grab a can of beer from the fridge and then waddle into another smaller apparently custom made fridge. Needless to say, they sweatdropped. Of course, Naruto was sporting a strange look on his face that screamed 'WTF'.

"Was it just me or did I just see a penguin?" Shinji asked, wondering if his time in the Eva wasn't making him go insane already.

"It wasn't just you," Naruto and Lucy deadpanned, yet still surprised. It brought relief to them knowing that in fact they weren't going insane when they saw a penguin waddle through the apartment like nothing was wrong.

"Oh, that was Pen-Pen. He's a hot water penguin. He was made in a lab back at my old job but when they wanted to dispose of him, I adopted him," said Misato. "He's probably one of the smartest animals I've ever met too. I mean, he drinks beer, watches T.V., uses the bathroom, runs his own baths, he's like the perfect roommate. All I have to do is feed him. He's the best!"

The Smith children blinked at the grinning woman.

...

Was she for real!

* * *

"Says here on the parking pass this is where I live," Ranma muttered as he looked up at the apartment complex.

"It looks nice," Kasumi commented on the building complex.

As the norm, after Ranma donned his Decade armor in a new world, he emerged from it wearing a new set of clothes with some information on his position in that world. In this case, he was a student at Tokyo-3 Municipal Junior High in class 2-A. Despite being 16, he was placed in a junior class in junior high. He also had a parking pass to the apartment complex he and Kasumi were currently standing in front of. If nothing else, it made finding a parking spot for the Machine Decader much easier.

"Well, let's see what my apartment looks like," Ranma sighed.

Catching the elevator, Ranma and Kasumi found the floor in which the parking pass said was his. Thankfully for the sake of reference, each parking pass stated which apartment the owners lived in so the managers could quickly check to see if the people who had the passes were the true owners.

Hitting their floor, Ranma and Kasumi stepped off and began walking down the halls. All of the doorways looked the same save for a number and letter announcing which ones they were. Walking past one door, they could clearly hear people thrashing around and the sounds of cans hitting cans. Still, they thought they could hear the squawking of a bird. Ranma just assumed it was someone's pet, but it sounded much bigger than any regular bird one could get at a pet store.

"Oh my. It sounds like someone is spring cleaning. How nice," Kasumi smiled. She recognized the sound easily enough since she always did the spring cleaning by herself back at the Tendo Dojo.

"Seems like they're our neighbors too," Ranma added as he pointed to a door next to the apartment with the noisy occupants.

"Maybe we can introduce ourselves later," Kasumi nodded. "It would only be polite."

"Yeah, I guess so," said Ranma. Even if they would be in this world for a short time until their mission was completed, making friends with the natives would be nice. Kasumi loved meeting new people, even if the new people were his alternate selves.

"Let's first get settled, then we can meet our new neighbors," said Kasumi.

"Right behind you, Kasumi!"

* * *

"OK, we've disposed of all the trash," said Lucy. The cleaning had been long and brutal, but they managed to do it. At the moment, she was going over a mental list of what needed to be done to make the space livable, much less ready for a party.

"Mopped and swept the floors," added Shinji.

"And vacuumed the place," finished Naruto.

"I never would've believed someone could be messier than you, Naruto," grumbled Lucy as she mocked him.

"I'm one of a kind," he said, flashing a grin.

WHAP!

"Itai!" Naruto held his head after Lucy smacked him upside the head with her normal hand.

"Baka! That wasn't a compliment!" she snapped.

"I'm sorry you guys had to do this," Misato apologized for what felt like the hundredth time. She felt genuinely embarrassed that her guests for the welcoming party had to help her clean up her apartment before they could have fun.

"Hey, we're used to such messes," Shinji laughed. "Naruto has the same kind of messes you do so we're used to it. Actually, it's kind of a family project day to clean up his room every month to the neighbors don't start complaining and the smell doesn't make us sick. Of course he has to do our chores for a week to make things fair."

"That's never fun," Naruto huffed. He was only allowed to use two Kage Bunshin to help him. If he tried to cheat and use more, his dad always found out and made sure he was punished.

"You wouldn't have to do that if you just learned to clean up after yourself," Lucy frowned at her younger brother. "Honestly, it's not hard."

"Says you," Naruto huffed. "The only time you're remotely messy is when you're busy doing the horizontal hula with Kouta and even then it's only the bed you mess up."

Lucy blushed scarlet, "HENTAI!"

WHACK!

"OW!"

"Ah, so the oldest has a boyfriend, does she?" Misato grinned, walking over to Lucy and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaving Naruto to nurse the red handprint on his cheek. "So, level with me. Woman to woman. What's he like?"

"Oh here we go," Shinji sighed. Lucy never passed up an opportunity to talk about Kouta.

"He's…he's wonderful," Lucy giggled, sounding like an actual teenager rather than the mature young woman she had been acting like when they first met. "Kouta-kun and I have been dating for a while now…and it's always like the first time again whenever we go out. Sometimes it's hard to see each other, but we always manage to find each other. Papa supports our relationship too. I'm very glad for that."

"Yeah, which is lucky considering how he found out about them," Naruto grinned, flexing his jaw. "He walked into Lucy's room right after they did it the first time. Kouta had to hide in the closet while Pop asked Lucy if anything was wrong. When it seemed like they were in the clear, Pop knocked on the closet and asked if Kouta wanted anything for breakfast. I thought their heads were going to explode since they were blushing so much!"

"Oh that is priceless!" Misato laughed. "Reminds me of back in college when my roommate walked in on me and my boyfriend. Trust me Lucy, I know how you feel!"

"NNNNNNAAAARRRUUUUTOOOOOOO!" Lucy scowled, ready to bring the pain to her annoying little brother. Did he have to bring up that story every chance he got? How immature could he be? What did Hinata see in him? "That's it! You're not hanging out with Jiraiya anymore!"

"Actually, Father already knew about them doing that sort of thing," Shinji calmly pointed out. "He found Kouta's boxers in the laundry after one of Kouta's visits that Mother doesn't tell Father about."

"Shinji! You too?" Lucy gaped.

"I'm just teasing," Shinji laughed. "You make it so easy Nee-san. Besides, we're all mature young adults. It's not like we go telling this to anyone. Misato-san has earned my trust to tell embarrassing stories about my family."

"Awww," Misato grinned, surprised and very touched that the three siblings actually trusted her after first meeting them a few hours ago. "Thanks."

"Fine," Lucy shrugged. "Then I'll tell the story of when Father and Mother caught Naruto making out with Hinata-chan and when Shinji had his first crush."

"ACK!" the boys cried as their faces turned red. "NEE-SAN/NEE-CHAN! NO!"

"Turnabout is fair play, Otouto-tachi," taunted Lucy. If they had something on, she always had something on them. It was just too easy.

Then the doorbell rang.

"Wonder who that is," said Misato as she went to the door. She opened it up to welcome a couple of faces she had never seen before. "Excuse me, but who are you both?"

"Oh, we're new here in the building and we wanted to say hello to our new neighbors," said Kasumi. "I'm Kasumi and this is my younger brother, Ranma."

"Yo," Ranma waved and then he eyed the other people in the apartment. Four pairs of eyes widened and four pairs of eyebrows instantly rose.

'_IT'S THEM/IT'S HIM!_' they thought in unison.

"I'm Misato Katsuragi," Misato introduced with a smile. "Why don't you come in? We're about to start a housewarming party."

"We'd love to. Won't we, Ranma?" smiled Kasumi.

"Yeah, Kasumi," nodded Ranma. "Sure."

* * *

Ranma never thought he'd see someone who could drink more than his father or Mr. Tendo, but this Katsuragi lady was definitely doing it, and staying somewhat rational in the process. When the fathers drank the amount of booze the lady had chugged down, they'd be slurring about wedding plans or just passed out. Somehow Kasumi had been convinced to try some and she was in a giggling fit, finding everything around her funny, never mind when the penguin came and joined them in the drinking fest. Of course, it allowed the four teenagers some privacy out on the balcony. Introductions were finally made as the hard questions were finally asked.

"So what brings you to Tokyo-3 anyway Ranma?" asked Naruto, starting things off.

"It deals with a mission I have," Ranma answered, leaning against the railing. "Do you guys believe in alternate universes?"

"Yes," the three teens nodded. Ranma blinked at their confident answers. That kind of agreement was rare. Well it just made his explanation easier.

"Well, for some reason, the Kamen Rider worlds have been starting to drift together. If someone doesn't stop them then all of the worlds are going to fuse together into one big world. If that happens, then all of the Kamen Riders are going to go to war and maybe end up destroying that world, ending existence."

"No shit?" Naruto blinked before his older sister slapped him upside the head. "Ow!"

"So you've been traveling to the different Kamen Rider worlds to save them?" asked Lucy.

"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "Each world seems to have a threat that the defenders can't seem to beat on their own so I get involved and help. Each time I manage to gain a new power while I'm at it," he drew his nine Kamen Rider cards to prove his point, each having a story of a grand battle behind them. "With these I can copy the abilities of other Kamen Riders. I thought that after going to these nine worlds I'd get an idea how to stop the merging, but I just end up going to more worlds."

"So do you have any idea what you have to do here?" asked Shinji.

"No clue," Ranma answered, putting his cards away. "I was actually kind of hoping that you guys could tell me what the situation was. Did you learn anything about that monster we took down?"

"Loads," Lucy nodded. "You see, fifteen years ago there was a terrible disaster known as Second Impact. It was a massive explosion in the Antarctic which melted the caps and reshaped landmasses from the flooding. Maybe about half of the world's population died in the disaster. The explosion even skewered the axis of the planet, making the seasons get stuck."

"Woah," Ranma gaped, in shock about the massive loss of life. "But what does that have to do with that thing acting like Godzilla today?"

"I'm getting to that," Lucy answered. "The official story is that a meteor struck the Antarctic, but Papa told us otherwise. He said that a team of scientists found something frozen in the ice and like scientists usually do, they poked and prodded it. However, whatever it was didn't like being prodded and reacted and caused Second Impact."

"So you're saying that the thing they found down there is responsible for the thing that attacked today?" asked Ranma.

"We think so," Shinji nodded. "An organization has been made since then to combat these monsters which have been designated as Angels. They're called NERV and they want me to pilot a machine called Evangelion to fight against them."

"Since Shinji is going to be our man inside, he can help us find more information on the situation so we can figure out just why the heck these things are attacking." Naruto added.

"According to what we do know though, there are only seventeen of these monsters," Lucy continued. "The one we fought today was designated as the Third. I believe that the creature found in the Antarctic must have been the First, but what happened to the Second I don't know."

"So this city is going to be attacked by fourteen more giant monsters and we're going to have to deal with them while trying to figure out just what set them off in the first place," Ranma sighed. "Well, it sounds a bit different than my usual fights, but the variety is nice I guess."

"Same for us. We've been fighting Kaijin and a few bigger ones. This is the first we actually fought a Kaiju without our Father," said Shinji.

"Your father?" Ranma asked.

Lucy explained, "Yes, our adopted father but he's like our real father to us. Plucked us out of horrible situations and raised us as his own children. He taught us about what it means to be a hero…and a Kamen Rider."

"Feels hard to live up to, doesn't it?" Ranma smiled. "I mean, I've been seeing probably dozens of Kamen Riders in action with different attitudes and beliefs, but they always come down to the same thing. The Heart if Justice."

"Papa taught us a lot about that," Lucy smiled. "He says that you're only a true Kamen Rider when you have that. It's not enough to wear a mask and ride a motorcycle. You've truly earned the name when you've lived up to the words that the first Kamen Riders Ichigo and Nigo christened when they fought the SHOCKER organization."

"Ichigo and Nigo?" Ranma blinked. "Never heard of them. Maybe I'll meet them sometime after this world or something."

"Dad had a lot of stories about a lot of different Kamen Riders he's met over the years," Naruto grinned. "We grew up on those stories and we've wanted to be just like them. Saving people from bad guys, helping people in need like Dad did to us when we needed someone."

"And that's why we're here," said Shinji. "The commander of NERV, my former father, is planning something. Whatever it is, it can't be for the good of humanity. I doubt a man who abandoned his own son would care about anyone but himself."

"We're here to stop the Angels and Gendo's plans. Papa said it was something huge but rather than tell us he wanted us to figure it out for ourselves. Kind of like a test to prove our caliber as Riders," said Lucy. "So, what about you? Are you onboard?" Lucy asked Ranma.

"Are you kidding?" Ranma said with a grin. "I've been saving worlds left and right! Do you think I'd stop now?"

Naruto, Lucy and Shinji smiled. They had found a new ally.

"Alright, how about we put our hands together?" said Naruto as he laid his hand out, palm down. Shinji put his hand on his and then Ranma did as well. They looked expectantly towards Lucy.

"Nee-chan?"

"Nee-san?"

Lucy had her arms crossed but with a sigh she placed her palm atop theirs. "OK, we're a team now."

"Gendo won't know what hit him," grinned Shinji.

"Because the Kamen Riders will be on his case," said Ranma.

"Believe it!" Naruto smirked.

**To Be Continued…**


	123. DRT2

I do not own Kamen Rider or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am not making money out of this nor do I expect to. I am writing this because I enjoy it and because I like to see Gendo get screwed over. Then again, who doesn't?

**Journey Through the Decade: Dark Rider Thesis**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 2: Shamshel**

Tokyo-3 Arms Apartments had been repeatedly billed as a peaceful place to live and often as a relaxing spot for anyone who wished to live in the war zone which had become the city of the future in the last few days. People were still rebuilding their lives after the Angel of Water, Sachiel known publicly as the third Angel arrived out of Tokyo Bay and promptly went on the warpath for reasons unknown. Also for reasons unknown to the majority of the citizens, the Angel just suddenly blew up when it seemed that it had been besting the JSSDF. However, a small portion of the city knew the truth or at least suspected it. Four armored individuals who had rescued a little girl who had been caught outside calling themselves Kamen Riders had appeared on the same day as the Angel's attack. People suspected that they had something to do with the Angels' sudden destruction although a number of higher-ups in the JSSDF were claiming the victory for themselves.

In the political aftermath, Gendo Ikari ended up having egg on his face for being completely useless in the Angel's attack. His organization was specifically created to do combat with the Angels and safeguard humanity with its secret weapon, the bio-synthetic artificial humanoid Evangelion. Yet, his weapon hadn't been used at all before the Angel just seemed to destroy itself and his secret weapon was collecting dust for it. The backers of NERV were furious with the lack of action and were practically baying for the Riders' blood for interfering with their plans. However, his actions will be coming to light later.

Right now, Tokyo-3 Arms Apartments were fulfilling their promise of peace and relaxation.

"AHHHHH! I'M LAAATE!" three voices shrieked at once, breaking the vow of peace which the other residents had moved in for.

* * *

**Smith Apartment**

Lucy was sipping tea at the dining room table as she read up on recent history concerning subjects such as Second Impact and various events that came afterwards. Now and then she'd set the tea down in order to nibble on some toast before returning to her tea, utterly distracted by her literature. She wore a set of pajama pants and a halter top which hung loosely on her frame. She wasn't wearing anything on her head either, which allowed her small cat ear-like horns to be revealed sticking from her head. It was a part of her that Shinji and Naruto thought was awesome when they first met her when they were small and a part of her which Kouta thought was so kawaii and incidentally made her love him all the more, but these days her brothers didn't blink twice about it. Naruto was busy at the microwave, cooking his weekly breakfast of instant ramen. It was an agreement in the Smith household since Naruto arrived that since it was his favorite food and the only thing anyone would let him buy when he was small, Naruto could have ramen for breakfast once a week on any day of the week, but he had to eat breakfast with everyone else on the other days. At the moment Naruto was wearing a black tank top and his boxers along with a goofy nightcap that his former teacher Iruka gave him for his birthday.

"Ahhhhhh!" Shinji cried, tugging his school clothes on. "I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!"

Shinji was as previously stated, running late. The party at Misato's had run late into the night when at last she passed out in a drunken stupor next to Kasumi whom Ranma had to carry back to his apartment. Bonding had gone well between the four Riders, all of which declaring they were going to stop whatever Gendo Ikari had in mind before he had a chance to fulfill it. After all, a man like him never had the good of humanity in mind.

"Why aren't you two freaking out?" Shinji cried as he stole Lucy's unfinished toast (not that she noticed) and began stuffing his face.

"High school got damaged in the Angel fight," Naruto yawned. "We won't have to go until tomorrow."

"Awww!" Shinji groaned, choking down the last of his toast before gulping down a glass of milk before heading for the door. "Gotta go!"

"Hey! That was mine!" Naruto barked as his little brother slammed the door behind him.

"Hm?" Lucy blinked as the sound of the door snapped her out of her literacy induced hypnosis. "Did Shinji go to school?"

"You didn't notice?" Naruto asked.

"No, not really," shrugged Lucy. As if responding to her words, her Orga Phone came to life and flipped open, sprouting arms and legs from its sides as a digital face appeared on the screen. Wriggling out of her pocket, it began speaking.

Omega-kun (Lucy's Phone) began to chide her, "You should be more alert, Lucy-sama." He wagged a finger at her, causing Lucy to glare at him. At first he'd been a normal phone until a guy named Takada upgraded him. His main reasoning was that a cute girl like her should have to use such a regular boring phone when she could have a cool one instead. Omega-kun was a constant companion in Lucy's life, but he sometimes had a big mouth and ticked her off, causing him to get swatted by a vector.

"Right, right," Lucy sighed, ignoring her companion and returning to her book, making Omega-kun grumble.

* * *

**Katsuragi Apartment**

"I'm late! Ow! Shoot! I'm gonna get fired!" Misato whined as she busily chomped down on some half-cooked monstrosity which was supposed to be something instant but her lack of patience and cooking skills turned into something most people would find inedible, but Misato's stomach took daily.

She had woken up late and with a hangover so her mood was not good, but thankfully her panic was overlapping that at the moment. Since NERV hadn't taken part in the battle with the Angel, she didn't have to do any paperwork which was why she was allowed to have her little party and go home early. Of course now she was regretting it as she kept smoothing out her rumpled uniform as she gulped down the good she had created before tossing microwave sushi flavored burrito's to PenPen before she grabbed her purse, a beer, her keys and was out the door like a bullet.

* * *

**Saotome/Tendo Apartment**

"Shoot! MRF! Shoot! MRF! Shoot!" Ranma cursed as he gulped down food at a rate professional eaters would be envious of. "Stupid school with their stupid hours! I'm freaking 16! Why do I have to go to Junior High?"

"I'm sure it's for a good reason Ranma-kun," Kasumi replied as she took Ranma's empty plates and replaced them with full ones. It was so much easier to cook for two people rather than eight. It left her with so much free time after everything was said and done. She had heard Ms. Katsuragi's scuffling next door and worried if the woman was okay. Maybe she could check in to see if everything was okay or to feed that cute penguin she had with her.

"Okay! Done! Thanks Kasumi! Gotta go!" Ranma called before he booted for the patio and leaped over the railing, beginning his roof hopping journey to the local Junior High.

* * *

**Outside**

"Morning Misato-san! Bye Misato-san!" Shinji greeted as he tore past Misato who was busy trying to get into her car while juggling her things.

"Morning Shinji! Bye Shinji!" Misato absently waved as she finally got her car started and drove like a demon out of the parking lot, forgetting that her beer was still on top of the car and being knocked off by the movement.

Neither of them noticed Ranma leaping over rooftops in the direction of the local school.

* * *

**Tokyo-3 Junior High**

Shinji managed to get to the school in record time. He had barely managed to get inside the school gates before the teacher on duty began to shut them. Of course, Ranma had also arrived just as he stepped through the gate.

"You got here fast," said Ranma.

"Same to you. Father always made it a routine to get us to do exercise and raise our stamina. How did you get here? I didn't see you when I was rushing here," said Shinji, gasping for breath. He was more out of shape than he thought.

"Roofhopped here," Ranma answered as if he was discussing the weather.

"H-huh?" Shinji blinked. "Really? None of us can do that unless we transform."

"We do it all the time back home," Ranma shrugged, unaware of Shinji still gaping at him.

"…right," Shinji nodded, unsure if he should believe Ranma's words, but nonetheless took them as fact. "Let's get going. We have to get our paperwork and stuff sorted out before we can go to class. We don't want to miss anything."

"What a shame that would be," Ranma grumbled, rolling his eyes, following the younger Rider into the school.

* * *

The class of 2-A in the school was only about half to three-quarters filled, but it was the only second year class in the entire school. Most families were moving out after the fight with the Angel and reported that more Angels were going to be coming. Ranma had to admit that as far as classes went, this one ranked up on his 'unique' scale rather that the 'outright weird' and 'unbelievably freaking stupid' that most days at Furinkan ended up like most of the time. After being guided to the class by a girl named Hikari Horaki who was a brunette who wore her hair in pigtails and had freckles on her face, Ranma noticed that the teacher looked like he should have retired already. Hikari explained that all of the other teachers for the grade level had quit and left the city, forcing the school to pull the old man out of retirement. The students in the class seemed like a mix of interesting folks, but only a few stood out. One was a guy with glasses who was typing excitedly while another was a kid in a track suit who seemed bored. At the back was the oddity of the classroom, a girl with short blue hair and was covered in bandages with her eye covered and her arm in a cast and sling.

"Alright," the aged teacher nodded, making Ranma feel drowsy at the start. "Class, we have two new students. Please introduce yourselves."

"Right," Shinji nodded. "Well, my name's Shinji Ikari-Smith. I like classical music and I'm pretty good with a cello."

"Ranma Saotome," Ranma introduced as he scratched the back of his neck, comfortable with the situation after being through it so many times. "I like martial arts and good food."

"Right," the teacher nodded, putting one student to sleep, not that the old man noticed. "Please take a free seat wherever you find one."

Shinji decided to take a seat near the back, incidentally close to the bandaged girl he deduced to be Rei Ayanami. He had gotten her description from Misato and had been hoping to introduce himself to her. However he had no idea that she had been so injured from her accident. He knew she was injured, but totally mauled? Just what the heck happened to her?

Ranma looked to the front as the teacher was going on about mathematics, but somehow dragged into a speech about Second Impact. He was out like a light five seconds later.

Shinji pretty much zoned out as well, focusing on other things in mind. Gendo's plans for example. What was his angle? Definitely not the good of humanity. A man who cared little for his own child would not give a damn for total strangers or the world in general. The only way they could find out for sure was by breaking into his office and stealing the files. And the only one who could do that was a black beetle inside the organization, Shinji himself. He just had to wait for the opportunity.

* * *

In the natural scenery which surrounded Tokyo-3, a sight which most people would consider unusual was occurring. In this case, a silver veil appeared in the middle of the hills before it receded, depositing a single person onto the ground. He was wearing a leather jacket with dark jeans and sneakers. He kept a white hat on his head with a black shirt underneath the jacket. Gripped in his hand and tapping on his shoulder was a strangely designed gun which was black, blue, and yellow, otherwise known as the Diendriver. This person's face was a carbon copy for that of Ranma Saotome, but considering how he was one of Ranma's many counterparts, it wasn't too surprising.

He may have been Ranma, but for some reason he went by the name Kaitoh (Phantom Thief) which wasn't odd considering he dubbed himself a master thief and acquire of rare treasures

His past and how Kaitoh had gotten the Diendriver and was traveling to different worlds though would be a story for another day though. Right now, his role in this recent world was just beginning to unfold.

"The World of Evangelion," Kaitoh said. "Big robots fight big aliens for the Earth. This world definitely has a few valuable treasures…like Adam and Unit-01." He definitely knew more about this world than Decade and the Dark Riders. "Alright, time to scope out the sights, find some babes, and a hideout." He had plans to make. This world's treasures would be his and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

* * *

**Tokyo-3 Junior High**

Shijni glanced over to Ranma, who was just waking up as the lunch hour began. Somehow Ranma's stomach had been able to tell him exactly when class ended and when lunch began. Looking to his own lunch, Shinji decided to see if he could use this opportunity to connect better with his fellow pilot Rei Ayanami. Picking up his lunch, he walked over to where the injured pilot was eating a vegetable platter. As Shinji approaching, her single uncovered eye looked to him, but she made no other move to acknowledge his presence.

"Um…excuse me Ayanami-san, but may I sit with you for lunch today?" Shinji asked.

The bluenette girl blinked at him before giving a very small nod.

'_OK, so far so good_,' thought Shinji. He sat down with her and began to eat. Almost instantly, Shinji felt like he was being watched but ignored it. Being the only normal member of his family, relatively speaking, gave him a different perspective in life. He shouldn't really care what strangers thought of him. If they thought he was weird, so be it. He wasn't out to win anybody's approval save for those he actually cared for. Then again, maybe it had something to do with him sitting with Rei.

"Does it hurt?" Shinji asked. "Your injuries I mean."

"I have healed sufficiently enough for pain to not be a factor," Rei answered stoically, making Shinji blink. "So long as my wounds are not aggravated, that will continue to be true."

"O…kay," Shinji nodded.

"Why have you decided to sit with me Pilot Ikari?" Rei asked completely changing the subject.

"Um…I thought it would be nice if we got to know each other a bit," Shinji answered. "I mean, we both pilot Evangelions right? I thought it would be…" he tried to come up with a term that the apparently stoic and military-minded girl would understand. "…beneficial to both parties if we could have positive interactions like in becoming friends"

"How would becoming friends be beneficial?" asked Rei, possibly sounding curious, but her even tone of voice hid it well.

"Well, by becoming friends we can anticipate each other's actions better and be able to co-operate better in the case we're both deployed against an Angel," Shinji explained. "By better co-operation and teamwork on and off the battlefield, we'd be able to become better pilots."

"I see," Rei nodded. "Your theory holds merit, however if having friends allowed me to become a better pilot, the commander would have assigned me one."

"Excuse me?" Shini blinked. "You…you would expect _him _to assign you a friend if you needed one? Rei, you don't need him to tell you who to be friends with."

"Commander Ikari has provided me everything I needed my whole life," Rei calmly explained. "If I need a friend, he would assign me one."

'_He's mindfucked her!_' Shinji ranted internally as he realized that Rei admitted to being raised by his biological father. Now Shinji was glad that Gendo hadn't raised him. He would've ended up just as messed up as Rei. He recalled how reluctant he was to making friends outside his adopted father's circle. He basically grew up around unusual individuals who found kinship in each other. To think that Rei grew up without friends made him sympathize with her. "Rei, a friend is not someone assigned to you. A friend is someone you have a certain connection with, a bond. Friends care for each other selflessly no matter what and true friends are hard to come by. True friends are unconditional and will stand by you in both the best and the worst times of your lives. Friends are both people you want and need in life."

"I see," Rei commented, although the one second of uncertainty visible in her eye clearly showed that she didn't.

"You don't have to understand it now, but it will help you understand what you feel when you have finally found a true friend," Shinji added to the end of his argument.

"Very well," Rei nodded, filing Pilot Ikari's words away for future reference should the situation he described ever arise. However, if she applied what Pilot Ikari had told her, she could call Commander Ikari her friend since did share a bond with him and he did act selflessly towards her when he rescued her from a rampaging Unit 00. However, that bond had a condition since Commander Ikari needed her to complete his scenario. With that thought in mind, she could not call Commander Ikari her friend after all. She would have much to contemplate tonight.

Meanwhile Ranma was wolfing down his food at a rapid pace. However, his mind was in full combat mode as he considered what he needed to do in this world. With the Angels attacking, it was obvious what his first job was. He had to take the monsters down. Although according to Shinji and his siblings, Gendo Ikari, the commander of NERV was also someone to watch out for and definitely a possible threat. After hearing about the man, Ranma wanted to kick the guy's ass before he even met the man and no doubt the man wanted to have a few 'words' with the Riders for stealing NERV's glory in fighting the Angels. Well, if he tried anything then the only words Gendo Ikari would get would be 'Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade' before he'd get a Dimension Kick up the ass.

"Hey! The new guy with the pigtail!" a voice cried out. Ranma looked up from his lunch to see the glasses-sporting kid coming for him with the jock in tow. The jock looked pretty damn bored with something, most likely something the glasses wearing kid was deeply into.

"What?" asked Ranma, half expecting for some kind of fight to break out even though he knew there was no possible way anyone would want to pick a fight with on his first day. Okay so there was Kuno on his world….and that Shark Orphenoch on Faiz World…and a few other notable mentions…when he thought about it, someone wanting a fight seemed pretty damn likely.

"Do you know anything about those Kamen Rider guys that showed up?" the suspected geek asked.

Ranma cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Why would I know anything about Kamen Riders?"

"Well, you and Smith are new here. It's kinda funny for people to be moving to the city after a monster attacks. Most people just can't wait to get out," the geek spoke.

Calmly, Ranma answered, "I'm not most people. I've been told that much."

"So, do you or don't you know anything about Kamen Riders?" the geek pressed.

"No," Ranma answered firmly.

"I don't believe you," the geek frowned. "You know something."

"Don't care," said Ranma, "And can you prove it?" Ranma's eyes narrowed dangerously and Kensuke could feel a very uncomfortable chill running down his spine when he saw that glare.

"But-" the geek began but was hauled backwards by his friend, the jock.

"Sorry about him," Touji apologized. "He's got conspiracy theories in the head."

"I can see that," Ranma noted.

"Well, I'm a bit curious about those Riders myself, actually," Touji admitted. "They saved my sister. Sure, my dad yelled at me for letting her out of my sight but it's a good thing those guys saved her. I can't imagine what would've happened if they didn't."

"Well, can't say I know a thing about them. Remember, I'm new here," said Ranma.

"Well, that's what I told him, but he won't listen," said Touji. "By the way, I'm Touji Suzuhara and my geeky friend is Kensuke Aida."

"Nice to meet you," nodded Ranma.

* * *

Lucy was dressed in a black tank top with a red pleated skirt along with black and pink striped stockings. She had her hair pulled into a braid and was wearing a cap to keep out the sun and to hide her horns. She also carried a purse with her. She had already turned the heads of many young men and some women, but any guy who tried to hit on her was politely turned down and the ones who were more determined got tripped by a vector as she made her getaway. The eldest Smith daughter had decided to venture about Tokyo-3 just for the heck of it since she didn't want to hang out in the apartment all day by herself.

As a child she'd toured many worlds with her beloved Papa and his friends, a team of heroes who called themselves the ChronoLiner Riders. They dedicated themselves to the protection of the Multiverse. She knew all of the members since they were present when Warren had adopted her and looked up to them. However, the one she looked up to the most was her Papa. At first she didn't trust Warren since she had numerous episodes of people pretending to be her friend but then betraying her but after he'd risked his life to save her, she began to open up to him more. It had taken a while, but she finally started calling him her Papa and she hadn't recalled being happier.

A wriggling from her purse caught her attention before Omega-kun poked his head out from her purse and spoke, "Lucy-sama, what are your plans today?"

"Kill time," she answered. She wished Kouta was here with her but that was impossible. She had a mission and she could not afford to become distracted. Maybe once things had settled down somewhat she could try to convince her Papa to let him visit. They hadn't had a date in what felt like ages.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was looking for a good ramen shop. He was a ramen addict and Lucy once told him that he was far too dependent on ramen. He scoffed at that. Ramen had been what sustained him in his early years since it was the only food the director of the orphanage would let him eat, even if he had to make it himself…and once all of the other kids were served and finished eating. Granted there were a few disagreements with his new family over what they should have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when he was younger, but it didn't mean he was addicted, right?

"You're thinking about ramen again aren't you?" asked Kivat II from his hiding place in Naruto's hoodie sweater, specifically the hood which hung at the back of his neck.

"So what if I am?" Naruto grumbled, knowing what was coming next.

"Must I remind you again that your mother specifically asked you NOT to gorge on ramen whenever you get the chance?" the second generation Kivat sighed. "You had some for breakfast already!"

"But I worked it all off during my morning training!" Naruto frowned. "I'm hungry!"

"Then go to a respectable restaurant then," Kivat retorted. "They have plenty of healthier foods and probably just as well done as that Ichiraku place you're always yapping about."

"We don't speak foul of the holy booth that is Ichiraku," Naruto frowned darkly, remembering the ramen stand that was his home away from home and his sanctuary that was his escape from the hell that was supposedly an orphanage.

"I hardly see how cooked noodles can compare to the gourmet cuisine I have been fortunate enough to partake in," Kivat huffed.

"You think gourmet cuisine is sucking the blood straight from a beautiful woman's neck," Naruto gagged. "One such woman being my mom if I recall!"

"It was my birthday and she gave me permission!" Kivat cried, actually blushing from the memory. Oh that half demon blood was like a fine wine. He had been giddy for hours after that! As such he vowed to taste the illustrious Raven Smith again one day. So far, he only managed it twice. Warren wasn't the jealous type…often, but the way Raven purred when Kivat bit her made the man's eyes darken just a bit. Well, Kivat did master the art of pleasing women with his teeth a long time ago.

"Whatever. We all know you're crushing on her," Naruto laughed. "Too bad she's married, ne?"

"Too bad," sighed Kivat.

* * *

**Tokyo-3 Junior High**

"The sub-commander has informed me that you and the commander share a biological bond," Rei spoke, attempting to understand Shinji's theory on friendship affecting her ability to pilot. To that end, she decided to initiate what many other employees at NERV would call 'small talk' which purpose was to get to know another person better.

Shinji's eyes narrowed. "That is about all we share, for how little it's worth to him," He recalled that day, ten years ago, when he had been abandoned like a piece of garbage. That day was a sore subject for Shinji. "For all I care, he's dead to me."

Rei immediately became offended and moved to slap him but then his intense gaze made her freeze. It was like Shinji was channeling Gendo. No, this was far more powerful. It was like Shinji was daring her to slap him. Keeping her reserve, Rei decided to ask, "Why would you think like that of your own father?"

"He's not my father. A father protects, raises and loves their children. He did none of this for me when I was growing up. A week after my mother died, he just tossed me away. He didn't even bother to come check up on me for ten long years and then he sends for me. The only reason I ever came was because people would need me," answered Shinji. "He may be my commander, but he will never, ever, be my father. My father is the one who raised me and cared for me. My father is Warren Smith."

Rei never knew. She never knew Gendo had done such a thing to his son. That was probably why he never bothered to mention to Rei that he had a son. To Gendo, such things were irrelevant to the scenario. As with most things a normal girl her age might experience, Rei was prohibited from taking part in such things because it had no use for his scenario.

"Gendo keeps people around as long as they are useful," continued Shinji. "Once our usefulness has ended, do you really think he'd let us stick around? He shows no gratitude, Rei. Once he gets what he wants we're chucked away like yesterday's garbage."

Rei could not find an argument to counter that. As a prime piece of Gendo's scenario, she was privy to the full details of what the operation would need. She knew exactly how far Gendo was willing to go to obtain his goals. She also knew how ruthless he could be when dealing with variables he could not afford or pieces of the scenario he no longer needed. The affair with the senior Dr. Akagi was one such incident which cost the blue-haired girl her first incarnation.

"Of course if Gendo hadn't tossed me away, I would've never met my new family. They did for me more than Gendo could ever do for me," Shinji finished.

"I see," Rei nodded. "I have learned much about you today."

"Do you think I could learn about you?" asked Shinji with unashamed curiosity.

Rei was slightly surprised by the question. Up until now no one had bothered trying to get to know her. As far as everyone was concerned she was the infamous Ice Queen of Tokyo-3 Junior High. "Why?" she asked.

"Well, I think as friends we could try to get to know each other," said Shinji. "OK, how about I start? My name is Shinji Ikari-Smith. My likes are my family, playing the cello and spending time with my siblings. My dislikes are Gendo, selfish people, narrow-minded people, and people who have fun hurting people. My dream is to protect all my loved ones." Back in Naruto's world, this was the standard introduction Genin teams made with their Jounin instructor, at least for Kakashi. He pointed to Rei, "OK, your turn. Name, likes, dislikes and dreams?"

"Rei Ayanami," the stoic girl answered, deciding to go through with this apparent exorcise. However, she didn't say anything else beyond that. She just seemed to continue with her lunch.

"No likes, dislikes or dreams?" asked Shinji, somewhat confusedly.

"Nothing comes to mind," Rei answered. That much was true. She didn't particularly like or dislike anything. The only thing she found what most would term enjoyable would be her private meetings with the commander. Anything normal people would call a dislike would have to be physical pain. Rei didn't have any personal dreams or ambitions beyond the commander's scenario and her desire to help him see it to completion.

'_Mindfucked does not even begin to describe this situation,_' Shinji mentally gaped. Not only had his father apparently stripped Rei of her emotions, but he denied her the various necessary aspects of human rights. He didn't allow her to grow attached to anything nor did he allow her to experience things and she was even denied the chance for her own future if he was reading her lack of dreams right. '_He will die very, very, slowly_.'

Suddenly, Rei's cell phone began to chirp which she quickly answered. She didn't reply, only heard the voice on the other end before hanging up, "An Angel is approaching. We must report to NERV."

"Fine," sighed Shinji. "Let's talk more after we deal with this thing."

* * *

"It's a big purple dildo," deadpanned Shinji bluntly when he saw the image of the approaching Angel.

The fourth Angel was a massive, vaguely arthropod-like creature, with a long cylindrical body, a roughly shovel-shaped head with two eyespot-like markings, and eight retractable segmented limbs. Despite how intimidating and fearsome it was intended to be, it did resemble the toy in which Shinji had mentioned if only slightly. Most of the technicians and crew who overheard the comment couldn't help but snicker slightly. Misato almost burst out laughing despite the situation, but she managed to keep her air of professionalism up in the face of the commander who was the ice block he always was.

Ritsuko, blushing at the blunt comparison, said, "_Regardless, it's a threat. You must subdue it._"

"I got it," shrugged Shinji.

"_Don't be so laid back, Shinji,_" warned Misato.

"It's either act laid back or panic, which would you prefer?" Shinji asked with a sigh.

As expected, the Third Child was inside Evangelion Unit 01 which had been deployed to combat the newest Angel. The young man was proving to be surprisingly skilled, having already proven his high synch rate and now by having the Eva move almost as easily as his own body. The Angel had stopped to consider this new opposition, not having seen it before nor had it been deployed against Sachiel when he attempted to reach their goal. To that end, this Angel didn't know anything about the Evas.

"Well, they got me in this thing, might as well see what it can do," Shinji sighed before gripping the control yokes and began moving forward.

* * *

The Evangelion 01 had just drawn its gun and was firing upon the Angel. The gun smoke had covered the Angel which had predictably thrown up its AT Field to protect itself. Orga just shook her head at the sight. Honestly, the JSSDF tried that approach with the last Angel, did they really think this one wouldn't have the same ability? At least Shinji in Eva 01 had decided to keep moving rather than stand still rather than becoming a sitting duck for the Angel to retaliate against.

"Should we help him? He is our little brother," said Dark Kiva.

"No, let's watch what he can do with that toy," declined Orga.

Dark Kiva frowned as he watched the battle between Angel and Evangelion on top of a building. The citizens had all gone to the shelters a long time ago which was good. Both Dark Riders had used the opportunity to transform and try to get to where the Angel would be approaching. Seeing Eva 01 deployed was a good enough indicator. However, Dark Kiva had made the same dildo joke about the Angel before Orga smacked him upside the head for being vulgar.

Both Dark Riders turned to see the familiar form of Decade landing on the roof with them, "Hey guys. Did I miss anything good yet?"

"They just started," Orga answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aren't you the least but worried about him being in that hunk of junk?" questioned Dark Kiva. He had heard the story of what had happened to Shinji's biological mother when she attempted to start the machine up. He didn't want the same thing to be happening to his little brother.

"No," answered Orga. Her eyes then focused on a certain pair of boys on a hillside. "Hm? Shouldn't those two be in the shelter?"

"Huh?" Dark Kiva's Omnilens focused. Sure enough, there were two junior high boys hanging out on the hillside close to where the fight was taking place. "You're right."

"Aida? Suzuhara?" Decade blinked, his own lenses targeting the pair. "Just figures.

"Come on," said Orga. "Let's save those idiots before they get killed."

"Right, Nee-chan," agreed Dark Kiva.

* * *

"This is so cool!" Kensuke grinned, watching Eva 01 dodge strange energy whips that the Angel had created.

"Yeah," Touji nodded, nonetheless amazed by what he was seeing. "Don't you think they're getting kind of close?"

"All the better!" Kensuke grinned. "We'll be able to see the great details!"

"…you're an idiot," Touji grumbled.

A low whistle of amazement caught the pair's attention and they turned to see a figure sitting in the grass only a few feet away from them. One of the strange things about them was that they hadn't noticed the guy approaching. The second strange thing was that the guy was a dead ringer for their new classmate Ranma. "Wow. Never thought I'd get to see an Evangelion fighting so soon. Especially the prized Unit 01."

"Saotome?" asked Touji with surprise.

"Huh?" the hat sporting guy blinked, turning away from the battle and to the pair. "Oh, no. I'm not Ranma-kun. I just look like him. Name's Kaitoh."

"Oh. Did you come to see the Eva too?" Kensuke grinned, hoping to have found another Evangelion fan.

"See it?" Kaitoh grinned. "Heck, I came here to steal it!"

'_Steal it!_' both Touji and Kensuke openly gaped at Kaitoh as though he was mad.

"Are you serious?" questioned Touji.

"Of course, and let me show you how." Kaitoh drew out his gun and Diend Kamen Ride card. "Don't blink. This is going to be cool!" He slid his card into the slot on the side and pushed the barrel forward.

"**Kamen Ride**," the Diendriver spoke as Kaitoh pointed it up.

"Henshin!" He pulled the trigger.

"**Diend!**"

His emblem was shot up into the air as red, green and blue images zipped around him. The images converged onto him to form a suit of armor as his symbol turned into panels and docked into his helmet, filling his suit with color. The blue Rider shrugged his shoulders as if getting the proper fit of the armor and getting comfortable.

Kensuke and Touji openly gaped and the bespectacled boy nearly dropped his camera in shock. Of course, the bespectacled boy immediately realized that he had the camera and immediately began filming the entire event happening before their eyes.

"Ka…Ka…Kamen…" Touji stammered.

"Kamen Rider," Diend finished for him. "Kamen Rider Diend." He then drew three cards from the case mounted on the left side of his belt. "Now, for my next trick." He inserted the card into a slot on the side of his gun. Holding the bottom silver cylinder, he pushed and extended the barrel, revealing the back of the card he had put in. He then activated it with the trigger.

"**Kamen Ride: Faiz!**"

Shooting his gun, the Rider who was the bane of Orphenochs and ironically their king appeared in a flash of green, red, and blue. He was donned in a black bodysuit with silver armor on his chest and shoulders, with bits of metal on his hands and boots. Red lines traveled across his body in a strange pattern and his helmet had a pair of large yellow eyes. The copy of Faiz looked out at the Angel battling Unit 01 and took a ready stance.

"Next!" Diend slotted in his next card. "This might hurt a bit."

"**Final Form Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!**"

Diend's next shot hit Faiz right in the back, leaving a phi symbol in front of him before his body began to change. His arms folded onto his back as a trigger mechanism rose from his chest. Flipping over while his head was encased in a white metal box, Faiz's whole body was covered in the same material, his arms turning into what appeared to be a pair of scopes and the rest of his body becoming that of a gun. A shell with a gun barrel at the end covered his feet. Diend nodded as he watched the Faiz Blaster hover in the air. Taking his next card, he slotted it in.

"And finally!"

"**Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!**"

Diend took aim with his Faiz Blaster. He was aiming for the Angel's core. At first he was thinking of immobilizing the Eva, but then that would turn it into damaged goods and Diend hated damaged goods. Treasures like Eva 01 had to be protected and cared for. Seeing the proximity that the Eva had to the Angel, he assumed that the AT field had been negated and would not be able to stop his next shot. So, taking aim, he looked to the Angels' core which was located below its 'chin' and making for a lovely target.

"Here we go!" Diend laughed, pulling a secondary trigger.

A beam of red energy shot from the scopes of the Faiz Blaster and struck the core of the Angel. Rather than damaging it, the beam turned into a spinning red cone. The Angel froze on the impact, but Diend doubted that would last long. Eva 01 seemed unsure of what to do next, but if it backed away then the AT Field would return and block Diend's next shot so he would have to act fast. Hitting the main trigger, Diend launched a beam of pure crimson photon energy which cut through the air directly towards the Angel. The blast struck the Angel's core and burrowed right into it, sending chunks to the ground. Naturally, the S2 organ the Angel possessed failed and started glowing. To Diend, that could only mean…

KA-BOOOM!

The Angel blew up in a blast as its S2 organ went into meltdown and self-destructed. Eva-01 went flying from the blast and skidded across the dirt on the outside of the city. Touji and Kensuke were knocked down by the force of the blast. Diend was likewise knocked back as the Faiz Blaster vanished from his hands. The blue Rider was the first one up to see his handiwork, a massive crater where the Angel used to be.

"Now THAT was a cool explosion!" Diend laughed, standing up and retrieving his Diendriver.

"Wow," Touji gaped at the destruction that the Kamen Rider next to them had unleashed.

"This…is the best day of my life," Kensuke grinned, eagerly filming the destruction.

"DIEND!"

Diend turned to see who had shouted at him and was pleasantly surprised to see Decade running towards him with Dark Kiva and Orga in tow, "Ah! Decade-kun! It's been a while! How have you been?"

"Been better," Decade frowned, reaching the Rider and the two schoolboys. "Just what the heck are you doing here now? I doubt there's anything here you'd want to steal!"

"Correction! There are two things in this place which will make excellent treasures for me!" Diend laughed. "One of which being that awesome purple mecha laying in the dirt over there!" He pointed out to Eva Unit 01 just to punctuate his point.

"He said he's gonna steal Eva 01!" Kensuke shouted helpfully as he filmed the Riders together.

"…I don't know how I should feel about that," Orga pondered. "On one hand it would leave the city mostly defenseless, but on the other Commander Ikari won't be able to use it in whatever plot he has going on."

"Dude, it's huge," Dark Kiva muttered. "How do you plan on getting it away from here? It's not like you can pilot it."

"I have many ways," Diend shrugged. Reaching to his case on his belt, he drew another card. "Well, I did my good deed for the day. I'm outta here." He then slid the card into his weapon.

"**Attack Ride: Invisible!" **

Diend vanished from sight, making his escape from the area.

"You know, that commander isn't going to be happy that his precious Eva didn't finish off that Angel," said Dark Kiva. Not that it was any skin off of his nose. The bearded jerk could use a little bit of humbling.

"I don't think I care," said Decade, rubbing the back of his head with a shrug. "Sides, he'll try to cover up Diend's involvement. The Eva was seen fighting it. Military types like him always do cover ups so people don't find out how badly they screwed up."

"True. Oh, and you two," Orga pointed to Touji and Kensuke. "Get out of here!"

"Wait," said Touji, looking to Orga. The black and gold Rider looked straight at Touji, letting him know that he had her attention. "My sister, Mari, she really wants to see you again. You're her hero. She won't stop talking about you to her friends and anyone else who will listen."

"I'm very flattered," Orga nodded. "I'll think about it. Maybe if the Angels don't attack for a while we'll see what happens."

Touji nodded appreciatively before he started dragging Kensuke away from the area, the otaku trying to film every second that he could. With the two civilians gone, the Riders decided to make tracks. Shinji had confirmed that NERV had cameras all over the city and surrounding area so they could see if any Angels were coming. No doubt they already knew about Diend's involvement. No doubt Gendo wasn't going to be happy about it.

* * *

**NERV HQ  
**

"Just what the hell happened?" demanded Misato. "One minute the Angel and the Eva were fighting and the next the damn thing blew up! Now tell me what happened!"

"Pulling up all views of the battle!" Maya reported, bringing up every camera which had been able to see the fight. On he main viewing monitor, several screens opened to reveal different angles of the battle. Well, the ones that hadn't been getting a close up of the Angel or the Eva and actually had something useful to report.

"Wait," Ritsuko frowned. "Bring up image 7-C."

Maya did so, enlarging the view of the image in question. The Angel and the Eva were quite visible, but then everyone noticed something off about the Angel's core. There was a red energy cone sticking out of it. Maya played the images and sure enough, they saw a red beam of energy pierce the core and cause the Angel to blow up in the Eva's face.

"Are we able to calculate just where that shot came from?" asked Misato.

"Sure," Ritsuko nodded, reaching a console and beginning to go through calculations with the MAGI. Pulling up a map of Tokyo-3, Ritsuko brought up a blinking red dot. "According to the calculations, the shot came from this position. Unfortunately, we don't have any surveillance equipment there so we can't tell who fired it."

"Bring up the closest camera that you can then," Gendo ordered stoically.

The technicians did so, finding the closest camera to the spot and bringing up the feed. The spot was visible and they could see three figures but no identifiable features could be made. However, when one of them suddenly transformed into blue outfit, it captured everyone's attention.

"Cool! Another Kamen Rider!" Shigeru grinned.

"They beat us to it again?" Ritsuko gaped in shock.

The Rider was then seen holding a large cannon. The image played to show the Rider firing a stream of crimson photon energy straight into the Angel's core.

Gendo scowled. Four Kamen Riders were bad enough, but now there were five of them, the fifth armed with a weapon capable of defeating an Angel

"Well, looks like we owe those Riders our thanks again," said Misato. She didn't care how the Angels were defeated, as long as they were destroyed.

"No," denied Gendo. "They are getting in our way and showing us as incompetent." He didn't want his scenario to be ruined. If these Riders proved to be more capable by defeating the Angels, they would lose the support of the UN and their funding. Gendo had to find these Riders and discover their identities, quickly.

* * *

Shinji grumbled as he rubbed his face to get the burning sensation out of it. The exploding angel had dealt some burn damage to the Eva's front and because of his high synch rate Shinji had felt the burning as well. The feeling was fading now that he wasn't inside and synched with his Eva anymore, but it still hurt when it happened. He didn't know who fired that shot which killed the Angel, but he was grateful for the backup. He was no glory hound out to prove how great he was to everyone else. Really, who would be as insecure as that?

* * *

In Germany, a red headed pilot sneezed loudly, mixing her spit with LCL inside of her Eva

"Verdammit!"

* * *

Rubbing his chest, Shinji saw Misato walking towards him with a somewhat bright smile.

"Good work out there Shinji," she smiled, congratulating the young pilot. "Too bad you couldn't get the kill shot, but good job taking it on. Only minimal damage to the city was done since you managed to take it outside city limits."

"Thanks I guess," Shinji shrugged. "I was planning on getting it out of the city. By the way, your rifle didn't really help all that much. I mean, the bullets couldn't get past the AT Field and when I got close enough to nullify it, I wasn't able to use it anymore."

"Uh…yeah," Misato smiled weakly, twiddling her fingers. "Well…you see…the guys in R&D kind of wanted to test how conventional weaponry worked in the hands of an Eva and Ritz kind of had a hand in making those guns so she wanted to see them put to use. She was the one who suggested them and the commander approved it."

"Right," Shinji sighed. So the doctor was looking for either bragging rights or used his fight as a field test. Oh well. "Speaking of guns though, who fired that shot which took the Angel out?"

"Oh! You wouldn't believe it!" Misato grinned. "It was another Kamen Rider! A blue one too. Oh, make sure you don't tell anyone though. The commander wants to try and claim the victory for NERV since he doesn't want the UN trying to cut our funding since we haven't killed a single Angel since they started showing up."

"Right…" Shinji nodded, unsurprised at his father's arrogance. Still…a blue Rider? Had his father sent someone to back them up? He didn't hint at it when they last reported to him about the situation. He'd have to ask his siblings about it later.

* * *

**Smith Apartment**

"So, this Diend guy is you from another dimension?" asked Naruto.

The three Riders not in NERV's employ were currently at the Smith apartment trying to learn more about the enigmatic Diend. Naturally upset at some of the stunts his counterpart pulled in the past, Ranma was all but happy to tell all he knew. Ranma figured the school day was shot now and just headed home, content to let the administration freak out about his disappearance until tomorrow. That secretary was mean anyway.

"Yup," the pigtailed martial artist nodded. "Born as Ranma Saotome, but he calls himself 'Kaitoh'. He's a master escape artist, thief and gunman. Oh, he's also a world class flirt so I'd watch out for him Lucy. He'll try to woo you off your feet."

"Hmph!" Lucy huffed, already not liking the sound of this counterpart to her friend. "I already have Kouta-kun."

"Won't stop him," Ranma sighed. "I've seen him woo married women and he's claimed to have bedded a few when he was feeling raunchy."

"Wow. Ero-sennin would love this guy," Naruto blinked. The Toad Sannin always wrote about hot married women being the ultimate forbidden fruit. He claimed to never have wooed a married woman unless she didn't tell him she was married or something like that. It didn't stop him from writing about it when he did find out they were married though.

"Who?" asked Ranma with a curious blink.

"Nobody," Lucy interrupted, not wanting to risk Ranma becoming infected by Jiraiya's perverse ideas. "The question I want to know is, is he dangerous?"

"Well…he won't fight someone unless he's provoked which usually takes attacking him or doing something downright evil," Ranma shrugged, recalling adventures with Diend in the past. "If you have something of extreme value like artifacts, grand pieces of jewelry, priceless artworks, or one of a kind Kamen Rider items and are able to replace them, then he'll be coming for them. He never steals from someone who can't afford to replace the item he takes."

"So he'll be trying to take Eva 01 and something else," Lucy nodded. "Well, if he's stealing them from Gendo then I won't complain. The bastard deserves as much grief as we can dish out for how he hurt Shinji."

"Nee-chan, language," Naruto reminded his sister, who nodded as she pinched her cheek.

"Well, Diend's a slippery one, but we'll have to try and get some straight answers out of him next time we see him," Ranma sighed. "If Gendo really is as bad as you all say he is, then I'll probably offer to help Diend rob the jerk blind."

"I second that!" Naruto grinned.

"Third!" Lucy nodded.

* * *

Ritsuko Akagi sighed as she took another shot of whiskey with her cigarettes. Definitely not the way to go if she wanted to extend her lifespan, but it did wonders for numbing the pain again. She had been called to Gendo's home to 'attend' to him yet again. Just like every other time, the sex hurt and he ended up calling his wife's name instead of hers like she experienced every time. He didn't even bother satisfying her.

So far the cover up had been working and everyone believed that NERV had won the day, but everyone inside the establishment knew otherwise. If they wanted to keep their jobs and possibly their lives, they kept quiet. After the whole mess Gendo requested (i.e. ordered) her to go to his house after her shift ended. The result was the usual disappointment as it always was.

Ritsuko knew she had fallen in love with Gendo. No doubt about that. That's why she followed him in the beginning, because of the promise of happiness he seemed to offer. Now though, it was mostly because she was afraid of him. She knew too many of his secrets and leaving meant putting her life in danger. Of course, she did hold onto the sliver of hope that she might be able to change him and have him fall in love with her. However, reality always reminded her that the man was obsessed with is wife to the point of wanting to end the world just to be with her. He even designed Rei to look like his wife in a little way. Still, that naïve hope remained no matter how often reality crushed it.

Of course, seeing Shinji made that hope twinge a little. The boy was mature, polite (to everyone but his biological father), courteous, and a downright gentleman. When they first met she had still been in that one piece she had been using to help inspect the Evas so it made her body a little bit more obvious that usual. The kid didn't even blink so either he didn't notice (which her feminine pride didn't like at all) or he didn't want to stare at her like a hormone crazed idiot, which scored points with her. If she were to have a child, she wouldn't mind one like Shinji or even his siblings. That just got her to become envious of Yui Ikari, having both Gendo's love and a son any mother would be happy to have, which in turn got her irritated with Rei since she was so much like the woman in appearance. That connected hostility only allowed her to be civil with the girl. Anything beyond that was impossible.

Not wanting to entertain hostile thoughts about the girl after another disappointing night, she turned her thoughts to the Riders. Now they were something her inner scientist could sink her teeth into. Their technology was incredible since their suits allowed them to take on Angels and actually win. The blue one with the bazooka managed to blow up an Angel by himself. Although, she doubted he could do it alone if Eva 01 hadn't negated the AT Field. Still, the payload that weapon unleashed had to be immense and the power to release it just as much so. What could power something on such a grand scale yet be so small?

"Here," the bartender put a glass in front of Ritsuko. She blinked and stared him.

"I didn't order this," she said.

"It's from that gentleman over there," said the bartender as he pointed a few seats away from her. She looked to see a young man. He wore a red blazer over a blue shirt with a black tie and black pants. He had on a red fedora. He held a glass to his lips and smiled to Ritsuko, winking. He then moved over and sat next to her. "Hello, gorgeous," he said to her. "What's a lovely goddess like you doing in a place like this?" Cheesy, but he was charming enough to make it work.

"Just thinking," Ritsuko said idly, deciding to make conversation.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Kaitoh," the young man introduced himself.

"Ritsuko Akagi," she said, humoring him. It felt nice to be flirted with. "Aren't you a bit young to be in a place like this?"

"So? The drinking age hasn't been lowered, has it?" he responded. "As long as I don't get drunk I'll be fine. My dad raised no fool."

"Hmmm," Ritsuko sighed, taking a sip. Oooh, she tasted some of the really good liquor in the new drink. The man knew his booze.

"Yeah, but enough about me," Kaitoh spoke. "I couldn't help but notice that you came in alone tonight. Normally a good looking woman like yourself would have some kind of lucky man on her arm. You also seem to have the world on your shoulders tonight. I thought I could lend a sympathetic ear and maybe make a new friend tonight."

"New friend. Right," Ritsuko snickered softly. The only kind of friends one made in a bar were the ones you were hoping to take to bed. Still, the younger guy certainly had the right charm and he couldn't have been an inexperienced virgin from what she could tell. She actually found herself temped to see where the night would go. Ignoring that temptation, she decided to see I that sympathetic ear was any good.

"Feels like the world's on my shoulders everyday," she sighed, exhaling smoke. "I work at NERV. Head Scientist you know. Supposed to be glamorous super job where you get to save the world from the Angels only everything is going wrong already. That and my boss is a king among pricks."

"Sounds serious," Kaitoh nodded, hailing for more drinks.

"As serious as it gets," Ritsuko sighed, lighting another cigarette. "Classified stuff I can't tell you about aside, my boss just can't seem to take a hint. He and I are…" She trailed off.

"Doing the nasty, bumping bumpers, the horizontal mambo, mating, doing it, and a whole bunch of other names for probably one of the most anticipated pastimes in the history of mankind?" asked Kaitoh with a snicker in his lips.

"Ha! That's the name, but I sure as hell don't look forward to it!" Ritsuko snorted. "The dick doesn't even last five minutes. Always moans about his dead wife and…and…he doesn't even pay attention to me. Then after the first time I feel like I have to do it now. I mean…he was so good to me before and now…now…" Ritsuko sniffed, she wasn't sure why but for the first time in a long time she finally had someone who'd listen to her and it felt so good to finally spill her guts.

"He's holding it over you," Kaitoh frowned.

'_Among other things,_' Ritsuko thought bitterly, wiping her eyes. "Yeah. Sounds about right."

"That alone is pretty serious," Kaitoh nodded. "And from how NERV is some kind of super organization, I can guess there's no one you can really report him to. He's just too high up in the political food chain."

"Bingo," Ritsuko huffed. The committee sure weren't going to do anything since they needed Gendo where he was and the UN was out since probably half of the people in there were doing the same to their secretaries. Resting her chin in her hand, she gazed at the younger patron of the local watering hole. "So, any advice for this poor unfortunate woman?"

"I'd say arrest the dickless bastard," Kaitoh grinned. "Because if he can't seem to get it up long enough around a woman like you and fails to make you happy, then he's breaking international law in my opinion. He'd probably be happier in a prison with lots of other men anyway."

Ritsuko snorted into her drink, almost choking on it in laughter, "-cough- Don't do that when I'm drinking!"

"What? Compliment you?" Kaitoh grinned.

"You flirt," Ritsuko laughed.

"Ah, finally got you to smile though," Kaitoh grinned.

"Probably the booze more than you," Ritsuko teased as she finished her drink. "Well Kaitoh-san, I think I do feel a little better. Since you're such a gentleman, how about buying us another round and listening to a depressed woman talk some more?"

"For a lady, anything," Kaitoh grinned as the bartender set down another pair of drinks. Raising his glass, Ritsuko met it with a more relaxed smile. "To new friends."

"Friends," Ritsuko nodded, feeling much more relaxed with the younger man. His charm certainly made it easier to do so.

And the night was still young.

* * *

**The next morning…**

"Um…" Ritsuko moaned as she slowly awoke. The feeling of a warm body next to her wasn't unusual. She felt that before. The feeling of being naked in a bed was again, not unusual. The soreness between her legs while unusually more intense than she was used to was not unusual. What was unusual was the sheer contentment and satisfaction that was humming through her body that morning. Opening her eyes, even though she really didn't want to, she looked up to see who her bedmate was. To her mild surprise, she saw the black haired younger man she had met the previous night.

"Morning, beautiful," he said to her.

Ritsuko's eyes snapped wide open. She sat up quickly and cried out, pulling the covers over herself. "Who-? Wha-? What did I do last night!"

"Me," Kaitoh answered. He reached over and stroked her cheek. "You seem tense, Ritsuko."

The blonde shivered under his touch. '_Oh he's so gentle…Wait! No!_' her mind then snapped back to reality as she tried to recall what happened the previous night. The memories came back. She recalled how he'd taken her home and then…in bed together…he satisfied her, and made her moan and scream. "You were really good. Flexible too," he complimented. He leaned over and kissed her deeply. She was caught by surprise but didn't resist as she kissed him back.

Ritsuko sighed softly, leaning into her younger lover with a silly grin. Now this was what she wanted in a physical relationship. This was what she hoped to have with…that other guy. Enjoying the feel of bare skin against bare skin, she looked over to her clock…then her eyes bulged.

"Oh shit!" she hissed leaping from the bed in the buff, proving she was not a natural blonde while her legs feeling slightly like wet noodles but still solid enough to move. "I'm late for work!" She dove for her closet, grabbing a clean set of clothes before racing to the bathroom to get herself somewhat presentable. It was barely fifteen minutes later than she came back out before she froze. Her bed was completely made with clean sheets and the other ones in the laundry hamper. Her cat was already eating his breakfast happily with content meows. Shaking the shock off, she dashed to her kitchen, seeing Kaitoh fully dressed with a plate filled with an actual breakfast complete with a mug of coffee.

"Thanks! I'll eat on the way!" Ritsuko smiled before leaning in and capturing a very drawn out kiss from the younger man. "Mmm. Will I get to see you again?"

"Left my cell phone number on the fridge," Kaitoh smiled. "Call me if you need me."

"Okay," Ritsuko smiled, feeling much younger all of a sudden. "I'll leave my house key so you can lock up. Please leave it in my mailbox. Bye!"

Kaitoh nodded as Ritsuko dashed out the door. Grinning he picked up his own cup of coffee with a shit-eating grin, "Ah. What a woman." He took a sip and added, "And for the next phase of my plan."

* * *

Ritsuko had driven like a madwoman, in other words like Misato, to get to work on time. Thankfully, she was only ten minutes late and no one would call her on it. Well, the commander would but only if she had missed an entire day or something. As the Chairwoman of Project E, she could be a little more flexible with her hours if she wanted to. She just didn't have much to go home for beyond her cat and maybe some takeout. Of course, now that might change. The grin from that thought just didn't want to leave her face.

When Misato bumped into Ritsuko as they were traversing the many hallways, the purple-haired operations director noted how her pseudo-blonde friend was glowing. "Someone had a nice night," Misato observed. She knew that kind of grin anywhere since she often woke up wearing it back in college. "So, you met a guy at a bar, huh?"

"You could say that," Ritsuko nodded. "Even took him home with me."

"Oh? Well come on Ritz. Tell me the details!" Misato grinned, always happy to hear some gossip. When she wasn't doing paperwork or leading operations against Angels, NERV could be such a boring place and the hours played hell on her personal life. A little gossip always brightened her day.

"Well, I suppose," Ritsuko grinned, feeling like being the braggart at the moment. "I did meet him at the bar. I was feeling a little down lately and he felt like listening. He bought me drinks and listened to my complaints and such. He was a real gentleman I must say. Eventually though I was feeling adventurous and got him to take me home."

"And?" Misato asked hopefully. "Details! Was he any good?"

Ritsuko's grin got significantly bigger, "The best I ever had."

"Aw you suck!" Misato grumbled.

"Actually, we both did our share of that if I recall," remembering an absolutely delicious position she and her new beau tried out during their hours in the bedroom.

"Argh!" Misato groaned. "Why is it you get the apparent sex god while I get pecked by PenPen?"

"That sounds wrong," Ritsuko teased with a grimace.

"Oh shut up!" Misato scowled while sticking her tongue out.

"Very mature," Ritsuko giggled.

The two talked like they were teenagers again as they entered Ritsuko's office to try and see what work needed to be done. Of course Maya was there with the day's list ready and waiting for her. Ritsuko was feeling refreshed after her night and immediately set to work with a smile on her face. It seemed things were looking up for once.

**To Be Continued…**


	124. KAMEN RIDER ORBS

**-KAMEN RIDER ORBS-**

**By: Kamen Rider Chrome and Ten-Faced Paladin**

A pair of shady figures stood in front of the Saiguden (Ritual Equipment Temple) of the Furude Shrine. One of them had a pair of bolt cutters and with them they broke the lock in front of the shrine. It was really no secret that the Furudes, as one of the founding families of Hinamizawa, had a collection of odds and ends from over the centuries. The pair of figures merely decided that since the only Furude was a little girl, she would have no need for any of the antiques which were cluttering up her temple home so they would relieve her of them. If they made a profit in the process, then everyone went home happy.

Shady Figure A spoke, "Hey, let's go."

Shady Figure B replied, "Are you sure? I heard it was cursed."

A scoffed, "Oh, just relax! This place is a treasure trove!"

"So is the Sonozaki Place."

"Yeah, but it's got too much security!" A opened the doors and entered.

"At least it wasn't so creepy," B whimpered as he went after his partner. They used their flashlights and B grimaced as he saw all the ancient torture devices. He could already imagine being forced to experience them. Oh, the Furude girl wouldn't do that, but the Sonozaki woman who practically ran the whole damn village sure would. Of course, all A could see was the amount of cash he would get for selling the items.

"Boy, we could sell these to collectors and make a fortune!" A grinned greedily. "Now, hurry up!"

B nodded and started to look at the stuff. He heard a yelp. "Huh?"

A had cut himself on a scythe. "Damn it!" He was bleeding. The sound of the blood dripping to the floor echoed through the room in a way that B did not like in the least. This was how every horror movie he had ever seen had started.

"You okay?" B inquired with concern.

"It's just a scratch!" A insisted. "Now, hurry up!"

B nodded and looked around, trying to figure out just what he would have the least chance of getting cursed by if he stole it. Deciding on something small which caught his eye, he stepped closer to it. Getting closer, his foot stepped on something which was near the scary Oyashiro-sama statue, sinking into the floor from his body weight. All of a sudden, the statue slid to the left, causing the two thieves to jump back in surprise.

"Hey, what's this?" A went to check and found a hidden passageway where the statue had been. There was a flight of steps leading down it. "Jackpot!"

"Hey, what are you doing?" B asked as he watched A go down the steps. "Hey, wait up!"

The two went down. B shivered, "This is not good…"

A told him, "Suck it up! There might be more treasure down here."

The two of them soon found themselves in a huge chamber. In the very centre were five coffins with chains and sacred talismans wrapped around them. The coffins pointed in five different positions and the chains that bound them were connected to a rectangular piece of stone. What caught the thieves' attention were the orbs within the stone. They looked valuable!

A grinned and put his hand on the orb-mounted stone. The hand was still bleeding and so some of his blood stained it. Snorting in annoyance, A started heading for his partner, not even noticing that his blood was sinking into the chains like water into a sponge.

"Gimme the bolt cutters!" he ordered. He was going to cut the chains and grab the stone.

B hesitantly handed his partner the bolt cutters. However, just as A was about to free the bounty, the chains began to rattle and the coffins started to shake. "What the F-?"

**BOOM!**

The coffins then shattered right open! The two thieves were thrown back by the force of the explosion. The coffins had all shattered like fragile stone, spilling out millions of what looked like regular black coins made of an odd metal. At first A thought he had struck pay dirt with a hidden fortune, but B got a bad feeling when he spotted green, red, white, and blue lights glittering inside the mass of black coins.

To A's sudden shock and B's mounting horror, the shining coins suddenly erupted into a hurricane of black coins which sent the pair of thieves flying back. The storm of coins continued until the four groups of colored coins fused into masses of humanoid figures shrouded in darkness.

The four humanoids of coin then started to walk away from their coffins and their prison, walking up the stairs towards freedom. They hadn't realized that they had left something behind. Several coins that remained were pulled together to form something similar to a hand. The hand made of coins soon followed after the others, crawling up the steps like some kind of five-legged spider.

**

* * *

**

In a strange shop, a man was singing to himself. "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear…Generals…Happy Birthday to you~" He wore a green overcoat, a polka-dot bowtie, and on his head was a black top hat. His nose was long and pointed.

He was waiting for his cake to be done. It was a work of art and in fact an important item for this birthday celebration. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

He flipped a coin in his hand and it landed in the palm of his hand. "When a force of evil is reborn, so is a force of good. Who or what will it be? I wonder."

**

* * *

**

Hanyuu had sensed something wrong as her eyes swung wide open. Sitting up with a start, she shook Rika awake. "Rika, big trouble! Big trouble!" the horned girl panicked.

"Um…" Rika grumbled, her eyes slowly opening. "What is it, Hanyuu?" Satoko was snoring. She was a deep sleeper.

"Something happened at the Saiguden!" Hanyuu answered. "Hurry!"

Rika knew better than to question Hanyuu so the two girls got up and rushed out of their house, straight towards the Saiguden. There they found the padlock had been broken and the door was ajar. The two carefully entered and saw that the Oyashiro-sama had been moved, revealing a hidden passage. The two looked down and saw the stairs. Silently sharing an agreement, the two young girls went down the stairs to check what it was. Fortunately, Rika had the foresight to carry a flashlight to light the way.

What they found was a mess! There was rubble and broken chains on the floor. They also spotted two unconscious men (the thieves) lying in the corner.

"What happened here?" Rika asked, gaping.

Hanyuu picked up the rectangular stone, but the slots were empty. "This is bad…"

"Hanyuu!" Rika called and opened her hands to show the three orbs.

"Rika, the seal's been broken!" Hanyuu panicked. "Au! Au! Au!"

"Seal? What seal?" Rika demanded.

Hanyuu would explain soon enough, but first they needed to call the police. The two thieves didn't look like they would get anywhere fast in their state. After making the call, the police came and picked up the two thieves. They were injured, so an ambulance had also accompanied the police.

**

* * *

**

Oryo Sonozaki was what one could call a hard woman. Despite her advanced age, she was still as shrewd and hard as she was in her prime. She led the Sonozaki family with an iron fist and fully intended her granddaughter Mion to do the same when leadership came to her. That was why she forced Mion to go through the same trials and tests she herself had gone through. Normally leadership would have gone to her daughter Akane, but after she went and married that yakuza man, Oryo didn't care so much what her daughter did beyond bearing children. Of course, his contacts in the Yakuza did come in handy from time to time. A Sonozaki always did turn anything in front of them into an advantage somehow.

Despite her harshness and determination to lead her family, Oyro had a penchant for being trapped in the past. She often thought of all the history the Sonozaki family had and drilled it into her relatives so they would know it back and forth just like she did. She wanted to do her ancestors proud and often kept doing Sonozaki family traditions just like they would have been done back when the village was first founded. Trials which were acceptable back then to a samurai family were definitely not acceptable in this day and age but Oryo didn't much care for what outsiders or people not of ancient families like hers thought. Her family didn't become as powerful as it was by playing to the whims of others.

During this day, the elderly Sonozaki was looking over paperwork about current issues in the village. The recent break-in at the Furude shrine was of some concern, but Rika-chama reported that nothing was taken and the thieves, who had apparently injured themselves on some of the equipment due to bad lighting, had been hauled away by the police. They expected to make a full, but lengthy, recovery.

"Hmph," the old woman snorted, looking over what her men had reported. "Rika-chama is being too soft. Her family's artifacts are meant to be used, not gather dust. If she just followed my example she wouldn't have to worry about thieves again!"

It was times like this she truly regretted not adopting the shrine girl when she had the chance. Rika was still young and there was no one left to teach her what she needed to know as part of the founding families of Hinamizawa. Oryo would have done just that since the girl needed someone to teach her, but Rika insisted that she would be fine living with that Hanyuu girl and Satoko. Since Rika was the head of the Furude, they had to obey her. Of course, Oryo didn't like it, but then again, she didn't like much.

Tossing the paper to the side, she looked over more of her paperwork. Well, if Rika-chama wanted to be soft, it would be up to the Sonozaki head to instill discipline like a member of the founding families should. She'd find out who these thieves were and teach them proper punishment for their crimes.

Discretely of course.

"Heh, heh, heh," a voice suddenly chuckled as if listening to her thoughts. "So this is what the Sonozaki is reduced to? A bitter old lady who spreads pain and suffering to all who cross her eh? My, I wonder what that carefree samurai named Sonozaki would say if he saw how cruel and twisted his descendants have become."

Oryo spun around, demanding, "Who's there! Show yourself!"

"Trying to be strong in your old age, old woman? Really, it's pathetic," the voice mocked. When the figure revealed itself, Oryo's eyes widened as she froze. The figure grinned as it approached her. "Don't die on me yet, old woman. I still have use for you."

**

* * *

**

Onifaguchi swamp wasn't a place that was liked by the locals of Hinamizawa. It had a reputation for the home grounds of demons even though their history kept saying that the founders of their village had defeated all of the demons. Not many people would brave going through it in the day and at night no one would go near it. They did not want to end up being cursed by the vengeful demons which the village founders had beaten.

If only distance from the swamp would keep them safe from what was now in it. For in the very centre of the swamp, in the darkest core where the ground was as mud and twisted and gnarled plants grew in all directions, three dark beings were getting their bearings straight.

The first was a hunchback creature with a massive shell on his back that was covered with numerous bumps and spikes. Its shoulders were rounded and shone like polished steel while its arms and legs were trunk-like and strong. Its torso was barrel-like and carved with the images of a large demon fighting three samurai with kanji over their heads. Its face was actually a turtle skull-based samurai helmet which hid its face and was adorned with large tusks on the skull's lower jaw.

The second was donned in black armor with white stripes, this tiger-like monster bore a staff tipped with numerous blades like a tiger's claw its thick arms and legs are wrapped in white bandages while its helmet was that of a tiger's skull in a full snarl, the only parts of its face being of black skin hidden behind the shadow of the helmet while the rest was wrapped in white bandages. A long ponytail with white streaks in it runs down his back, making this creature look wilder than its fellow.

The last of the trio had a scaled hide with blue accents across its body. A Chinese dragon skull hid its face with long gold whiskers running down his front. Gold ridges run over his shoulders and black armor highlighted with blue keeps his torso and legs safe. Strapped to its back with black ceremonial rope was a long naginata with a blue dragon curled around the staff with its head at the top, spitting out a steel blade shaped like flames, but curved to suit the weapon all the same.

"Okkayb, Uyries," the turtle monster spoke. "Where did Ukazus and Gnol run off to now?"

"Something about wanting to check up on the Sonozakis, Ubneg," the tiger monster, Okkayb, answered, sharpening the blades of his weapon with years of experience.

"A sentiment I agree with in regards to the Furudes," the dragon creature Uyries added. "As for Gnol, I haven't seen him since we woke up. Maybe he's still pulling himself back together in that shrine or something."

Ubneg nodded. They did kind of leave Gnol behind. If he wanted to join them, then he would once he managed to reconfigure his entire body. He wondered what Ukazus was going to do with the Sonozakis.

They were all revived, but something was missing. Yes, their full power. After being sealed for so long, they had lost some considerable power. The mortals had defeated them but were unable to destroy them so they were sealed away and thus they now had only a fraction of their original power. It would not do. They needed their full power to complete their revival. They would also need more power to revive their fallen Master.

**

* * *

**

A bird-like monster with black plumage was holding Oryo up by her clothing, dark amusement in its eyes. It has tufts of feathers rising from his shoulders and had claw like feet. Metallic talons stretch from its wrists and its arms were covered in red armor which was a mix of black and red while his legs ended in bird-like feet. Black fiery wings can emerge from his back. It face is covered with a bird-like skull mask and a samurai helmet.

"Now, this won't hurt a bit," Ukazus snickered as he hefted Oryo up by her front before running a finger down her forehead. The old lady's body stiffened as what appeared to be a coin slot appeared in the middle of her forehead, making it feel like an actual hole appeared in her skull.

Still amused, the bird-like demon produced what appeared to be a thick black coin which was blank on one side and had the image of an owl carved on the other side. Bringing the coin to the old woman's head, he popped it inside of the slot before dropping the elderly Sonozaki to the ground.

Oryo sputtered at the rough treatment, but that quickly changed when a black void opened up in her chest. To her mounting horror, she watched as well as felt some kind of creature emerge from the void. It was human-sized and seemed to be nothing but skin and bones, like a zombie or something but without any kind of features to call it male or female. Its face was skull like with no lips and merely sunken spots to act as eyes.

"Sonozaki…treasure," the creature moaned. Stepping out of Oryo's body, it stumbled over towards one of the antiques which the old woman kept in her office. Mixed emotions of revulsion, anger, and fear spread through her as she watched it move like an animated corpse. The bird monster only watched in amusement as the zombie managed to reach one of the Sonozaki family katanas which had been collected by the more prominent members over the centuries.

"Watch this," the bird monster laughed.

Oryo watched as the zombie snatched up the sword and brought it to its face before to her abject horror, opened a maw filled with purple light before actually biting the handle of the sword clean off!

"NO!" the elderly woman screamed, but it was no good. The zombie merely continued to eat the sword, sheathe, blade, guard and all. If anything, it seemed to become more animated as it ate more of the sword.

"You should find what you want all over the estate," the bird monster laughed. "Eat until you drop and then go start harvesting sin. You know what to do."

"Yes…sir," the zombie nodded while reaching for the antique stand which the sword had been mounted on.

**

* * *

**

A right forearm was floating in the air. It seemed off that nobody had noticed its presence but then again this forearm was good at what it did, stealth. However, the forearm had other things to be concerned about, mainly its lack of a body. It seemed to have dragon-like skin which was black with gold ridges with a pair of green stones embedded on the wrist. The palm was black with a gold orb in the centre of the palm, decorated with white, blue, green, and red on the compass points. All in all, it was something not many people would be able to miss, but somehow they did anyway.

"Damn it," the forearm, named Gnol, grumbled. If he continued to travel like this he would waste energy. Somehow, he needed to find a body nobody was using. Nothing dead. That was disgusting. No, he needed an unconscious human body as a host.

"Now, where can I find it," Gnol spoke to himself. He then used his senses. "Ah, yes…"

Gnol cut through the air, heading in a definite direction rather than just flying aimlessly. It didn't take him long to come across Dr. Irie's clinic. Eyeing the building for a moment, the disembodied arm flew around to the back of the building, finding the back door. He tried the handle, but found it locked. It didn't really matter to the Darkloid arm since a sharp twist of the handle later, the entire locking mechanism broke off, allowing the door to swing open.

Slipping inside, Gnol seemed to be almost tasting the air with his fingers. Snickering softly, he began to head to the lower levels of the clinic, finding the hidden ward filled with the unfortunate victims of the Hinamizawa Syndrome.

"Ahh, so Master's little pet project bore fruit eh?" Gnol snickered, recognizing the taint on the comatose humans from long ago. "Well, all the better for me!" Snickering, the arm began hovering through the rows of comatose people, looking for a body to use.

"Too old…too ugly…to skinny…don't want a female body…too fat…" the Darkloid muttered as it passed over several bodies. Looking to one in particular, he found the body of a teenage boy lying in one of the beds. The boy's chart named him Satoshi, but Gnol wasn't paying attention to that little detail.

Gnol looked down at Satoshi and thought, '_Hm, I can use this body. It's not like he's using it at the moment._' Putting himself down upon Satoshi's right arm, he began to fuse with it. He could already feel himself becoming one. '_OK, let's do this!_'

Satoshi's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed. He then removed the breathing mask from his face and removed the IV from his arm. He looked about. Actually, it was Gnol in control.

As Gnol made Satoshi's body stand up, he could feel something was off. Something was in the body that he hadn't sensed before. Something that was tearing control from him! "Huh?" He then yelped as he was forcefully ejected from Satoshi's body and thrown against the wall. "OW!"

Satoshi blinked. "Huh?" He looked at himself. "What happened? I'm awake?" The last thing he remembered was a bunch of people jumping him during the last summer festival and something being stuck in his arm. Looking at himself, he figured he was in Dr. Irie's clinic or a hospital. A shuffling noise caught his attention from the gown he was in. Thinking a nurse was approaching so he could get some answered, Satoshi instead found himself staring at a floating arm.

"That hurt, you know…"

"ARGH!" Satoshi screamed as he bolted out of the room. Muscles which hadn't been strenuously used for at least a year suddenly got into perfect working order as adrenaline brought out by fear gave it a kick start. Satoshi was already at the door to the ward by the time his flight registered with the arm.

"Hey, get back here!" Gnol gave chase. "Come back here with that body! Oi!"

Satoshi ran up the stairs, running at full speed! He had to get away from that…thing!

**

* * *

**

It was after school at the Hinamizawa School. Rika and Hanyuu still seemed oddly troubled and their friends looked at the two in worry. Word travelled fast in the small village. It wasn't long until people could be heard gossiping about what had occurred, despite not knowing the full detail of the things which had occurred.

Of course, there was other news to be discussed at the table among the Hinamizawa Gaming Club. They would've started playing right now, but there were things to talk about.

"Hey, you know my grandmother, right?" spoke Mion.

"Grouchy old woman?" Keiichi spoke. "Yeah, we all do. What's up, Mion?"

"Well, this morning, we found her in her room and she looked terrified of something," Mion answered. She had never seen her grandmother looked so scared before. "I mean she was spooked. It's a miracle she hadn't died right there."

What Mion didn't mention out of respect for her family was that any and all antiques which had been found in the house were missing. Well, she would have mentioned it but one of the last commands her grandmother made was to keep quiet about their missing property. For fear of giving the woman a heart attack, Mion decided to not mention to the missing items. She was sorely tempted to ignore the order out of spite of her grandmother, but her mother's silently begging face made all the difference in that regard.

"It goes to show that the hag has a strong heart," said Shion in an almost uncaring tone. Those that knew her history with the woman wouldn't begrudge her less than caring attitude when it came to her grandmother.

"Right now she's at the Irie Clinic," said Mion. "We would've sent her to a hospital but you know how she is. She won't ever leave the village."

"How bad is she?" Rena asked.

"Well, Dr. Irie said she'd be alright as soon as she gets some rest. He did give her some meds to calm her down," said Mion. "She was mumbling something, though. Something about demons."

Hanyuu and Rika looked up at her,fearing that they knew all too well what had occurred. Rena just hoped the old lady would be okay even though she wasn't very nice while Keiichi just figured the old lady had finally reached the verge of cracking. He was about to make such a sarcastic remark when suddenly, Satoko screamed. Shion was at the girl's side in an instant as the tiny blonde stumbled away from the window she had been glancing out of.

"Satoko, what is it?" Shion asked. Satoko pointed shakily towards the window.

"Nii-nii!" the blonde girl cried.

**

* * *

**

Meanwhile, within the well that was located in the Sonozaki Estate, something was stirring. Stuck deep inside and against the inner wall of the well was some sort of cocoon. It was wrapped in dark material that allowed it to stick. The cocoon started to shake about.

It was time.

**

* * *

**

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Satoshi shouted at the arm that was still following him.

"No way, boy!" Gnol shouted. "I need that body and you weren't using it!"

"I'm using it now!" Satoshi argued.

"Then I'll just have to knock you out and take over!" Gnol made a fist and lunged for Satoshi's head.

**WHAM!**

A baseball bat slammed into Gnol and he was sent flying by the hit, screaming his…um…hand off.

Satoshi panted, bent over with his hands to his knees. "Thanks…" he gasped. He looked up and saw Keiichi. Then, he was suddenly tackled by a blonde and a greenette.

"Satoshi-kun!" Shion cried.

"Nii-nii, you're back!" Satoko cried as well. Both girls' eyes were streaming with tears.

Rika smiled but Hanyuu looked up to where the arm had fallen. It had fallen in a nearby tree.

"Damn it…" Gnol cursed as he freed himself from the foliage. He then flew straight for Satoshi. "Come here, you!"

Then a butterfly net fell on top of Gnol, trapping him. Rena and Mion were on the net in a flash, tying it shut so the offending limb wouldn't be able to escape and try to hurt their friend again.

"Hey, let me out of here!" Gnol shouted, squirming in the net. "Let me go, you stupid humans!"

**

* * *

**

Deep within the well, the cocoon broke apart. Now, it was time to feed.

**

* * *

**

The Gaming Club was now back inside the classroom, sitting in a circle around the room Satoko and Shion hadn't let go of Satoshi's arms the entire time as he sat between them. Mion and Rena just couldn't believe he was back. It was like a dream.

"You went missing!" Rena shouted. "You just suddenly went missing a year ago!"

"Really?" Satoshi blinked. Had he been gone that long?

"Actually, I can pretty much explain," said Shion. So, she decided to tell them how she found out about Satoshi. He'd been in a coma in the Irie Clinic's basement, sedated because of the Hinamizawa Syndrome. "I wanted to tell you guys about it, but I just didn't know how." She apologized, "I'm sorry."

"It's OK, Shion-san!" said Satoko, smiling at her surrogate big sister. "We got Nii-nii back! That's what's important!"

Shion smiled back at Satoko. Satoshi smiled too, glad that Shion had been taking care of Satoko.

"I must've missed a lot," said Satoshi. "I don't think we've been introduced," Satoshi said to Keiichi.

"Keiichi Maebara," Keiichi introduced. "I've been told a lot about you."

"Yes, you were the one who saved me from that…thing," said Satoshi as he gestured towards the cage which now held the strange disembodied arm. They had found the cage in the school storage room. Quite a convenient find.

"I demand you release me, you stupid children!" Gnol shouted. "I am the great General Gnol Gnauh!"

Hanyuu cocked an eyebrow. Gnol Gnauh? Where had she heard that before? Rika nudged her with her elbow. "Oh, and I'm Hanyuu Furude, Rika's cousin," the horned girl with light purple hair introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hanyuu," Satoshi smiled.

"Hey, didn't you hear me!" Gnol rattled the cage. "I said release me!"

"Not until you answer some questions!" said Mion, snapping at the offending limb. She had gone from 'Happy Mion' into 'Club leader Mion' so fast that it almost made the club's heads spin. "What are you and why were you chasing Satoshi-kun?"

"Satoshi, huh? Is that his name?" Gnol remarked, ignoring Mion completely. Shakling his…hand, he turned back to the angry greenette. "Well, that boy is my property."

"Since when?" Satoshi argued. He didn't miss how Satoko whimpered and clutched his arm tighter at the arm's announcement. No doubt she was afraid that someone was going to try and take away her Nii-nii again.

"Since I was the one who woke you up!" Gnol countered.

"You woke him up?" Shion asked.

"Yes, that's right. However, I didn't expect him to wake up. I was only going to use him for a body." The cage was then lifted and Gnol backed away in terror as Shion glared at him, somehow having dashed across the room in the blink of an eye to grab the cage. "What are you-ARGH!" Shion shook the cage back and forth in anger. "St-st-st-stop sh-sh-sh-shaking m-m-m-me!"

"You were gonna use my Satoshi-kun as some meat puppet!" Mion managed to pull Shion away as Satoko took the cage away from Mion's sister's hands. As much as the concept of the arm using her friend as property pissed her off like it did her sister, Mion still had some questions for the strange creature.

Gnol sighed in relief, which was a miracle since he was just a forearm and thus had no mouth or nose to make such a sound. Then again, by that logic, he shouldn't be talking at all.

"So, like Mion said, what are you?" Keiichi asked.

"And can I bring you home?" Rena asked as well. All eyes were on her. "What? He's cute?"

"Cute?" Gnol 'sweatdropped' at being called 'cute'. "My dear, I am anything but cute. I am the fearsome General Gnol Gnauh of the Five Darkloid Generals."

"General?" everyone but Hanyuu repeated.

"Darkloid!" Hanyuu gasped.

"What's wrong?" Rika asked.

"He's…he's one of those…things!" Hanyuu pointed an accusing finger at Gnol. "He's one of those things that escaped!"

"Hanyuu-chan, what are you talking about?" asked Keiichi.

"He was one of those demons sealed under the Saiguden!"

**

* * *

**

The creature could smell it in the air. Sin. It could smell the Sin in the air, leading it towards its quarry.

* * *

"So, it's been centuries, has it?" Gnol realized. It made sense. Everything looked different from how it'd been.

"So, you're telling me that arm used to be one of those demons the village founders fought and sealed?" Keiichi gestured with his thumb.

"Yes," Hanyuu confirmed.

"So, how come it's just an arm?" Keiichi asked.

Hanyuu didn't know how to answer.

"It's because…" Gnol began.

All of a sudden, the wall exploded. The boys screamed as the girls shrieked.

Approaching from the new hole was a rather ghoulish creature. It was donned in black armor which seemed to have bird legs dangling from the collar like a twisted necklace. Its shoulders had brown and black feathers sticking up like a fashion accessory while its arms were long and decorated with long feather-like blades and ended in clawed hands. Its legs were dressed up in what seemed like traditional samurai armour, but the joints had more brown feathers sticking out from them. Its head was apparently covered with an overgrown owl skull with two large white eyes visible behind the eye sockets. The beak of the skill hid a fanged maw behind its surface.

It looked about the room and spotted the cage within Satoko's grasp. It had found what it was looking for. It then stalked towards Satoko, determined to take Gnol by force if necessary. However, the rest of the Hinamizawa Gaming Club saw this as an act of hostility towards one of their own and those who had weapons pulled them out. Keiichi and Satoshi were armed with baseball bats, Shion had her tazer and Rena (somehow) had gotten hold of her favorite cleaver.

"Stay away from my sister!" Satoshi shouted as he charge and swung. The bat made contact but the Darkghoul just stared in annoyance at him before sending him flying with a punch, knocking him into several desks.

"Nii-nii!" Satoko cried.

"Oi!" Gnol shouted. "What the hell are you doing with my property!" He slammed against the door of the cage and broke free. Curling his fingers into a fist, he flew at the Darkghoul and slammed into its face. The Darkghoul was sent staggering back by the missile-like punch. A punch to the back of its skull forced it to its knees. "That's right, you stupid bird! Bow down to Gnol-sama!"

Gnol was a possessive sort of Darkloid. This was mainly because whenever he claimed something as his property, be it a person, animal or object, he would never let it go. He also took care of his property with a passion. Right now, he was defending Satoshi for that very purpose. He woke the boy up! He was his property!

The Darkghoul hissed and grabbed Gnol in its claws. "Um…" Gnol sweatdropped. "Hey, humans! A little help here!"

"Hyah!" Shion cried out, jabbing her taser into the monster's back. Electricity sparked off the beast's hide, but it didn't seem to notice. Instead, it glared at the Sonozaki twin and backhanded her. Her cry of pain heralded her trip across the room where she crashed into Keiichi.

"Shii-chan!" Rena cried before she glared at the offending Owl Darkghoul. "You are so uncute!" was her battle cry before she slashed at the monster. Once again, the monster didn't seem to notice her before it caught her cleaver and used its superior strength to throw it and her at Mion, knocking the pair of them to the ground with a painful thud.

Satoko had helped her brother up, whimpering in fear the whole time. Satoshi, however, had seen and heard what Gnol had done for him. Even Hanyuu had seen the act. She frowned. Despite her dislike for Darkloids they could not let Gnol die. He had answers to their questions.

She found her backpack and dug her hands inside, looking for something. She found it. Looking around, she spotted Satoshi who was the closest. Shinichi, Rena, Mion and Shion had already been incapacitated by the creature. The choice was obvious. "No time like the present!" she said to herself as she dashed towards Satoshi.

"Satoshi!" Hanyuu called, drawing the older blond's attention. She put the rectangular piece of stone on Satoshi's waist and then it shattered, replaced by a more hi-tech looking device. It was a black rectangular buckle with three circular slots on the front, secured to his waist by a silver belt strap.

"What is this?" Satoshi asked his new friend.

"The one thing that can beat it," said Hanyuu as she opened her palm and revealed three crystal orbs. One orb had the Kanji for Courage, the second orb had the Kanji for Wisdom and the final orb had the Kanji for Power. "Put these in the slots of the belt."

Satoshi followed her instructions and filled the slots with the orbs. They all glowed after being installed into their new home. Hanyuu then removed a circular device attached to the right side of the belt and handed it to Satoshi. "Here, hold this over the orbs."

Satoshi took it and then ran the circular device over the orb-filled buckle.

"**YUUKI-CHIKARA-CHIE!**" the belt announced once it was scanned.

It translated to: Courage, Power and Wisdom.

Multiple orbs of energy danced around Satoshi before colliding with his body. In a flash of light, a new figure took Satoshi's place.

He was clad in a black bodysuit. The boots that reached up to his knees were black with blue trim and the gauntlets that covered his forearms were red with black tiger stripes. The same could be said about the armor covering his shoulders and the torso armor also sported the same red and black tiger-print pattern. On his chest was a circle that was separated into three sections of color with different characters in them. The top green section was green with the Japanese character for courage (yuuki) written in it, the middle red section had the character for power (chikara) written in it, and the bottom blue section had the character for wisdom (chie) written in it. Finally, his head was covered with a black samurai-like helmet with a green faceplate that sported red compound eyes and mounted on his brow were gold U-shaped horns.

"You are now 'Orbs'," Hanyuu explained.

The appearance of Orbs caught everyone's attention, especially the attention of the Darkghoul and Gnol. The monster, realizing that Orbs was a threat, tossed Gnol against the wall.

"Ow!" Gnol exclaimed.

The Owl Darkghoul hissed as it prepared its claws. It then lunged forward.

"Move!" Satoshi, now Orbs, shouted as he pushed Hanyuu aside and then shot his arms up, catching the monster's claws in his hands. He then kicked out with his right leg, sending the Owl Darkghoul staggering. His gauntlets glowed and then his hands became engulfed in flames. "OK, now this is hot!" He then punched forward, slamming a flaming fist across the Darkghoul's face with enough force to send it tumbling.

The Owl Darkghoul picked itself up and charged at Orbs, slashing away with its claws. Sparks flew when the claws made contact with his armored body.

"Satoshi!" Hanyuu cried out. She was relieved when Orbs recovered and this time began to unleash a barrage of electrified punches like a pro-boxer. A forward jab sent the Darkghoul reeling back.

Orbs once again felt a rush of power and it was in his legs. He leapt and unleashed a series of kicks that slammed into the Darkghoul. One last kick sent it flying out through the hole it'd made in the wall.

"Finish it!" Hanyuu ordered.

Orbs charged at the weakened Darkghoul with a fist raised. The fist glowed, surrounded by an aura of wind that formed a drill. He swung his fist in a forward jab, drilling right through its chest.

The Darkghoul wailed before it exploded. Purple flames and a compressed explosion heralded its death, but as the flames cleared, Orbs suddenly felt himself being pelted by strange black metal coins which had animals carved on one side. Still, that wasn't part of his main concern at the moment.

"Sugei…" Orbs was awed at himself. Hanyuu then went over and removed the Orbs Driver from his waist, returning him back to normal.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the mysterious shop, the strange man in the overcoat and top hat was singing to himself as he put the finishing touches upon a cake. "Happy Birthday Dear Orbs~" His lips curled into a smile, "Looks like this world is going to become quite an interesting one."

* * *

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: I made Orbs based on OOO. Then Paladin had a similar idea using the revived Darkloid Generals. Thus, after some careful consideration and discussion, we combined both our ideas together and so KAMEN RIDER ORBS is born!

TEN-FACED PALADIN: Well, here's another brainchild of your favorite hardboiled authors. After discovering OOO, I just suddenly got the idea to use the Darkloid Generals and much to my surprise, Chrome had a similar idea. So, we put our heads together and made our two ideas into one.


	125. KR ORBS 2

**ORBS CHAPTER 2: A Collaboration by Kamen Rider Chrome and Ten-Faced Paladin**

"You know, I'm so glad that's over," said Satoshi, relieved.

"And so am I," said Gnol. Satoshi merely blinked at the sudden closeness of the voice before looking down to see not his usual arm where it should be, but Gnol covering it!

"Wargh!" Satoshi cried as he stared at the demonic arm which had replaced his own. "Get off me!" He tried to shake Gnol loose. "Get off! Get off!"

"Sorry, my boy, but I've never let go of my property and I'm not going to start now!" Gnol argued. "Besides, you owe me!"

"I owe you nothing!" Satoshi shot back.

"If it weren't for me, you'd still be in a coma like those other invalids!"

"You never wanted me to wake up in the first place! You were trying to possess me!"

"That's not the point!"

The Hinamizawa Gaming Club stared at the scene with looks of bewilderment. It was like something out of an anime, watching someone yelling at what seemed to be their own arm while trying to shake it off. Even more bizarre was the fact that the arm was talking back, trying to justify its reason for being there.

"OK, this has got to be the weirdest thing I've ever seen," said Keiichi.

"Really? So the monster that tried to kill us wasn't the weirdest thing?" Mion questioned, a deadpan look on her face.

"It comes close."

"Get off Satoshi-kun!" Shion yelled, grabbing onto Gnol.

"Get off my Nii-nii!" Satoko added just as furiously as she grabbed hold along with Shion. The two girls tugged on Gnol, trying to pry him off their favorite boy. Satoshi was pulling in the opposite direction. However, Gnol was a stubborn one and just wouldn't budge.

"Everyone," Rika began, but no one seemed to hear her. "Hello?" She called again and was likewise ignored once again. "HEY!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Everyone froze in their current positions, either trying to pry Gnol off Satoshi or watching the weird game of tug-o-war, only moving their heads to look at Rika. "Thank you, nipah!" She spoke, "I think we have to clean the place up."

The classroom was a mess and there was also the gaping hole in the wall, not to mention that coins that were littering the schoolyard after the monster's destruction. Despite all odds, it seemed like no one really noticed that the monster had busted through the wall and went on a rampage. Then again, Hinamizawa, despite its small population did have a lot of space between some of the buildings and/or residences. It was likely that it really had gone unnoticed.

"Well, the desks can be put back where they are," said Mion, scratching her head. "But I don't know about the wall…"

"Forget about that!" Gnol ordered. "Collect the coins and give them to me!"

Everyone gave the demonic arm odd looks. "Why?" Mion asked. What was so special about the coins, except that they had come out of the monster Satoshi had destroyed?

"It's because those coins are its power source," Hanyuu answered. "Isn't that right, Darkloid General Gnol Gnauh?"

* * *

Inside the Onifaguchi swamp, Uryies, Okkyab, and Ubneg were seated in what amounted to a clearing. All of them were silent and staring in the direction which would eventually lead them to the local school for Hinamizawa. They had all felt Ukazus' Darkghoul appear and begin its mission, but they had likewise felt the power of Orbs before it destroyed said Darkghoul. When the energy of their servant winked out, the three Darkloids let out their small sighs of disappointment.

"Looks like Ukazus' Darkghoul was just destroyed," said Uyries. "What a pity. All those Yin coins have gone to waste."

"Yes, and all because of Orbs," said Okkayb.

"Indeed," agreed Ubneg. "A new Orbs has been born in this era. We must tread carefully, my brethren."

"I doubt Ukazus will listen," said Okkayb.

* * *

The gang was seated around a desk with the coins all stacked up before them in the centre. Gnol was also the centre of attention. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to let go of Satoshi's arm so the unfortunate boy was in by association, the centre of attention. Shion and Satoko would have liked nothing more than to pry Gnol off of the boy they both loved and stick him back in a cage, but the scaled arm was stuck as if he really belonged there.

"Okay, so I think I can speak for everyone when I say this," Mion spoke seriously, as her role as club president and class rep…before she immediately went into 'full rage mode' screaming quite loudly. "JUST WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT THING?"

"You don't have to be so loud," Gnol grumbled, tapping his fingers on the desk Satoshi was sitting at. "It's what we call a Darkghoul. They're servants myself and my fellow Generals can create to fulfill tasks that we otherwise would not do ourselves."

"Make them?" asked Keiichi. "Just how do you make something like that?"

"That's the easy part," Gnol answered amusedly. He pointed over to the pile of black coins which the kids had collected. "We just need a single Yin coin and a human who has a lot of sin inside of them. Inserting the coin into the human creates a Darkling."

"Darkling?" asked Rena.

"The first stage of life for Darkghouls," Gnol explained. "They look like shambling corpses. Once they're formed, they devour the things which the person they came from sinned for, growing stronger. Once they eat enough they go into a chrysalis stage before emerging as a complete Darkghoul."

Mion frowned as she heard the explanation. At first she was drawn into the creepy explanation as much as the others were, but then she was hit with a revelation, making her gasp out loud. "Wait a minute! That Darkghoul must have came from Oni-baba! One of you jerks used her to make that thing!"

"If it's made from her sin then I'm surprised it wasn't bigger," Shion huffed, crossing her arms.

"Why her though?" asked Keiichi. "I mean, the Sonozaki estate is crawling with guards. Why not make a Darkghoul from someone that no one would cares to listen to?"

"Wait…Sonozaki?" Gnol gasped, pointing himself at Mion and Shion. "You two are blood relations to Sonozaki, one of the samurai who defeated me and the others?"

"So what if we are?" asked Mion with a frown.

"Oh do I know how to pick a host," Gnol grumbled, tapping the desk again. "My host hangs out with the heirs of Sonozaki and Furude. Just wonderful. I'm surprised that more Darkghouls haven't showed up yet."

"So one of the generals made that Darkghoul from Oryo-san simply because she was a Sonozaki?" Rena asked.

"Yes," Gnol sighed. "It was probably Ukazus who did it. Sonozaki was the one who personally kicked his ass during that final fight. That Darkghoul was a bird-type too so that all but confirms that it was him who made it."

"Man, our ancestor was pretty cool," Shion giggled slightly.

"I wouldn't be too proud," Gnol growled. "Ukazus is as petty as they come. He'll be making it a personal point to cause as much pain and suffering for the Sonozaki Clan as he possibly can. It was practically all he could talk about while we were still conscious after our sealing."

"Au! This is bad!" Hanyuu gulped.

"Gets worse for you two," Gnol continued, pointing at Rika and Hanyuu. "Since you two are of the Furude Clan, Uyries is going to be wanting to have…words with you. Furude was the one who beat him and he's probably going to want a rematch."

"AU!" Hanyuu trembled.

"Jeez," Keiichi muttered. "Are any of those guys going to be after Chief Kimiyoshi?"

"Ummm, probably Ubneg," Gnol answered. "He never told us just how he lost, but since Okkayb and myself were defeated by all three of them while Ukazus and Uyries were both defeated by one of them, I think Kimiyoshi was the one who took him down."

"There's a cheery thought," Satoshi groaned. Shaking his head, he looked at his new arm. "So just what is the deal with these Yin Coins anyway? Why'd the Darkghoul explode into them when I beat it and just why do you want them so badly?"

"Yin Coins are solid sin given form!" Gnol cried. "As Darkghouls eat more and more objects associated to the sin they are born from, their bodies produce more and more coins and thus become bigger and stronger. Those coins can also be used to create even more Darkghouls to make even more coins! More importantly, I'm going to need a lot of Yin coins in order to get my body back!"

"Then you're not getting these!" Mion cried, pulling the desk which had the coins on in away from Satoshi and Gnol.

"Hey!"

"Four of you psychos running around is bad enough!" Mion snapped. "We're not letting all five of you make a comeback!"

"Human," scoffed Gnol, "Do you really believe I want anything to do with them after they just abandoned me like that? I don't think so!"

"Abandoned you?" Keiichi asked.

"Why, yes," Gnol affirmed. "While we all woke up from our forced slumber at the same time, those four were able to create complete physical bodies, but ended up taking almost every damn Yin Coin in that crypt to do it! I, unfortunately, am stuck looking like this because there were so few of them left! Did they bother to wait or look for me? No! I'm on no one's side but myself and I won't be left in the dust by them!"

"Guess you don't like them," Shion stated.

"Never did." Gnol pointed at Hanyuu. "However, I must know how this girl knows about Orbs."

"Oh, you mean this?" asked Hanyuu, holding up the orb-mounted device that would be hence forth known as the Orbs Driver.

"Yeah," said Shion. "How did that thing let Satoshi transform?"

"Well, it was made with very ancient magic," Hanyuu explained. "Nobody's sure where it came from but it was able to harness the power of these sacred orbs in order to create a powerful warrior…"

"Dubbed as 'Orbs'," Rika concluded.

"Yes," Gnol grumbled. "It was because Sonozaki, Furude and Kimiyoshi found a brave young man to become Orbs and he was the reason for our ultimate defeat."

"However," Hanyuu continued, "The Darkloid Generals could only be weakened. Therefore, the original Orbs sealed them away with the help of the three founders. There the Darkloid Generals have slept, until now."

"Yes, two greedy humans came to steal from the Furude Shrine," said Gnol, recalling how he'd been unsealed. "One of them bled on the chain."

"The blood of the sinful will set them free," Hanyuu quoted. "That was why nobody was to know of it after the Darkloid Generals were sealed under the Saiguden."

"OK, that aside, I got some questions for him," Shion said gesturing towards Gnol with her thumb.

"Me?" Gnol responded.

"Why did you choose Satoshi-kun to be your host?" Shion asked Gnol.

"Well, to be honest he wasn't my first choice," answered Gnol honestly, "But from the selection given to me, he was the best choice."

"What selection?" Rena asked.

"Under that building…it's called a clinic, right? Well, under that clinic this boy here wasn't the only one fast asleep," Gnol said as he pointed at Satoshi.

"I have a name, you know," Satoshi grumbled. "It's Satoshi. Satoshi Houjou."

"Right, Satoshi," said Gnol.

"You know," Mion realized, "We never really introduced ourselves, did we?"

"Why should we bother?" Shion asked. "He's a demon!"

"It's fine by me," said Gnol. "I don't need to know your names. You humans are all alike to me."

That just spurned Mion on. "I'm Mion Sonozaki, this is my twin sister Shion, over there is Keiichi Maebara, and that's Rena Ryuugu. This little girl here is Satoko, the little sister of Satoshi who you're hogging, and finally we have Hanyuu and Rika Furude." She had done the introduction fast, pointing to each and every one of them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Gnol in a surprisingly polite fashion. "So, is it alright if I took a few…"

"No!" they all answered.

"Hmph!" Gnol scoffed. "I wasn't going to take all of those coins. Just a few."

"How can we even trust you?" Shion questioned.

"It's not a matter of trust here, Shion Sonozaki," Gnol retorted. "What matters is that you need me."

"Need you?" Shion wasn't at all convinced.

"How else are you going to find another Darkling or Darkghoul?" Gnol questioned. "I can detect them, you see, and lead you to them. However, my services don't come for free. All I ask in return is a few Yin Coins to complete my body."

"And then what?" Mion asked seriously. Here before them was a demon. Despite only manifesting as an arm, he wasn't someone they could trust. He was just selfish.

"Who knows? What is that human expression? Ah, yes. 'We'll cross that bridge when we get to it'."

* * *

It was finally decided that the Yin Coins they had attained would be kept in a box by Hanyuu and Rika. Demon-warding paper talismans were put all over the box to prevent Gnol from getting to the coins, much to the demonic arm's annoyance.

Satoshi's situation would be a little difficult to explain. Dr. Irie had been holding Satoshi against his will in the basement of his clinic. However, considering the circumstances, it did seem justified. The police would have a lot of questions. Hopefully, Shion and Mion would be able to help with their influence. No doubt once Dr. Irie learned that Satoshi was awake again, he would freak out and try to start a manhunt.

The Gang was also worried because of Gnol's obviously demonic appearance. Satoshi now had a demonic arm in place of his normal one. Gnol, however, explained that he could hide his presence much like the way Hanyuu hid her horns. As far as everyone out of their group was concerned, Gnol was just a normal arm.

Satoshi had questions about what his friends had been up to during the year he'd gone missing. He'd been worried about Satoko since following the Dam Wars, the Houjou Family had been ostracized and treated badly by the villagers for supporting the Dam Project. Fortunately, that was no longer the case. After the Gang had prevented Takano's attempt at killing all the villagers, they were hailed as heroes. Satoko even received recognition and praise for her involvement with the elaborate traps used on the Yamainu that worked for Takano.

Satoshi was just proud of them and finally he was able to give Satoko the teddy bear he'd bought for her before he went missing.

Shion even confessed to visiting him and reading to him all the time. She wasn't sure about confessing her feelings to him yet.

Concerning Satoshi's sleeping situation, he would sleep at Rika's house with Satoko and Hanyuu. He knew well why Satoko wouldn't want to go back to their old house. Too many bad memories. Still, they would have to face them one day.

* * *

"Man, what a day…" Keiichi yawned as he sat on his couch. His parents were out of town again. He was used to it, already. Of course, these days he was just tired from having to deal with the extra stress having Gnol and his Darkloid buddies popping up did. Still, he could deal with it all so long as he kept getting some measure of relaxation out of it.

He was of course looking forward towards tomorrow which was the Gang's trip to the Okinomiya swimming pool. He salivated just thinking about it. He just couldn't wait to see the girls in bathing suits. "Oh…Mion, Shion and Rena…" His grin grew perverse. "The pool. Such a wonderful place where half-naked beauties can prance around without shame." He hugged himself and squirmed in place, doing kissing noises.

"You really seem to like that sort of thing huh?" a voice growled. Keiichi's eyes widened and he spun around.

"Who's there!"

The answer came when hundreds of black metal coins began sliding underneath the front door. To Keiichi's growing horror, the coins began piling on top of one another, creating the shape of a humanoid figure. At first the Magician of Words dearly hoped that it was Gnol playing a trick on him after somehow getting his hands on some Yin Coins. However, that hope died a swift and painful death when in a flash of white, the coins turned into the form of a tiger-like monster.

"Oh crap!" Keiichi gulped.

Lashing forth, Okkayb grabbed Keiichi by the shoulder, lifting him off of the floor. The young man then felt like the Tiger Darkloid was staring right through him, as if looking for something…and found it. "Your sin will do nicely," he said as he ran a finger down the centre of Keiichi's forehead, creating what appeared to be a coin slot. He then slipped a coin into the slot and Keiichi stiffened as a void sensation appeared in his back. Shivering as he felt something crawl out, he glanced over his shoulder to see a Darkling stumbling up to its feet.

"Enjoy," Okkayb snorted, dropping Keiichi to the floor unceremoniously. Turning away, he transformed into Yin Coins again which slipped under the front door again and vanished. Keiichi just gaped at the sight before he heard the Darkling stumbling up the stairs. Getting up, he began to chase after it. Half driven by curiosity, he watched it make its way towards his room before kicking the door open and shambling inside. Once inside, the Darkling dropped to its knees before reaching under Keiichi's bed and began scooping out his rather sizable collection of porn.

"Hey!" Keiichi cried, starting to run at the Darkling so to protect his secret stash.

"…ecchi," the Darkling muttered, staring at the magazines emotionlessly before to Keiichi's horror, it began to devour the magazines by the handful, both swallowing them whole or taking them in bites.

Keiichi wailed, "No!" He grabbed his baseball bat and brought it up to hit the Darkling over the head but the creature was able to dodge with the last of Keiichi's magazines before devouring them as well. "Those were limited editions, damn you!"

The Darkling gave Keiichi 'the finger' before it lunged for the window, shattering it. Keiichi's eyes bugged as he collapsed onto his knees. He moaned in despair, "My precious…"

There wasn't even a single picture of boobs left behind…

* * *

Meanwhile, Gnol was being a difficult house guest. "I always thought that being from such a prestigious clan would give you a bigger house," he said as he looked about Rika's house.

"We're respected, not rich," Rika answered.

"Still, you really could do more with the place," Gnol stated. He was still attached to Satoshi, not even letting go to sleep much to Satoko's chagrin. She tried at all hours day and night to try and catch Gnol off guard so she could yank him off her brother's arm.

"Sorry for being a bother," Satoshi apologized.

"It's fine, Nii-nii," Satoko smiled. "I'm just happy you're back." She frowned at Gnol. She wasn't happy with the parasitic arm.

"Hanyuu, are you sure Gnol being attached to Satoshi won't hurt him?" Rika asked her ancient friend.

"Not right now, at least," said Hanyuu, "But we better keep our eyes open. We can't let our guard down around him or else he'll steal the coins."

"You're right," Rika agreed. "Or if he decides to steal the orbs."

Hanyuu was still keeping the Orbs Driver. It was the one weapon that could defeat the Darkghouls. They didn't need Gnol taking it away from them. Not that he could. The Orbs Driver would repel him like any other demon. Of course, that was if a regular demon tried to take them. Gnol was attached to a human, sharing the human's energy. If anything else, he may have been able to touch the orbs so long as he didn't exude malicious intent.

That was when the phone rang, snapping the girls from their thoughts.

"Excuse me," said Rika. She picked it up. "Hello?"

* * *

The Houjous and Furudes arrived at Keiichi's. The brown-haired boy really looked upset over something, hunched over outside his own house looking like the world had just ended for him. They saw the broken window. From how it looked to them, it seemed like someone had broken in, but from Keiichi's downtrodden voice, something bad must have happened.

"What happened?" Rika asked. Keiichi hadn't given them any details. He just told them to come and bring Satoshi with them.

"I smell a Darkling," said Gnol. "One was here."

"And you couldn't have detected it before because…" Satoshi asked.

"It was probably newly born so it didn't have enough Yin Coins. The only reason I can sense it now is because it came from…him." Gnol pointed at Keiichi. "OK, Keiichi, which one was it?"

"What?" Keiichi asked.

"Which general came and made a Darkling out of you? What did he look like?"

"It happened so fast!" Keiichi answered. "He just showed up and put a coin in me and then that thing came out and started eating my-" He stopped abruptly.

"Your what?" Satoko asked.

Keiichi grabbed Satoshi and then whispered into his ear. Satoshi's eyes widened as his cheeks turned red. "Oh," Satoshi realized. "I see." Keiichi released him. "I guess that's why you're upset."

"Hm, the Darkling ate something associated to a sin you may have," Gnol concluded. "It must've eaten enough and now it's making a cocoon somewhere. Damn. I can't track it when it's inert in a cocoon."

"How long until it matures?" Rika asked.

"A few hours to a whole day," answered Gnol. "It's different for each of them."

"Keiichi-san, I suggest you get that window of yours fixed," said Satoshi, "Or at least covered up."

"You're right," Keiichi said, scratching his head. "Looks like I'm gonna miss tomorrow's trip to the pool." His parents were not going to be happy with the damage, but if he was lucky he might be able to pass it off as an attempted burglary or something.

* * *

The Darkling shambled across the Hinamizawa countryside, looking for more things it could use to feed itself and gain full maturity. The magazines it had swallowed were an excellent start, but in truth it would take much more before it could be satisfied. Sheer fortune and its instinctive knowledge about the area, as outdated as it was, helped it stay hidden from the locals as it continued its search.

Stumbling through some underbrush, the Darkling came out into a well-cared for property. With the eternal instinct to feed, it just shambled its way across the lawn towards the rather expansive house.

* * *

Akane Sonozaki hummed a soft tune to herself as she carried a basket of laundry away from the clothesline to put away. Of course, she had servants and such to do such things for her, being part of a rich family, but Akane sometimes like to do things for herself and she found it oddly relaxing at times.

Since her mother had to be admitted to the clinic for some kind of assault mixed with shock, Akane was getting worried about her mother. The old lady kept talking about demons that attacked her and ate the family antiques which were scattered through the mansion. Frankly, Akane thought that a burglar dressed in some kind of elaborate costume somehow managed to break in and made off with them, giving her mother a horrible fright in the process. Although why she was so convinced the thief was really a demon was beyond Akane.

Since her return, Oryo rarely left her office or the record rooms for anything. She was constantly searching through the clan archives, looking for mention of demons and such. Naturally in Hinamizawa, there was a lot of demon material to go through. Although, Oryo seemed to be looking for something specific, but what it was Akane didn't know.

It all just served to make the greenette woman fear that her mother was beginning to contract the Hinamizawa Syndrome. Actions like hers were not that of someone who had a stable state of mind.

"Mother…" she sighed to herself.

As the woman went into her room to put away her clothing, she heard shuffling in her room. It couldn't be her husband. He was out of town on business. Her eyes narrowed as she reached into her kimono sleeve for a dagger. As the wife of a yakuza leader, she was well-armed just in case she was threatened. Could the burglar have returned?

She snuck into her room and nearly dropped her things in shock as she saw what appeared to be a black humanoid and it was eating her unmentionables!

The Darkling rummaged through her underwear drawer with its hand, gathering panties which it promptly devoured. It also grabbed the bras and sucked them up like spaghetti. It licked its lips as it searched for more.

Akane's eyes narrowed, rage now replacing terror. Nobody was to take her precious lingerie! Nobody! Drawing her dagger, she lunged at the demonic creature with a yell.

As Mion was in her room, she heard the yell. Frankly, it was a near impossibility for anyone in the house not to hear it. She got up quickly and ran out of her room to see what was going on, half fearing that someone was trying to hurt her mother. "Mom!" she cried out as she looked into her mother's room and gasped as she saw something completely…horrible.

"KYAA!" Akane shrieked as the Darkling was trying to rip off her kimono in order to get to her underwear. "Mion, help me!" Already her kimono was torn in several places from the Darkling's grasping and despite Akane's struggles, it was succeeding.

Mion reached behind her back for her pocket and took out a tazer which she'd borrowed from her sister. "Hold on, Mom!" With a lunge, Mion jumped at the Darkling and kicked at it, sending it tumbling along the floor. Standing protectively in front of her mother, the green-haired leader of the Hinamizawa Gaming Club glared at the Darkling. With sounds of joints cracking and perhaps the faint noise of colliding coins, the Darkling got back up to its feet. Its sunken eyes narrowed on the younger Sonozaki which glared at it, but rather than trying to fight, it instead turned tail and dashed from the room.

"Get back here!" Mion screamed as she gave chase.

"Mion no!" Akane cried, struggling to get her tattered clothes back together so she could chase her daughter.

* * *

At Keiichi's house, trying to clean up the broken glass and the few objects the Darkling had broken in its short rampage, Satoshi suddenly felt a shiver run through his body, coming from the arm Gnol was now covering.

"Hm?" Gnol peered around.

"What is it?" Satoshi asked.

"I smell…Yin Coins," said Gnol. "Come on!" He went ahead towards the source. Unfortunately for Satoshi, he was being dragged along since Gnol was still attached to his body. Due to his strength, Gnol was dragging Satoshi through the air as the boy screamed for him to stop. Hanyuu, Rika and Satoko were forced to give chase.

* * *

Mion could only gape when she finally caught up with the Darkling. It actually didn't go terribly far, rather heading straight to her room where it immediately devoured nearly all of her sexy underwear. Not only that, it'd eaten up the bathing suit she was going to wear to the pool the next day.

Slurping up her favorite black lacy bra (which she sometimes fantasized modeling for Keiichi on her raunchier nights) it let out a disgusting belch as it stood up and rubbed its stomach, "I'm…full."

Then, much to Mion's disgust, black sludge spewed from the Darkling's mouth, coating it with a never-ending flow while tendrils attacked to the walls and floor, stabilizing the ever growing mass. It was a quick process, creating a black orb with a pulsing purple centre that gave a silhouette of a rib cage every time it pulsed. In all, Mion was pretty sure if the other Darkloid hadn't attacked the school and she didn't meet Gnol that day, her mind would have been sufficiently blown.

Just what else could happen tonight?

Suddenly, Satoshi burst right through her window. Actually, it was Gnol who'd bust through with Satoshi as his hapless passenger. Both of them hit the floor pretty hard, but it was more Satoshi who felt it if the way his eyes were fogged while Gnol pulled him up was any indication.

"Satoshi-kun?" Mion gaped.

"I am here!" declared Gnol. "Where are my Yin Coins?" He spotted the cocoon. "Oh, there they are."

Rika, Hanyuu and Satoko apologized as they climbed in through the window. "Don't people use doors anymore?" Mion murmured. She was happy, though. "OK, Satoshi-kun! Transform and take this thing out!"

"I wouldn't recommend it," denied Gnol. "It's in cocoon form, so anything we try would be useless. Even if we did destroy it, we wouldn't get many Yin Coins out of it. A mature Darkghoul is much better than a cocooned Darkling."

Mion growled at the Darkloid arm. This thing stormed her house, ate every bit of lingerie she and her mother owned, probably traumatized her mother with images of monster rape, and all he could think about were the stupid Yin Coins that he wanted so badly?

"So, we have to wait until it matures?" Satoshi asked. "How long?

The cocoon suddenly pulsed and started to crack.

"Um…right about now?" Gnol guessed lamely.

"I thought you said it took hours to a day!" Satoko shouted as the cracks on the cocoon spread further over its surface.

"Hey, it's been awhile!"

The cocoon burst forth, sending its shells flying in all directions. Everyone hit the dirt and then gawked as the newly matured Darkghoul.

Emerging from the shattered remains of the cocoon was a new bestial Darkghoul. It stood on two legs which were bipedal, but looked like they belonged on a feline rather than a two-legged creature. It wore leggings of samurai warriors, but they were covered with dark brown fur. Its chest had a tan strip of fabric wrapped around from shoulder to hip while bone-like shoulder pads acted as protection for a pair of furred arms which had black clawed hands and large muscles. Lastly, its head was again a skull-covered helmet with red eyes leering from the sockets. The back of the head was a large tan mane, indicating that of a lion.

"HROOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the Lion Darkghoul roared, actually causing shockwaves in the room.

"…okay, definitely Okkayb's work." Gnol mumbled.

"Hanyuu! Give me the belt!' Satoshi cried to his young friend.

"OK!" Hanyuu took out the Orbs Driver and handed it to Satoshi. Gnol immediately vacated Satoshi's arm and floated a safe distance away from his host. Weakened though he was, he definitely wouldn't be able to take the power of the orbs changing his host while he was attached.

Satoshi put the Orbs Driver on the front of his waist and the belt materialized to strap it on. The Orbs Scanner was attached to the right side of the belt. He gripped it and held it over the three orbs mounted in front of the buckle.

"Henshin!" Satoshi called.

**"YUUKI-CHIKARA-CHIE!" **the belt announced. Orbs of light spun around Satoshi before colliding with his body, forming the armor of Orbs.

"Now, Satoshi! Go get those coins!" encourage Gnol.

"Take it outside!" Mion ordered.

"Right!" Satoshi saluted as he clenched his fists. With a yell he charged at the Darkghoul and punches it across the face. The Darkghoul stumbled from the hit and growled. Its claws lengthened and it retaliated, striking at Orbs with its claws. Sparks flew as the claws connected to Orbs' armor and the armored warrior grunted with each blow.

The Darkghoul aimed for Orbs' head but he managed to catch the claw. "Take this!" He started to electrocute the Darkghoul and then with a wind-powered punch blasted it out of the room, right out the door.

Mion just grimaced. Her house may not survive this fight.

Using several kicks, Orbs began to direct the Darkghoul towards the nearest exit. Finding one, Orbs leapt and used a front snap kick that sent the Darkghoul hurtling out of the main house with him following close behind.

The group ran after Orbs and the Darkghoul, the humans concerned over him while the demonic arm was more concerned about the coins they would gain from this. He could almost taste them!

Orbs' hands ignited and he then hurled fireballs at the Darkghoul who leapt up to avoid them. It then came down on Orbs, knocking him off his face. Straddling the armored fighter, the Darkghoul started to slash away at him.

"Nii-nii!" Satoko screamed in fright.

"Get…off!" Orbs grunted through his pain, lashing out with his foot. He wasn't able to see what he hit too well, but he sure felt it. The impact brought out a loud scream from the Darkghoul as it stumbled backwards, hunched over and gripping below its waist.

Off to the sides, peeking out from inside the Sonozaki house, the girls all grimaced slightly as they witnessed what Orbs had managed to hit in his blind lunge.

"Ouch," Mion snickered. Despite how serious the situation was, seeing something like that happen out of the blue was always funny.

"I don't even have those right now and even I felt that," Gnol grimaced.

Getting up to his feet, Orbs spotted the Darkghoul still recovering from the blow. Seeing his chance, he began his rush at the beast, intent on taking it down before it could do any more damage. He took hold of the Orbs Scanner and swiped it over the orbs.

**"ORBS SCANNING CHARGE!"**

Orbs focused the energy of the three orbs into his legs which glowed with power. Bending his legs, he then launched himself into the air. The Darkghoul's eyes widened as it looked at the airborne Orbs.

Three circles of light aligned themselves between Orbs and the Darkghoul. The first circle was green, the second circle was red and the final circle was blue. The circles helped Orbs to lock on to his target. As he descended through the first circle he felt his energy rise, then as he descended through the second circle electricity, fire and wind energy were focused into his outstretched legs. Finally, as he descended through the final circle, the speed of his descent increased as he executed a fierce drop kick straight into the Darkghoul.

The force of the attack sent the Darkghoul flying into the wall where it exploded. Yin Coins burst forth from the explosion, raining down all over the yard.

"Mine!" Gnol cheered greedily as he went for the falling Yin Coins. He caught and swallowed them through his palm. "Mine! My coins!"

"He needs professional help," Satoko quipped.

"Shouldn't we be worried about him filling up?" Rika asked.

The remaining Yin Coins were littered all over the yard. Orbs picked one up. It really amazed him that such a small piece of metal was actually sin given solid form. More than that, it was the source of power for Gnol and his four fellow generals. It just blew his mind how something so small could be so powerful.

His thoughts were suddenly cut off when the coin was yanked from his hand by an invisible force. Likewise, the rest of the coins in the yard were pulled away from the same force and converged at the front gate. When everyone got a look, they saw a figure dressed in black armor, themed very much like a tiger, holding a staff tipped with razors like a tiger's claw. The figure was holding its hand out as the coins piled together into a single ball.

"My thanks," the figure nodded. "You've made harvesting the Yin Coins so much easier." Snickering, the figure spread his arms wide before the ball of yin coins reached his body and were absorbed much like how Gnol did it. The figure let out a blissful sigh and although it was hard to tell, it seemed like his shoulder armor suddenly grew larger while his white stripes got thicker.

"Au…au…au…au…" Hanyuu began to tremble uncontrollably. Even though Rika and Satoko tried to comfort her, her trembling did not cease.

"Hanyuu?" asked Rika in concern. "Hanyuu…?"

"H-h-him…" Hanyuu trembled. "He's one of them! He's one of the four!"

"One of the four?" asked Mion before her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you mean he's-!"

"OKKAYB!"

The audience turned to see Gnol rising into the air, his fist clenched tightly in rage as he spied the Darkloid General who had just snagged away the plethora of Yin Coins which he had been looking forward to taking for himself. "Okkayb, you bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

"Hmmm?" Okkayb blinked before raising an eyebrow at the arm. "Gnol? Is that you? My word, you've really let yourself go."

"No thanks to you and the others!" Gnol snapped, approaching the tiger demon. "You took almost every Yin Coin I had and then you had the audacity to leave me there!"

"Well the rest of us were a little short on our own coins," Okkayb shrugged. "It's not our fault you were slowest to wake up to protect your own stash. I'm surprised you had enough left to make your current body."

Gnol ordered Orbs, "Oi, Satoshi! Get him!"

"Huh?" Orbs looked at Gnol.

"So, Satoshi, is it?" Okkayb spoke in faint interest as he looked at Orbs. "So, this is the new wielder of Orbs' power." He snorted. "Not very impressive."

"Don't underestimate him, Okkayb! This boy will beat you and I'll be feasting on your Yin and Yang Coins!"

"So, you've resorted to teaming up with humans then?" Okkayb asked. "Oh, how far have you fallen, my brother?"

"Consider this payback for leaving me!" Gnol pushed Orbs forward. "Go on!" he encouraged Orbs.

"Fine then," said Okkayb as he gripped his combat staff in both hands. "It's been a long time since I've had a good fight. I need the exercise." He then lunged at Orbs with blinding speed, striking the armored warrior with the clawed tip of his staff. There was an explosion of sparks as Orbs was sent flying by the attack. He went tumbling and rolled to a stop on his back, groaning in pain. "That's it? What a pity." He looked about and spotted Mion. "You…a Sonozaki!" He spotted Hanyuu and Rika, "And two Furudes as well!" He grinned. "This must be my lucky night. Now I get to kill the descendants of those pathetic humans who imprisoned us!" He went straight for Hanyuu first. However, an invisible force prevented Okkayb from reaching his target and sent him staggering back. "So, you have a few tricks up your sleeves."

Hanyuu's eyes were glowing red as she glared at Okkayb. He could feel her aura and Gnol could feel it too. "So, she isn't a mere mortal," murmured Gnol. He'd wondered about how Hanyuu knew so much, and those horns were definitely not fake. She wasn't human, to be exact. She just looked like one.

"Demon, you will not spill human blood tonight," said Hanyuu boldly.

"So, you think your power can stop me?" scoffed Okkayb. He didn't notice Orbs rising to his feet. "Let's see you block this!" He pointed at Hanyuu with his index finger and a ball of darkness formed at the tip of his claw. Hanyuu stood her ground. "Now, behold the power I po-ARGH!"

Orbs had just used a vacuum blade he'd created using his wind-based powers granted by the Orb of Power. It'd sliced through the air and cut into Okkayb's side. His energy attack had fired prematurely, rocketing into the sky as a single beam. The Darkloid grasped at his back, revealing a large glowing gash which stretched across its entire surface. Rather than blood falling from the wound though, more Yin Coins came out instead, piling at Okkayb's feet as the wound slowly began to close. "Damn…" he growled.

Gnol wagged a finger mockingly, "That's what you get for being such an arrogant bastard!"

"I didn't think that would actually work," Orbs panted, standing unsteadily after being struck earlier. Were it not for the armor, he was pretty sure he'd get cut up something fierce, if not chopped in two. As it was, he felt like it even if the armor did manage to keep him in one piece.

"It seems…that I have not given you enough credit," Okkayb panted as the last of his wound healed over. Gripping his staff, he stood tall. "It seems I owe you an apology for that insult. Only your predecessor was able to wound me such as you have. To do so when you've only had the power for such a short time speaks volumes about your potential."

"Uh…thanks?" Orbs blinked on confusion.

"That being said," Okkayb continued, his voice turning to a growl. "That potential is a possible threat against us. Before, killing you was going to be simple sport. Now though, it is my mission!" Raising his staff, he unleashed a slash which launched three white blades of energy which cut through the air towards Orbs with nothing but lethal intent.

"Satoshi-kun!" Mion cried.

"Nii-nii!" Satoko screamed.

"AUUUUUU!" Hanyuu cried out.

"Satoshi!" Rika gasped.

Orbs grunted as he watched the attacks come against him. Still, he didn't run. Instead, he started running at the glowing blades. Normally anyone with a lick of sense would have tried to get out of the way, but he had an idea which he had seen work dozens of times on different television shows. Since he had this armor boosting all of his abilities, he was pretty sure that it could work for him too. Keywords being 'pretty sure'.

Dashing at the blades, he took a leap, and dove at them. To the shock of everyone, Orbs managed to squeeze through a gap between two of the blades before rolling onto the ground, keeping up with his momentum. The smoking lines on his back and front indicated just how close a cut the movement had been.

Okkayb's eyes narrowed in anger as he reared back for another swing. Dodging was what he expected and his fighting style demanded that. He had to recover from the attack and fast! Bringing the staff back, the blades began to hum with white energy as a new attack was being prepared.

However, that was when Orbs was suddenly in his face, his feet swirling with wind energy. In that heartbeat of a moment, Orbs had put the wind into his legs rather than his arms which allowed him to cover the distance between himself and Okkayb in the time it took for the Darkloid to bring his weapon back for another strike. Orbs capitalized that advantage and brought back his arm with fire burning around it while Okkayb attempted to make his swing.

**CRUNCH!**

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The girls shrieked in fright, fearing Orbs was the one who got struck since all they could see was Okkayb's back and a part of Orbs' head. At first, nothing changed beyond hearing the scream, but after that they noticed that it was not the scream of their friend that was echoing from the Sonozaki grounds…

It was Okkayb!

"AHHHHHH! AHHHH! AAAAAHHHHHHH!" the Tiger Darkloid General bellowed, beginning to thrash on the spot as if he were being burned or electrocuted. Continuing to thrash, his back then lit up with a red light before it burst with a bunch of Yin Coins flying in all directions with Orbs arm sticking out, his fist clenched around something shining with bright white light.

"That's my boy! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" Gnol cheered, dancing in the air as best an arm could.

Orbs withdrew his clenched fist and opened up his palm to reveal a coin which was colored white.

"You…Damn you!" Okkayb snarled. He was losing Yin Coins from the hole in his body and he'd also lost a vital piece of his body. Trying to fight in his injured state was suicide. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" he swore as his body broke down into multiple Yin Coins before darting into the sky.

"He got away…" Orbs said, relieved.

Gnol was happy. Okkayb had gotten his just desserts and lost a lot of his own Yin Coins. He gazed at the loot greedily. Oh, he couldn't wait to devour them!

But first, Orbs collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting. The girls rushed to his side, checking to see how he was doing. He reached down to his waist and removed the Orbs Driver, undoing the transformation.

Satoko was on him in a flash, hugging him tightly despite the groan of pain such a hug made. Her eyes were sparkling in admiration at her big brother who managed to chase off one of the demons whom the founders of Hinamizawa took down centuries ago. You couldn't get much of a cooler big brother than that!

As Satoko continued to hug her brother, Rika, Hanyuu, Gnol, and Mion managed to catch up to their exhausted friend.

"That…was…scary," Satoshi admitted.

"Hm, it's odd that he would retreat like that," spoke Gnol. "He's usually the last one to leave the battle field."

"Well, he did lose a lot of his coins," Hanyuu remarked. She gazed down at the coin in Satoshi's palm. Unlike the Yin Coins they were used to seeing, the one trapped in the palm of their friend's hand was pure white with a tiger design carved onto both sides.

"Well I'll be!" laughed Gnol. "You snagged one of his Yang Coins! No wonder he ran! You might as well have ripped a piece of his soul out. Color me impressed boy!"

"A Yang Coin?" asked Rika.

"Yes," Gnol answered. "You see, where the Yin Coins are how me make our bodies and those of our minions, it's the Yang Coins where we hold all of the power we use to make us so strong in the first place. Darkghouls don't have them so that's why they aren't as strong as us Darkloids. They're practically hollow inside compared to us."

"So…I stole a bit of that tiger guy's power?" asked Satoshi.

"A bit?" laughed Gnol. "Satoshi, you just took one tenth of his power away! That's a lot considering how strong we are at our prime!"

"Sugoi!" Satoko was astounded.

"So, you lack most of your own Yang Coins then?" Rika concluded.

"I can only guess that they went missing after we got sealed," said Gnol.

"So, what do we do with it?" Satoshi asked.

"You can give it to me," the reptilian arm suggested.

"Fat chance!" Mion snapped. "Man, is all you think about those stupid coins of yours?"

"Oi! You would too if you were reduced to my state of being!" Gnol retorted. Huffing in annoyance while mentally grumbling about ungrateful brats, he turned to Satoshi. "Well Satoshi, let's collect these Yin Coins and head back to the Furude place."

"You're not attaching to my Nii-nii again!" Satoko huffed, instantly planting herself between Gnol and her big brother.

"Not this again…" the golden black arm sighed. "As if you could stop me, little girl!" He flew straight for Satoshi anyway. However, Satoko pulled a tennis racket out of nowhere and whacked Gnol with it. Screaming loudly from being hit, Gnol flew through the air straight towards Mion.

**CRASH!**

"Itai…" Mion picked herself up. She rubbed her head. "Why does my arm feel funny?" She raised her right arm and her eyes widened. "EH!" The others gawked as well. Gnol was now attached to Mion and had taken the place of her right arm.

"Well…this is awkward," said Gnol.

"YA THINK?" Mion snapped, completely unsure how to deal with the situation and so went with the usual course of dealing with the demonic arm by getting angry at it.

"…M…Mion?"

The group of school kids and the demonic arm went silent when they heard the timid and fearful voice call for Mion. Turning to see who had said it, they felt their faces pale when they saw none other than Akane Sonozaki standing at the side door of the house, clutching her torn kimono so to keep it from falling apart on her. However, for all propriety she was trying to keep, she was trembling like a leaf with her hair in a mess and her face amazingly pale. Her eyes were riveted on the group, specifically on Gnol who was attached to Mion's arm and the Orbs Driver in Satoshi's hand.

"M-Mom?" Mion squeaked.

"Oh boy," Satoshi groaned.

* * *

**A/N: Well, another chapter of Satoshi as the newest Kamen Rider on the block. We learn more about the Darkloids and their minions while at the same time wacky hijinks ensues under the guise of evil growing stronger. How will Mion deal with being Gnol's partner?**


	126. OOO Medals of Ikki Tousen

**OOO MEDALS OF IKKI TOUSEN**

**Chapter 1: Of Fighters, Medals and Greeed**

**Written By: Ten-Faced Paladin and Kamen Rider Chrome**

**Edited By: Shadow Element 13**

**Idea Provided By: Tailsmo4ever**

* * *

The streets of Kanto seemed deathly quiet. No one was around, no one was driving any cars, and no one was going for any happy-go walks. The playground was also strangely empty. The swings made creepy squeaking noises. Any one who was walking alone would feel like they have just entered some kind of horror movie. That or they were the last person on earth. Well, that all changed when a pack of men on motorcycles suddenly rode through the empty streets.

The motorcyclists stopped in front of the Kanto Art Museum in single file. They all stood there, as if they were waiting for something. It looked like their waiting paid off when the museum door busted open in flames. Out of the flames came something so strange, so out of the ordinary that almost no one would believe it, but it was happening just the same. They were humanoid figures made out of metal coins. The collected coins clanked as the beings walked. In flashes of light, the figures took solid forms. One was green with the form of an insect. The second one was blue and feminine-like with the form of a fish. The third was black and yellow with the look of a cat. And the last one was bulky with the face of a mammoth. All four of the monsters seemed uncaring of the weapons which were pointed at them and simply strode on without a care in the world.

The motorcyclist in the middle, whom appeared to be a leader, picked up a radio from his belt and called his boss, "This is Shintaro Goto Foundation's Ride Vendor 1st Squad motorcycle brigade. The Medals have awakened. Orders?"

"Eliminate them," a grim voice ordered.

"Yes sir." He took out a bazooka cannon and aimed it at the advancing figures. His men mimicked his actions and aimed their bazookas. Wordlessly, they aimed and fired. Instantly, the figures reverted back to coins and took off into the sky, leaving the explosions behind them. Shintaro gestured his hand forward, commanding the brigade to go after the retreating metal beings.

The first squad chased after one of the four clusters to a highway overpass before it reconfigured into the form of the insect monster. It was coloured mainly back and green with chitin-like chest armour which had a yellow circle in the centre of its chest with green surrounding it, making plates that looked like muscles. From its shoulders ran long antennae not unlike a grasshopper while its arms were covered with black armour with a pair of long serrated blades coming form its right wrist. Its head was round with a long green visor which had round ends and a silver mouthplate which had the look of mandibles. Its final look was the horns which grew from its head that looked like kuwagata beetle horns. What did seem odd was that its legs didn't seem to have any sort of covering and instead looked like ancient bandaging not unlike what a mummy would have.

The insect monster watched as the two riders who pursued it rode at him with their weapons being aimed at its form. Uncaring, it leapt into the air, much like how a grasshopper would, and came back down, landing on both bikes which had the unfortunate luck of riding close together. Grabbing the riders by their necks, the insect monster leaped back into the sky, letting the motorcycles crash. Once reaching the apex of its jump, the monster let the pair go. The pair fell screaming to the ground before they landed with loud thuds on the concrete, leaving splatters of red across the stone surface. Landing on the ground once again, the insect beast smugly strolled away from the scene.

Not too far away, in front of a tunnel which went underground, the second mass of silver coins converged together to form the mammoth creature. Its legs were powerful and covered from head to toe in tarnished silver armour which spoke of power and endurance. Its feet seemed more like an elephant's rather than a humanoids. Its head seemed like a helmet with a small black visor with a short horn coming out of its forehead. On either side of where the jaw would be was a pair of tusks with a small trunk sticking out where the mouth would be. However, where torso and arm armour should have been was simply a humanoid torso and arms covered in black and brown wrappings, again, like a mummy.

The elephant creature just stood, staring dumbly at the two riders which were racing towards him, shooting with reckless abandon. The bullets collided with it, but the creature didn't seem to notice at all. Instead, as the riders drew closer, likely aiming to ram it, the monster smashed its fists into the motorcycles, crushing the front ends like tin cans and sending them end over end, riders and all, behind it before they crashed into the ground and exploded. The monster didn't seem all that concerned with the destruction that it had caused though. Instead, it just scratched its head like a monkey and began shuffling away, looking for something else to do.

Inside the tunnel appeared the third mass of coins which became the female fish-like monster. Its head seemed to have a helmet that looked like the body of a shark/whale hybrid of some sort that ended with her bright blue eyes. Her face was silver and had a rigid covering over her mouth. Her shoulders were covered with a dark blue cape that ran down her back almost regally, but her torso and arms were covered in black and brown bandages. Her legs were trim and smooth, coloured silver as they ended in high heel boots. Down the front of her legs were studs which made her legs seem almost like octopus tentacles.

The female beast seemed rather bored with the two motorcyclists which were charging at her while raising their guns. With a ladylike, but impatient, snort, she shot out her hand at them with an open palm. From it, a blast of water surged forward, quickly gaining the size of a small tidal wave which crashed against the riders, sending them and their bikes sprawling backwards. The two quickly crashed into the ground with their rides, but the fish monster didn't stop shoot until they were cleared out of the tunnel. Satisfied that they were far enough away from her, she stopped the water pressure, allowing the two to slump, unmoving. Seeing her task complete, the fish monster began walking away with a dainty giggle.

At the opposite end of the tunnel the last mass of coins merged together to form the cat monster as it landed on the ground in a crouch. Its face was certainly feline, but made of black steel with metal studs on the forehead. Dark yellow cords not unlike dreadlocks came from the back of its head while its lower jaw was made of gray steel. Its torso was covered with more black armour with a yellow orb in the centre with a silver strip coming up the middle. The pectorals of the armour were covered in more metal studs which matched its shoulders. The monsters arms were covered in large black gauntlets which ended in sharp metal claws and once more covered in silver studs like the rest of the armour. However like its comrades, it was missing something, in this case, the armour for its legs. Rather than some covering like the rest of its armour, the monster's legs were merely brown and black bandages not unlike a mummy.

Watching the riders come at it, the monster snickered before leaping into the air. Somehow disobeying the laws of physics, it began spinning in their air at a ridiculous speed. The riders had no chance to dodge as the beast came at them**;** striking them so hard loud cracks could be heard from their torsos. At the same time, the force of the blows send them sailing off their bikes and crashing into the asphalt with loud thuds. Neither rider moved after that. Landing on the ground again, the cat monster laughed and simply began to stroll away as if bored.

Watching a monitor in front of the former museum light up with red light, the leader of the squad touched his radio again to relay what was happening. "Sir, the entire squadron has been eliminated. We were unable to subdue the Greeed."

"Understood," the voice at the other end of the line spoke. "Emergency crews will be there shortly. Return to base until further instruction."

"Hai!" the rider nodded before he shut down the radio. Offering a moment of silence for his fallen comrades, he hit the ignition to his motorcycle and began to drive away from the scene.

* * *

**Kougami Foundation HQ**

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you," a middle-aged man with black hair in a red suit and apron sang as he put the finishing touches to what appeared to be a white birthday cake by writing in chocolate icing while a gramophone singing the traditional 'Happy Birthday' song sang in the background. He was in a skyrise office filled with plush furniture and the only other person in the room was a woman in a frilly pink outfit. Continuing to write, the man continued to sing as he finished the cake, "Happy Birthday dear…Greeed, Happy Birthday to you~"

"Are you sure it was wise to place the Greeed's tomb here in Kanto, Kaichou?" asked the woman with a slight tone of concern in her voice. "You know as well as I do that the Fighters will not simply lay back and let them do as they wish. They will fight them."

"Precisely why I had the tomb placed in Kanto Satonaka-kun!" the man, Kougami, grinned as he finished his cake. "The Fighters desire is the perfect counterpoint to the desire of the Greeed! The Fighters do destroy in their battles, but they fight with their desire to create their kingdoms such as they have done for centuries!" licking some icing from his fingers, he continued. "A desire powerful enough to create kingdoms is power which even the Greeed would be forced to reckon with, and who has a stronger desire for this creation than the three kings?"

"Ryubi Gentoku, Sousou Motoku, and Hakufu Sonsaku," the woman nodded, looking to a book titled _The Romance of the Three Kingdoms_ which was on a desk in front of her. It was opened up to a page describing the leaders of the three kingdoms. "You believe they will be the Yang to the Yin of the Greeed?"

"I have already seen it myself," Kougami smiled. "Their desire for creation will be the key to thwarting the Greeed's desire for destruction."

Smiling at the sight of his completed cake, Kougami turned to look out the window of his office over the city.

* * *

The four beings identified as the Greeed entered a tunnel with banners coloured green, yellow, blue and grey hanging over the entrance, somehow appearing with just their presence alone. All four travelled through the tunnel without much of a care for anything, but it was when the bulky monster began to notice that something was wrong. The elephant-like Greeed felt his body tingling and in a slow voice spoke, "My…body…feels…weird…" The other three monsters immediately took note of their slow comrade's words and immediately began to check themselves over. To their displeasure, they finally seemed to notice that their incompleteness extended further than just missing pieces of armour.

The female Greeed spoke up, looking over her armour-less arms and torso, "It looks like we have an insufficient amount of medals, Core Medals to be precise."

The insect Greeed spoke, "What happened to us? Where are the rest of our Core Medals?"

The feline Greeed, in a lax manner, decided to speak, "I saw Ankh grab some of them."

"Ankh?" the elephant Greeed scratched his head.

"Doesn't he know what will happen to us?" the female Greeed stated.

"Damn him," the insect Greeed swore clenching its fist in rage.

"So then," the cat Greeed began, resting its hands behind its head, strolling lazily along the tunnel. "What should we do about it?"

"We find Ankh and take back our Core Medals, that's what!" the insect Greeed snapped, glaring at his comrade. If the rage was supposed to intimidate him, the cat Greeed didn't show it. Neither did the female or the elephant Greeed seem to be intimidated either. Of course, the female was long since used to the antics of her comrades while the elephant was probably not bright enough to really understand why it should be intimidated.

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked the fish Greeed. "With our power diminished because of our lack of Core Medals, it is going to be that much harder to find Ankh."

"I don't care!" the insect Greeed snapped. "I'll find him if I have to tear this human city down myself!"

Watching the insect Greeed go on the verge of a tantrum, the elephant Greeed simply scratched his head, "Find…Ankh? …oh…idea," Reaching to its own arm, the elephant Greeed pressed its fingers against the skin before they phased through it like it was water. After a moment of rummaging inside its own body, the Greeed brought out a silver coin which was the same kind as its body was made of. It was marked with an X on one side, but the other had an image of a bear or it.

"Hmmm?" the cat Greeed hummed, seeing that his comrade was up to something. "Gameru, what are you doing?"

The elephant Greeed, now known as Gameru, simply brought the coin up to his head. In the centre of his forehead a coin slot not unlike one found on a vending machine suddenly appeared. Uncaring of his sudden new facial feature, Gameru simply dropped the coin into the slot, making a metallic ringing noise. Once the coin was inside, the slot vanished altogether. Gameru then trembled as a gray and black void opened in his back depositing a creature onto the ground with a meaty thud.

Standing up, the creature revealed itself to have a bear's head with dangling earrings on its ears with a metal collar around its neck. Its arms and chest were strongly muscled and furry with red metal disks on the torso and shoulders. Its hands had metal orbs on the back of them and its hands were in fact large paws with black nails. It wore a simple loincloth decorated with animal bones of an undetermined species while its legs were wrapped in metal bindings with what appeared to be miniature bear traps on its kneecaps.

"Find…Ankh," Gameru ordered his creation. "Get…Core…Medals…"

"Nn!" the beast nodded before it dashed away, exiting the tunnel. Gameru then turned to look at his fellow Greeed, almost asking 'did I do good?'

"Well, it seems Gameru has the right idea for once!" the insect Greeed snorted.

"Why work ourselves to the bone when we can have a Yummy do it for us?" asked the cat Greeed with a chuckle. "I never thought I'd see the day where Gameru had a good idea."

"Good for you Gameru-chan!" the fish Greeed cooed in an almost motherly tone.

"Heh," the elephant Greeed laughed. If its face was more human, it would have been blushing.

"I'm going to go find a human to make a powerful Yummy," the insect Greeed announced as he began walking away from the tunnel. "Don't wait up for me."

"Oi, oi, I'm going on the search too," the cat Greeed laughed as it went in a different direction. "This sounds like fun!"

"It's not polite to leave a lady behind!" the fish Greeed scolded as she too left the scene.

Gameru merely shrugged and trotted off to parts unknown. As the four Greeed went their own ways, the four banners which represented them furled up and vanished, leaving no trace of the four monsters' appearance.

* * *

Many people of Kanto were in an uproar over what had happened to the museum. A crowd of onlookers had collected as emergency crews put out the fires and tended to what wounded there might be while the police investigated. Naturally the civilians were put behind a protective line so that no evidence would be accidentally compromised. However, in the wake of what the police assumed to be a bombing to cover up a robbery, not much hope was placed for evidence. Even if there was some, chances were that it was probably damaged or incinerated by the explosions.

Among the crowds was a teenage girl who was wearing a red skirt with a white blouse under a yellow vest, complete with a red ribbon. Perched to her ear was a jade magatama which sparkled in the sunlight. She had blonde hair which reached to about her shoulders and green eyes which held an immature sparkle in them, like someone who hadn't grown up in some way or another. Although while she was immature in some ways, her body certainly wasn't. It sported a figure which many girls worked hard to maintain and a breast size which had many of those same girls green with envy, although she never really took notice to how people reacted to her breasts. While she looked like a normal high school girl, she was in truth the leader of Nanyo Academy, her school. Her name was Hakufu Sonsaku.

Next to her was a young man wearing a male version of her uniform and he had short dark hair. The only real remarkable thing about him was the magatama on his ear which made him stick out as compared to others his age. However, that all just hid the true strength he had underneath. His name was Kokin Shuyu and he was Hakufu's cousin and in the eyes of the other students of Nanyo, her subordinate. Kokin was a generally easy-going guy and easy to get along with. However he was fiercely protective of Hakufu and despite being blood related, had something of a crush on her although he never tried to act on it. As Hakufu was generally childish and immature, it was his duty to be the responsible one when it came time to buckle down and be serious. Of course, that rarely happened since Hakufu could be a surprisingly reliable person.

"Hey Kokin," the blonde spoke up, checking out the destruction. "What do you think happened?"

"Well, I don't know," Kokin answered, scratching his head. "Someone mentioned something about thieves bombing the museum but no one has any answers right now."

"Who'd want to blow up an art museum though?" asked Hakufu in confusion. "Was there something a Fighter would want inside?"

"Aside from our magatamas and the Gyokuji, I don't think there's any kind of antique that the Fighters would be interested in," Kokin shrugged, just as stumped for answers as his cousin was. Sighing, he began to turn away from the sight. "No use pondering about it now though. We've got to get to school. You're the leader now if you haven't forgotten."

"Oh, right!" Hakufu nodded with a grin. "Lead the way Kokin!"

The Kanto area was by far not a peaceful place. Seven schools, Rakuyo, Kyosho, Nanyo, Seito, Yoshu, Youshuu, and Ryoshuu were at war with each other in a sometimes brutal gang battle to declare sovereignty of all of Kanto. Normally it was just seen as kids playing tough and to the adult community it was. However, in truth, the members of the battle were in fact chosen by fate to harbour the spirits of warriors from thousands of years ago who battled in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a brutal re-enactment of the ancient war. Further pushing the idea of fate was that all of the people in the war were named after the warrior that they were channelling.

Things were at a standstill for the moment since the death of Totaku, the leader of Rakuyo and formerly the strongest of the seven schools. In an attempt to avoid his fate and death at the hands of his number 2 Ryofu Hosen, Totaku had used a poisonous chi technique on Hakufu and threatened to let her die if she did not kill Ryofu. However, despite her best attempts Ryofu managed to kill Totaku in a suicide technique which ended her life. In his last moments, Totaku undid his technique on Hakufu and implanted his soul in her so to get revenge on his spy, Saji Genpou, otherwise known as Shishi Ouin. Again, he was foiled by the Haouryuu Hakufu possessed and his soul was devoured.

In the wake of Totaku's demise, Rakuyo was taken over by Kyosho, led by Sousou Motoku, one of the three most powerful leaders in the ancient era and a true leader in the modern era. Since Kyosho took over Rakuyo, it left Youshuu and Yoshu to rot since they were not included in the backroom bargain which Rakuyo had made in attempts to save itself. Despite the tectonic shift in power, little to no action was undertaken. Instead, Hakufu was elected by the Fighters of Nanyo to be the new leader as her heritage demanded and all of the schools were left to try and see how they could best profit from the shift in power. Scuffles happened here or there thanks to overly-ambitious Fighters, but nothing major had happened as of yet.

"Hey, wait up Kokin!" Hakufu cried, trying to squeeze through the crowds like her cousin had done. Since he was smaller, he had an easier time of it. Hakufu though was much taller and bigger so getting through crowds was somewhat more difficult at times, especially when it was past teenage boys who would purposefully make it harder so they could feel her breasts pressed against them. Not that she noticed such things in her rush to get to her cousin.

"Hey Kokin!"

*JINGLE*

"Huh?" Hakufu blinked, hearing an odd jingling noise. Looking down, she saw that she had kicked a coin and that the jingling noise had come from it hitting the stone sidewalk. Kneeling over, she picked up the coin thinking she just might have gotten an extra bit of spending money. When she got a good look at it though, she saw that it was too big to be a Yen coin and that it had a cold outer ring with a red centre decorated with a hawk on the front and a line on the back.

"Weird," Hakufu muttered, entranced by the pretty object.

"Hakufu! Come on!" Kokin called, snapping his cousin out of her trance.

"Oh, right!" the strawberry blonde gasped. Tucking the coin into her breast pocket, she dashed for her cousin. "Coming!"

As Hakufu ran, she didn't notice something crawling around a nearby tree. It was predominantly red with wing-like protrusions coming from its forearm armour. Its hand was scaled and had black nails not unlike what would be found on a bird. It wore rings on some of its fingers, but nothing gaudy or unnecessary. However, that was where the description ended for that was all the being crawling on the three was an arm.

"That's _mine_!" the angry arm spoke out.

* * *

**Seito**

Seito Private School was a rather pleasant place to go to school for most people. At the very least the Fighters there were able to keep the fighting down to a minimum while inside its boundaries. On the outside or during a crisis then all bets were off. It was also the base of two of the top fighters in all of Kanto, Chou-un Shiryuu and Kanu Unchou, both feared and respected for their skills in battle and for the high count of victories they earned.

At the moment the leader of Seito, Ryubi Gentoku, was busy at a desk in the library, enjoying the literature her school had to offer.

Ryubi was in fact a gentle girl, not at all like one would expect the leader of one of the most powerful schools to act like. She hated fighting and would have rather preferred to read a nice book instead of punching someone's lights out. She was of average height and had long brown hair which she kept tied into two ponytails which hung in front of her. She wore glasses over her sparkling blue eyes and it made her look very cute while her demeanour made her seem so vulnerable, which without her bodyguards, she usually was. However, she did manage to possess the largest pair of breasts in her entire school, which she never really seemed to care about but most of, if not all of the boys in her school did. She was somewhat of a figurehead while her bodyguards/best friends helped her keep things in check in Seito's territory.

Ryubi was alone in the library, which was something of a rarity for her since she almost always had one of her bodyguards with her. They were paranoid that since Ryubi wasn't much of a fighter, she'd be seen as an easy target by the other schools and such felt she had to be protected at all times. The only leeway she got was at school or at the shrine where they all lived, but that only brought a hair of leeway as it was.

Enjoying the works of foreign and domestic literature, she didn't notice silver coins with some odd blue ones spilling in an open window and flying through the air. The coins pooled together, not once hitting each other enough to make a sharp sound nor did they touch the wooden floor. Gently, they converged together to build into the form of the fish Greeed before solidifying and becoming the monster in question. She had formed inside one of the aisles of books and as such Ryubi did not notice her, but it was doubtful if she would notice the monster even if it appeared in front of her since she was so engrossed in the book in front of her.

"Hmmm," the fish Greeed hummed as she slowly and gently walked out from the aisles and slowly drew up upon the oblivious teenage girl from behind. When she was close enough, the female Greeed took a moment to ponder the teenage girl she was looking at, as if there were something special about her. Then, raising her arms, she slowly reached towards Ryubi with grasping fingers and…

*MOOSH! MOOSH!*

…groped her more than sizable assets.

"KYAAAAHHHH!" Ryubi screamed, completely caught off guard by the sudden groping. Squirming in her seat, she managed to get out of the Greeed's grip and scamper away from her unconventional attacker. Turning around with a clearly flushed face, the leader of Seito turned from embarrassed to downright terrified as her face paled. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

"Hmmm, my, my," the fish Greeed purred as she clenched her fingers and looked down at her own bound chest. "I did not know that humans could develop quite so…fully, like you have. Why, I think I might be jealous."

"Mwu…uh….wha…who…are you?" Ryubi squeaked in fear, reflexively covering her chest. Was this some kind of perverted demon like she heard about in some of the more horror-themed books she had seen in the past? If she weren't so terrified, she would have perhaps smiled at the thought that her books had some good after all in warning her about such things. She'd read it from cover to cover and knew exactly how to beat them.

"So polite too," the Greeed giggled. "I suppose I can answer. My name is Mezul. I am what you would call a Greeed. To answer your next question, I came here to see you."

"M-m-me?" Ryubi trembled, her legs shaking as Mezul began to step closer to her.

"Yes," Mezul nodded, reaching out and stroking a length of Ryuubi's hair. Her voice then turned soothing in a seductive sort of way. "Don't be afraid. I promise I won't hurt you. In fact, you'll enjoy what I have to do with you. All I need for you to do is chase after your desire."

"My…my desire?" Ryubi gulped. She wanted to run, but for some reason her legs just wouldn't allow it!

"Yes. Now, hold still," Mezul purred. Reaching to her shoulder, she stuck her fingers through her skin much like Gameru did before and produced one of the silver medals which made up her body. This one had an X on its back, but also had a shark carved on the opposite side. Bringing it up to the still terrified Ryubi, Mezul witnessed a coin slot appear on the leader's forehead. Giggling, she popped the coin inside and let the slot vanish. Ryubi immediately stiffened and her eyes went cross as a blue and black void appeared in her back which spat out what looked like a large egg sack of some kind of fish that stuck to the ceiling above one of the desks in the library.

"There, that wasn't so bad," Mezul giggled as Ryubi stood in her daze. "Now, enjoy your books. Make sure to read plenty. Ta-ta!" With a wave, Mezul's body collapsed into silver coins again before flying out the window. In her wake, Ryubi stiffly took a seat underneath the egg sack and immediately grabbed a nearby book someone had left behind and began to read it aggressively, racing down the printed lines and turning the pages with such force she threatened to tear the pages.

* * *

**Kyosho**

"BASICS! BASICS!"

Kyosho Academy was alive with the noises fists hitting wood near the back where most of the sports teams would practice. The spot in question was set up with several training dummies that the school kendo team would use when they trained, but in this case, it was being used by one of the Fighters who travelled the school's halls.

He was a tanned guy and heavily muscled. He wore a white shirt with khaki shorts and a white hat on his head. His hair was messy and brown, which matched the rest of his skin tone and he had a small goatee while on his ear hung one of the magatama. He was one of the trusted lieutenants of the leader of Kyosho, Kakoton Genjou. Out of the numerous Fighters, he was something of an oddball. He constantly preached about the foundation of the basics of fighting and always fought with only basic moves in his fights. Normally that might not be so dangerous to an experienced fighter, but Kakoton had an insane amount of strength in his limbs that he was able to call upon. He was living proof that as useful as advanced skills were, raw power counted for a lot in a fight.

"BASICS!" the tanned teen shouted, punching his training dummy before it shattered under the sheer force which he had used in the punch. As the wood bits and straw floated to the ground, he let off a sigh and brushed the sweat off of his head, looking solemn.

He'd been feeling sort of bad since the end of the Big Fighter's Tournament, an official tournament all of the schools participated in order to see who would be the next reigning champions to receive the Gyokuji and thus be the unofficial rulers. He had been on the team Kyosho fielded and they had managed to win the whole thing even with Rakuyo backing out and not even fighting. His distress stemmed from the fact that he had taken tips on how to beat one of Nanyo's fighters, Hakufu Sonsaku, down so easily from her own mother of all people.

Kakoton had met the flirty and hyperactive Goei when she returned his jacket the day after he had given it to Hakufu after they beat up some Fighters who thought they were tough and left the girl with a hole in her dress big enough to flash the world her goods if she wasn't careful. It was a nice gesture, but all of his friends began thinking that he liked older women and managed to snag a hottie. In truth, Kakoton was more interested in Hakufu, but with his friends asking for the story of how he snagged a MILF or worshipping the ground he walked on for doing so, no one believed him. It got worse when she came to all of Kyosho's fights in the tournament and cheered like a crazed fangirl, giving more substance to the rumours. The last straw came when Hakufu heard the rumours and started believing them, making him feel like he had blown any chance at her for good.

He wanted to find her and try to explain, but he was just too busy what with the power shift and taking Rakuyo under their wing and adding Kaku to the ranks of higher ups. Kakoton didn't trust the Rakuyo strategist and he doubted that she was being completely level with them about her intentions, not after she so blatantly challenged them to try and attack Rakuyo after they found out Rakuyo wasn't going to fight in the tournament. Kyosho was still trying to stabilize after that particular shift.

"Man, this bites," he sighed scratching his head.

"Wow, that was pretty cool," a new voice spoke up. "You don't see humans able to do that too often."

Eyes widening, Kakoton twisted to the source while taking a fighting stance, fearing that an assassin had come to Kyosho to try and off Sousou. However, even his battle experienced mind screeched to a halt when he saw some kind of cat man lounging on the wall surrounding the school. At first he thought it was someone in a costume, but that ended when he saw that the detail of the armour and how the face would move as it breathed.

"Just what the heck are you supposed to be?" Kakoton asked with a frown as he tensed up, ready to fight.

"Name's Cazali," the cat monster introduced as it hopped off the wall. Strolling lazily towards Kakoton, he continued speaking. "I'm what you would call a Greeed. And you are going to do something for me."

"Like hell I am," Kakoton frowned, gritting his teeth. He did not like the vibe that was coming off this thing and despite how lazy it was acting; he knew that it didn't have any kind of good intentions in store for him, or anyone else for that matter.

"Oh, you wanna fight then?" asked Cazali with a grin in his voice.

"Damn straight I do!" Kakoton bellowed, throwing a punch at the monster with all his muscle behind it. Normally that much force would allow him to break solid rock and really mess up a person and he was confident the monster wouldn't fare any better. Snorting, Cazali raised his hand with an open palm towards Kakoton and his incoming attack. The punch smashed into Cazali's hand, but rather than send the monster flying, the Greeed remained stationary as if he hadn't been hit at all.

"Wha-?"

"That stung a little. Now try mine," Cazali laughed. Rearing his free hand back, he unleashed a punch which slammed into Kakoton's stomach, making the Fighter double over and even lift off the ground in the process. Breath completely driven from his lungs, he began to drop to his knees only for Cazali's bandaged knee to meet his face, knocking him onto his back with a loud thud that kicked up dust and bits of broken training dummy.

"UGH…" Kakoton gasped, his world a blur of colours and stars as he attempted to get his vision back. Pain rocketed through him like never before and it made moving very painful. Although it had never happened before, he had been taken down with just two blows

"Well, that was fun for all five seconds," Cazali shrugged as he flicked his wrist and produced a silver coin. It looked almost exactly like the ones which made up his body, but it had the image of a panther etched onto its surface. Kneeling over the stunned Kakoton, Cazali watched a coin slot appear on the boy's head before he dropped the coin into place with ease. As soon as it vanished, Kakoton began to convulse and grunt as black and yellow vortexes appeared on his body, shooting bandages that wrapped around his arms, legs, and neck, making him look like he was in the hospital or coming out of an Egyptian tomb.

"Now then, go release your desire," Cazali laughed strolling away from the downed Fighter.

Grunting, the half mummified Kakoton got back to his feet, his eyes flashing with a yellow power. Clenching his fists, he stumbled over to one of the training dummies before punching it with all of his strength, obliterating it and scattering the remains feet away from where they started.

"**BASICS!**"

* * *

**Nanyo**

"Ooooooh. *gasp* Saji-samaaaaa. *Oh!* C-class is about *groan* about to…St-ART!"

"Well then, I'd better finish up. I do so hate to leave a woman hanging."

The pair of voices came from a secluded spot on Nanyo Academy's campus behind the equipment shed. Behind it and leaning against the wall were a pair of students. The first was a female with dark hair and a ponytail wearing the girls**'** uniform. She had a simple ponytail and a magatama, but the colour indicated her as a low-class Fighter. Pressed up behind her with his hands softly fondling her chest beneath her top and being active underneath her skirt was a taller young man with dishwater blond hair which reached his shoulders and had a natural smirk on his face. His voice was suave and cool, indicating that this wasn't his first rendezvous with a young woman Normally one might have taken such a meeting inside the equipment shed, but if that had happened he would have tried going all the way and like his latest partner said, class was going to start soon.

Never let it be said that Saji Genpou didn't take his studies as seriously as he did the ladies.

"Oh! Oh! OH!"

"Oh, what is this I found," Saji smirked into his latest find's neck as he explored underneath her skirt. Applying just the _right _amount of pressure and…

"OOOOHHHHHH!" the girl moaned out, her hips trembling with her lower lips clenching fiercely. She gave off the cutest squeak as her body began to tremble, going through throes of ecstasy. Finally she stopped and instead leaned against him, panting softly.

"There you go," Saji smiled, pressing his lips to the girl's neck. "Hope you enjoyed that."

"Yes…oh yes…" the girl panted softly.

"Good then. Now, isn't it time for class for you?" he asked pointedly, but in a teasing manner. However, his hands did not leave their positions on her body despite what he was asking.

"*sigh* right," the girl groaned, reluctantly slipping Saji's hands away before taking the time to fix her top and clean off some of the moisture from her legs. Saji just watched her go about, not really bothering cleaning himself up just yet, preferring to simply watch the girl go. She made a brief goodbye before she headed out, her face still flushed. It just served to remind Saji of his skill with people, preferably the ladies.

Saji's real name was Shishi Ouin and he used to be a spy for Rakuyo. His strength brought him up to the perfect position of one of the Big Four of Nanyo Academy where he could report back to Totaku about what was going on. However, Saji had other plans and instead influenced fellow Big Four member Kannei into killing the former leader of Nanyo Enjutsu with his hypnotic skill. Sadly it drove the boy insane and Saji had to hypnotise the boy into believe Enjutsu was still alive and that he was giving Kannei orders. It served to allow Saji to rule Nanyo from the shadows. In a position of power, he made plans. Where Totaku was attempting to escape his fate, Saji manipulated events to ensure that fate caught up to him while he escaped his own. Totaku was killed, but the dead leader of Rakuyo managed to derail his plans and show him that the fate of the Fighters was not so easily shaken off. Saji had used and hurt a lot of people, executing his plan but his friends at Nanyo forgave him easily enough. Why they did, he wasn't so sure. Still, it felt good to have some true friends for a change instead of minions so he decided to enjoy it while it lasted for the fate of the Fighters may be fickle at times, but it was hardly peaceful.

"Well then," he smiled to himself, cleaning off his fingers on his pant leg. "Now that that the fun's over, I suppose I'd better head out too."

"Not before I get through with you."

Saji was immediately alert when he heard the male voice. Facing a male in a secluded place usually meant that someone wanted something from him. It didn't sound like Gakushu or Kokin so it was most likely someone who wanted a piece of him. All that was left to be determined was that if the voice was either an assassin of some sort or was an angry boyfriend of a girl he had a fling with in the past.

Hey, just because a girl claimed she was taken didn't mean that it wasn't impossible to get together with her to Saji. It just made it more challenging.

"Up here," the voice spoke from above.

Saji looked up in a flash, seeing a figure standing on the roof of the equipment shed. Saji was expecting an assassin or someone even remotely human-looking. Instead, what he got was a bug monster with mummified legs looking down on him.

"What the hell?" Saji gasped, actually losing his cool for a moment.

The bug monster snorted and leapt off of the equipment shed and landed on the ground, kicking dust off the ground. Its eyes were trained completely on Saji, not once breaking its gaze on him. Its posture and voice radiated nothing but ill intent and Saji was incredibly good at reading people. He knew that whatever the bug monster wanted with him, it was for nothing good. So, taking initiative, he lashed out with a kick at the monster. Saji may have been a womanizer, but he was a Fighter too and a damned good one since he was able to join the ranks of the Big Four. However, his kick might as well have been in slow motion as the monster reacted with amazing speed and caught the kick with its hand.

"Hmph! You actually thought a human like you can fight me? Uva of the Greeed?" asked the bug monster with a snort. "I don't know if you're brave or just stupid." Gripping Saji's leg, Uva actually lifted the womanizer off of the ground before slamming him into the side of the equipment shed with enough force to crack its walls. Even as Saji tried to get his bearings back, Uva lifted him up again before slamming him back down into the dirt, leaving an imprint of his body in its wake. Dropping Saji's leg, Uva grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him up before slamming him into the wall of the equipment shed once again, making it crack further.

"Now hold still!" Uva barked. Sinking his fingers into his own torso, Uva produced one of his silver coins, etched with the image of a bee on one side. Saji grimaced as he felt an opening appear in his head, a metal coin slot. Uva quickly brought the coin up to the slot and dropped it inside, prompting the slot to vanish. Letting Saji go, he watched as a green and black void opened up in his chest before it spat out what looked like a gray and white mummy with red discs attached to random points of his body and eyes which were composed of several slits.

Saji could only gape at what had come out of him despite feeling like a whole portion of him had suddenly vanished from his body. The mummy monster quickly stumbled up to its feet and looked over at Uva questioningly.

"After you feed enough to fully grow, find Ankh and find my Core Medals!" he snapped at the mummy. "Understand?"

"Hai," the mummy nodded before it began to lumber off for parts unknown. Uva just watched it go before likewise heading out of sight, his destination unclear. Saji was left in considerable pain, leaning against the equipment shed wall, trying to get his thoughts together.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hakufu was admiring her new red coin, musing, "It'd make a nice pendant." There was something about the pattern on it. A red hawk with its wings spread represented power and freedom. She was so busy gazing at it, she was only paying minimal attention to where she was going and following Kokin. Never let it be said that despite her best efforts, Hakufu was something of a ditz and had the attention span of a kid when she wasn't in a fight. In short, anything and everything was able to steer her away from anything else.

As she was busy admiring her strange new coin, someone bumped into her and she accidentally dropped the coin. To her distress, it landed on its side and rolled along the ground before it vanished underneath a black vending machine filled with red and blue soda cans."Oh crap!" Dashing to the machine, she kneeled down and began trying to reach for the red coin. She just hoped that it didn't fall into a hidden storm drain or something. She'd never get it back in that case.

"Come on, come on," she whined, grasping underneath the machine as best she could, not quite noticing that she was flashing her panties at those who were passing by. Several teenage boys and older men took in the sight, several getting hit by their significant others for their wandering eyes. Still, Hakufu didn't quite notice or care since she was still trying to get her coin. "Please, please, I want it back!" Pressing her arm even further under the machine, she felt her fingers touch something made of steel. After a moment of grasping, she managed to drag it into her clutches and bring it back out, revealing the crimson face of the hawk coin. "All right!"

"Good. Now you can give it back to me."

Hakufu blinked and looked up to where she heard the voice talking to her. To her shock, the voice didn't come from a person**;** rather it came from a floating red arm that was just hovering in the air beside the vending machine.

"Aaahh!" she shouted and as a Fighter her reflexes often took control as she swung her arm, smacking the floating red arm into the side of the vending machine. The red limb gave off a grunt from the impact before sliding down the side of the machine.

"Ow…" the arm groaned, "That…hurt…"

Hakufu was off like a shot, wanting to put as much distance between her and the freaky arm as she could. Barrelling through the streets, she caught up with her cousin in record time, "Kokin! Kokin! Kokin! Heeeeellllp!" she cried out, lunging at her relative.

"Huh?" the short-haired boy blinked as he turned to see what his cousin was freaking out about now. However, he didn't get to ask what the problem was before Hakufu's breasts ploughed into his face and both cousins met the ground with a loud thud.

"Kokiiiiiiin! I'm being chased by a weird floating arm!" Hakufu cried. "It talked to me and it was trying to take away this cool red coin I found today! It was so creepy and I didn't know what to do and you've got to help meeeee!" She blubbered and cried, hugging Kokin close to her body.

"Mph! Mrph!" Kokin struggled beneath his cousin's grip. Normally he'd fantasized about being in a position like this, but his sense of right and wrong along with his sense of propriety dulled any kind of secret thrill he got over being this close to Hakufu's chest without any kind of backlash happening to him. Of course, it would be better if he was able to speak…and breathe.

"Kokin, why aren't you saying anything?" asked Hakufu, wanted an answer or some reassurance in the face of the scary floating arm she had just faced. Fighters good and bad she could handle, but floating limbs were just freaky!

"I assume it's because you are smothering him," A familiar voice spoke, making Hakufu pale. Looking over her shoulder, she felt her heart drop as she spotted the floating arm she'd been running from already very close and slowly drifting closer to her. "Now, hand over my Core Medal!"

A scream was heard but it was not Hakufu's. The arm was instantly alert as it sensed something approaching, something that it didn't need to have hanging around and this moment in time.

"Yummy…" the arm growled, stiffening.

"I am not food!" Hakufu cried out, anime tears flying from her eyes. Kokin's struggles grew more intense as he was pressed further into Hakufu's sinful valley, but the thrills from his guilty side got all the greater because of it.

"I don't want to eat you, idiot! I want my-!" the arm began to rant.

Crashes and screams became more violent before the two Nanyo Fighters and the floating arm turned to see a car tossed down the street, followed by a strange bear monster. It was dumbly lumbering down the street, swatting aside anything that got in its way be it a piece of scenery or a person who was too slow. If the odd person was lucky, they just got swatted a fair distance before landing a few feet away with a sore body. The unlucky ones crashed into cars or buildings with a few more injuries, if they survived instead of making interesting red graffiti on some unlucky buildings.

"That's a Yummy," the arm announced.

The Bear Yummy stood at the end of the street that Hakufu, Kokin, and the floating arm were on before it suddenly stopped. Turning, it peered at the two teenagers, making Hakufu squeak in fright as it began to growl. The beast slowly began to approach the trio, and to the surprise of the two Fighters, began to talk!

"Ankh! Hand over the Core Medals!" it demanded loudly.

"Over my dead body!" the red arm, Ankh, denied sharply, clenching his fist.

"You don't even have a body to claim that for!" the Yummy snorted, its approach beginning to speed up. "But if you won't hand them over, I'll just take them!"

With a bellow, the Yummy began its mad charge with its arms raised for powerful slashes. At the same moment, Kokin's eyes sharpened as his Fighter instincts began to kick in. He considered himself an easygoing guy, but in a fight is when his true power came out, the colour of his magatama be damned! Quickly grabbing Hakufu's shoulders, he pried her off of him before he got up to stare down the approaching Yummy, "Hakufu, run!" he ordered, moving into a stance.

"Huh?" both Hakufu and the red arm spoke out in confusion.

"Go!" Kokin barked, beginning his own charge at the monster. It was his duty as a member of the Shu household and as the one who was channelling the original Kokin Shuyu to protect Hakufu at all costs. He had no doubt that this monster was a threat to her and he was going to do his damn hardest to make sure it never laid a hand on her!

"Get out of my way Human!" the Yummy snarled as Kokin charged closer.

Kokin didn't respond and he slipped into the long since memorised patterns of his fighting style. The Yummy bellowed and unleashed a powerful swipe which would have shredded the Shuyu boy if he allowed it to connect. Kokin wasn't one to willingly take a hit as he managed to dance around the strike, being much faster than the muscle-bound Yummy. Seeing his opportunity in the form of an avenue for attack, Kokin took it, unleashing a powerful combo into the monster's chest. The string of attacks went unblocked thanks to the monsters slow speed and as such Kokin managed to make every strike count, aiming to pulverise the monster's torso and make it reconsidering trying to attack with injured organs. Rearing back his fist for one such strike to where the kidneys would be, he heard the monster smirk.

"Pathetic."

*POW!*

Kokin's world was rocked as his jaw exploded with pain and his head twisted to the side from the force of the blow which struck the side of his face. He could feel blood pooling in his mouth from where he accidentally bit his cheek and it felt like his jaw bone had almost snapped from the impact. Quickly gaining back his bearings, he only managed to see the monster take another swipe at him before pain spread from his torso from the monster raking its claws across his body, tearing his short open and making blood shoot from the wounds, if only briefly.

"GAH!" the young man cried as the pain from the attack reach his brain.

"Kokin!" Hakufu screamed out.

"Poor fool," Ankh sighed.

Kokin's mind was a haze of pain as he tried to get himself back into the fight. He hadn't felt this badly hurt since Hakufu beat the crap out of him when she was possessed by her Haouryuu while she was fighting Ukitsu. Still, hadn't any of his attacks affected this monster at all? He had kept striking the torso areas which held the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and other points. How he measured the force of his attacks should have transferred the force to the organs without the bones being much of a problem. Was there just more meat between his fists and the innards than he initially expected or…

"Your mind is wandering!" the Bear Yummy snapped before its clawed fist smashed into Kokin's stomach, making him double over with blood splattering from his mouth and onto the beast's limb. Already dizzy and adding oxygen deprivation to the mix, Kokin was unable to offer any serious resistance when the Yummy grabbed his head in his hands before…

*WHAM!*

…smashing it into the ground, cracking it from the force. Kokin stopped moving after that.

"KOKIN!" Hakufu screamed in horror.

"I'm surprised his head didn't pop like a melon after that," Ankh observed. "His body must be exceptionally tough…"

"Now that the annoyance is dealt with," the Bear Yummy growled, standing up again. "This is your last chance to give me the-!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The Yummy never got to finish its sentence before Hakufu unleashed her fury and traveled the distance between Ankh and the Yummy and unleashed the strongest haymaker punch she could into the monster's face. While not a truly devastating punch, the force and the positioning of it did manage to cause the Yummy to stumble backwards with a grunt. After that, several more powerful punches rained down on the Yummy one right after the other. There was more force behind them than with Kokin, considering the difference between the two in terms of strength and the spirits in which both teens were channelling through their Magatama.

"YOU HURT KOKIN!" the enraged teenage girl screamed, rearing back her fist. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

She lashed out again, aiming at the Yummy's face, but her punch was caught in its hand, easily handling the force she had put behind it.

"Better than the boy, but still too weak to stop me," the Bear Yummy growled before it lifted Hakufu clear off the ground and threw her over its shoulder with ease. The strawberry blonde hit the ground with a thud and a groan. Sitting up, she gave her abused posterior a rub to numb the pain before she got up again. Seeing the Yummy turning to face her, she growled and charged once again.

Ankh clenched his fist. This human was definitely fairing better than her now incapacitated companion but even a human couldn't match a Yummy's power, unless they had help. Also, this human had one of his Core Medals. He couldn't risk losing it now that it was so close. It would appear that the disembodied Greeed arm would need to assist this human.

Hakufu was again sent flying through the air and was about to land hard on the ground when she felt something grab her by the front of the shirt. She blinked. It was that freaky arm again and it'd just saved her. Ankh gently lowered the Fighter onto her feet. "Don't take this personally, but you have something of mine and there's no way I'm letting you get killed by that thing until you return it."

"It…it hurt…Kokin…" Hakufu spoke, tears on her angered red face.

"So, you wish to avenge your friend," spoke Ankh. "Look, that thing is after me and in my condition I can't really fight it. So, you'll have to fight it for me." Hakufu clenched her fists. That was what she was planning to do to begin with. "However, as strong as you are, a human is still a human and can't beat a Yummy, unless…"

"Unless what?" demanded Hakufu. She would have strangled the arm at this point save for the fact that it didn't have a neck to strangle.

"Unless I lend a helping hand, pardon the pun," the arm replied. Floating up, there was a flash of light from its underside before a stone box dropped through its skin. Acting quickly, the arm flew down and caught the box, revealing it had three slots not unlike the kind used for coins on certain kinds of vending machines.

"What?" the Bear Yummy gasped, halting its battle mindset to gape at the box in Ankh's hand. "That…that was used in the sealing!"

"Why, yes it was," Ankh answered before he hovered closer to Hakufu. Pressing the stone box to her waist, the Fighter let out a surprised gasp when the stone shattered to reveal black and blue steel. From the left side, a metal strap wrapped around her waist, securing the item in place before a round disk with a gold edge and a void on one hold so to properly hold it appeared on her right side.

"What…what is this?" asked Hakufu, staring at the belt buckle.

"Something that will help you beat that thing," Ankh answered. "Do you still have my Core Medal? The red coin with the hawk on it."

"Uhhh, right here!" Hakufu nodded, drawing the red coin in question and holding it out in the palm of her hand.

"Good, but you're going to need two more," Ankh spoke. With a flick of his wrist, two more coloured coins appeared between his fingers. One was yellow in the middle and had the face of a tiger etched onto its surface while the other was green with a grasshopper marked on one side. Taking the coins, he slapped them into Hakufu's hand with the red coin. "Now, place the red Medal on the right, yellow in the middle, and green on the left. Hurry!"

"Don't do it!" the Bear Yummy warned, approaching as if it were afraid to get any closer to the belt than it needed to. "You'll seal your fate if you do!"

"Don't listen to him!" Ankh spoke, trying to be louder than the Yummy and thus keep Hakufu's attention. "Do you want to let that thing keep rampaging around and hurting people like it did your male companion? Do you want more people to feel the pain you're feeling right now?"

Hakufu's eyes turned dangerously narrow as her gaze lifted to the Bear Yummy, making it flinch as if it were afraid of her as much as it was the belt, "No." Stepping past Ankh, she slipped the coins into her belt, red, yellow, and green. As she slipped the Grasshopper Medal into its slot, the belt clicked and the buckle tilted into a slant. Ankh then moved into action and quickly grabbed the disk-like object from her side and slipped it into her hand.

"Use this," he ordered. "Swipe the front across the Medals in your belt. Do it and you'll get the power needed to destroy that Yummy. Now do it, henshin!"

"Right!" Hakufu nodded. Raising the O-Scanner, she brought the front down against her belt buckle before drawing it across the front. The belt made three chiming noises as the scanner went across them and produced three rings of red, yellow, and green as the scanner passed.

"Henshin!" she cried out.

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

Colored medals dance around her. The first ring of colored medals spun around her head in a vertical fashion, the second ring spun around his torso in a horizontal fashion and the third surrounded his legs in the same horizontal fashion as the previous set. Huge projections of the three Core Medals in the belt appeared before her, aligning vertically with the red hawk at the top, yellow tiger in the middle and green grasshopper at the bottom before the three of them slammed together to make a new Medal that slammed into her.

Hakufu's entire body became covered in a black bodysuit and armour. In the centre of her chest was a large round circle with three designs on it. Squeezed at the bottom was the image of a green grasshopper. In the centre and taking up most of the space was a yellow tiger and finally with barely any room at the top was a red hawk. Her legs were covered with thin green armour at the front which was segmented not unlike a grasshopper's legs. Connected to the armour were green lines which connected to the grasshopper marking on her chest. Yellow lines extended from the tiger marking, past the rounded shoulders with yellow edges and ended at yellow gauntlets which had sharp blades folded back on the wrists. Finally the hawk symbol left a red line leading up to her face which was now concealed under a helmet that had large green eyes and a face plate which looked like a flying bird.

"Did I just hear singing? Hawk (taka), tiger (tora), grasshopper (batta)? Is that what this is?"

"Worry about that some other time," said Ankh. "This thing is called OOO (pronounced as Ozu). You'll realise its power once you fight with it."

The Bear Yummy roared and lunged at OOO. The armoured Fighter cried out and raised her arms to defend. The Bear Yummy's claws scraped against her yellow gauntlets but otherwise did little damage. She then kicked the Yummy in the midsection, sending it staggering back. Encouraged by how she was actually hurting it, OOO pressed her advantage, going for more attacks. As she charged, the tiger emblem on her chest flashed before the claws on the back of her gauntlets folded out and with a swing she slashed the monster across the chest. She expected to see blood but instead silver coins splashed out of the monster's chest where she struck. The wound was open for only a moment before gray energy sealed it shut again, but it was more than enough to tell her she could win!

Deciding to find out more once the monster was dealt with, OOO attacked with several more slashes. Each strike opened more wounds with more silver coins spilling out and making jingling noises on the ground. As if responding to her growing confidence, the grasshopper emblem on her chest flashed before her green leg armour began to glow while her yellow claws retracted. Leaping to cross the distance between herself and the monster, OOO unleashed bicycle kicks which crashed against the Yummy, making it stumble and forcing more coins out of its remaining wounds before they had a chance to close.

"Guess she's not such a pushover," said Ankh. To be fair, he could've chosen anyone to be OOO but an experienced Fighter seemed like the best choice. Even a weakling could become a powerhouse by using OOO but OOO's true potential could only be brought up by a true warrior.

Growling, the Bear Yummy wasn't going to take the abuse much longer. Looking at OOO, it roared and charged at the armoured girl, unleashing several slashes which sparked across her chest before punching her in the abdomen and sending her sprawling across the ground. Strangely enough, her yellow sections began to spark and lose their colour from the numerous impacts, not that she noticed since her world had been momentarily rocked by the hits.

"Wow, Mom's got nothing on this guy," she grunted, rubbing her chest so to try and massage the pain out. "It's a good thing this armour's so good too. Otherwise my clothes would have been shredded and Mom said she was going to pound me for ruining another outfit."

"Forget about your clothes!" Ankh shouted, flying closer to OOO. Flicking his wrist, he produced a second green coin, this one with a praying mantis etched on the front. "Here. Switch this one with the Tora Medal. You'll need a better weapon than the ones you have with you now."

"Okay!" OOO nodded, grabbing the Medal. Pushing on her buckle, she set it into a horizontal position again before removing the Tora Medal and slipping the Kamakiri Medal into its place. With the Medal secured, the buckle shifted again before OOO took her scanner and swiped it across the front.

"**TAKA!**"

"**KAMAKIRI!**"

"**BATTA!**"

Images of the three Core Medals appeared in front of OOO before merging together and colliding with her chest. In a haze of green, the tiger sections of her armour were replaced with a bright green set with a mantis symbol replacing the tiger one on her chest. Another modification was that her gauntlets were now green with black accents and had long blades extending from them and were able to reach up to her elbows. As she raised her arms, the blades attached to the gauntlets suddenly found themselves in her hands, held in a reverse grip.

"Ankh, hand over those Core Medals!" the Bear Yummy demanded as it charged but OOO would not let it reach its target. Swinging her arms, she slashed at the Yummy with the Kamakiri Swords, causing coins to fly out of it. She then kicked the Yummy hard with both feet, sending it skidding across the ground. Charging forward, she leapt and soared through the air. The mantis emblem on her chest glowed, transferring power into her arms and swords.

"Take this! Kamakiri Zan!" OOO called out as she slashed the Yummy in an X-pattern with her swords, cutting clean through the Yummy and making a green X-shaped cut appear on its body. The Bear Yummy roared before exploding. From the flames, many coins burst out and rained down on OOO, bouncing off her suit and rolling across the ground. "So, that guy was made of coins?" In the midst of her surprise, she then realised something. "Kokin!" She ran towards her cousin, "Kokin, hold on! I'll call for help!"

* * *

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you," Kougami smiled as he put the finishing touches on yet another cake. "Happy Birthday, Dear OOO…"

* * *

As OOO panicked about, trying to spot where a phone was so she could try and get some help for her relative, Ankh began to hover down and examine the boy. Really, the amount of punishment he took from the Yummy was considerable and yet somehow he still survived it all. From where the bird Greeed was standing, the boy should have died when he was smashed into the ground so savagely, but he survived just the same, if only barely. To have survived such a blow meant that the boy's body was exceptionally tough for a human.

"I think you'll do just fine," Ankh spoke to himself.

Hovering down, his 'body' began to glow before phasing over Kokin's right arm. The glow then extended over the Fighter's whole body before Ankh lifted himself and the unconscious human from the ground. The body of Kokin then flashed as if life suddenly poured into him before settling on his feet. However, there was a slight difference to how it was before. Kokin's hair was usually a dark colour usually associated with blue, but now it had turned blonde and styled with sizable spikes at the front, leaving the sides shorter than usual.

"A phone, I need to find a phone!" OOO panicked as she searched for a means of getting help for her cousin. As she panicked, she turned and spotted what appeared to be Kokin standing up with a new hairstyle and a freaky red glove on his arm. "Kokin! You're okay!" she squealed as she charged to glomp what appeared to be her cousin.

The one wearing Kokin's face raised his kaijin arm and held it up, stopping OOO from her affectionate attack, "Okay? Girl, your friend is very much not okay. However, my presence will be able to keep him alive."

"Huh?" OOO blinked.

"Now then, allow me to introduce myself," the possessed young man grinned. With a dramatic bow, he spoke. "My name is Ankh. I am one of the beings known as the Greeed."

"Greeed?" OOO repeated in confusion.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Ten-Faced Paladin A/N: My thanks to Kamen Rider Chrome for editing and offering ideas as this chapter was made. Credit for this idea goes to Tailsmo4ever though since it was his initial suggestion that got the ball rolling for this chapter to take form.

Kamen Rider Chrome: I got the idea and I delivered. This is a collaboration of a commission I got from Tailsmo4ever.


	127. Lina VS N2

"Woah, look at all of them," Yokoshima said in awe as he gazed upon the rows and rows of G-SHOCKER Soldiers. He scanned them with his helmet and concluded, "They aren't active."

"Of course not, but they're not what I'm looking for," said Shin as he walked down the steps. There were inactive G-SHOCKER soldiers standing in front of some sort of cryo-stasis pod. Shin stepped over to it and said, "_This_ is what I'm looking for."

* * *

Yokoshima was resting against the door as pounding could be heard inside. "Oh man, this is déjà vu all over again," he muttered.

"Hey, what's going on there?" Shogo asked as he saw Yokoshima. With him were Chiaki and Daichi. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they had heard the noise and decided to find out what was going on.

"Nothing, just, you know, resting against a wall," Yokoshima told him. Shin had told Yokoshima to keep what they were doing a secret. Too bad that he was crappy at lying when he was nervous and the current situation certainly qualified.

"That is not a wall. It's a door," stated Daichi.

"And you're right. It's a door that just looks like a wall," Yokoshima told him.

"Are you okay?" Chiaki signed.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just fine," Yokoshima told him.

**Ba-Gong!**

"What was that?" Daichi asked.

"What was what?" Yokoshima responded, playing dumb.

**Ba-Gong!**

"_That._"

"Oh, you know it's just me. Ba-Gong. See?" Yokoshima answered.

"Ba-Gong?" Chiaki signed.

**Ba-Gong! Ba-Gong!**

"I think I'll just walk over here now," Yokoshima said as he started to walk away. The others would've stopped him but their attention was focused on the door.

**Ba-Gong! Ba-Gong!**

Dents were starting to show up on the surface of the door.

"**Should we really be standing here?**" Chiaki signed.

"Something's coming out," Shogo said, either ignoring or not noticing their mute comrade's question. If he had noticed, he may have thought about it and decided to try a more strategic approach, possibly dodging what was coming.

"**No duh.**"

The metal door was being beaten open and it was shredding as light seeped through. All of the N2 members began getting tense, getting ready for a fight. Whatever was coming was obviously strong and very much pissed off. It seemed like a fight was coming.

**Ba-Gong!**

**Ba-Gong!**

**Ba-Gong!**

**SMASH!**

**Music – Agent Tex**

The final blow caused the door to come off clean off its hinges, clattering onto the floor with a loud thud. On the other side was a figure, bedecked in black armor, with yellow eyes staring right at them. They cracked their neck from side-to-side and flexed their fingers. The yellow eyes then looked at the N2 members standing before her.

"**I do not like the way he's looking at us**," signed Chiaki.

"So, who's first?" a female voice came out from the figure.

"That's a girl?" gawked Daichi.

Then she charged at them.

* * *

"**Run!**" Chiaki signed.

"Oh, crap! Where is she!" shouted Daichi. "I don't wanna die!"

The trio stopped to rest. Daichi was panting as he leaned against a crate to catch his breath.

"Come on, guys! Double time! Hell, I'll settle for some single time!" Shogo shouted.

"Maybe we should just fight," said Daichi, "I'm afraid she just might start picking us off one by-" That was when the black armored figure suddenly stood in front of Daichi, "ONE!" and sent him flying with a kick, "OW…!" Then she attacked Shogo who was too slow to retaliate with his stingers. She punched him in the stomach then threw him into Chiaki before she tackled them both and sent them tumbling along the floor and straight into a tall stack of barrels which collapsed on top of them.

Meanwhile, Daichi was fleeing. He looked at his Cricket Fork in disdain and muttered, "Forget this! I'm gonna need a bigger weapon!" He spotted Yokoshima up in the control room, "Yokoshima, a little help here!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Yokoshima replied.

"Why don't you come down here!" Daichi snapped.

"Sorry, but I do not want to fight the mean lady! She's scary!"

"OK, fine! Then how about getting me a bigger weapon?"

"How?"

"Push some buttons, I dunno!"

"Buttons? OK!" Yokoshima started pressing random buttons and several guns dropped at Daichi's feet from the ceiling.

"Wow." Daichi picked up what looked like a rocket launcher. "That actually worked out perfectly. Thanks!"

Yokoshima then scratched his helmet with confusion, "How the heck did I do that?"

Daichi then ran off to help and bumped into Satoshi who had been attracted by the screams of fear and pain mixed with loud crashes.

"What's going on?" Satoshi asked.

"You gotta help us! Do you know how to use those things?" Daichi pointed at Satoshi's weapons of choice.

"What? My guns? Fuck yeah; I know how to use them. What's to understand about bang-bang-boom? They're fucking guns, dude, not fighter jets!"

"Just shut up and help me!" Daichi snapped and ran off.

"What crawled up his butt?" Satoshi followed after Daichi anyway.

Chiaki ducked under a barrel that she threw at him and started swinging at her with his chainsaws only for her to dodge his strikes and grab him by the back of his head. She grabbed the back of Shogo's head as well and slammed them together. She then punched Shogo in the stomach and then punched Chiaki in the stomach before she spun and kicked Shogo in the head. She then punched Chiaki in the stomach again, before punching him in the face several times, giving him an uppercut, then slamming his head down with her fists. She then kneed him in the gut so hard he was thrown backwards, grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground before raising her foot up. Chiaki's eyes widened and he signed in panic, "No! No! No!" but it was to no avail as she slammed her fist into his crotch. He would've screamed if he could. Then she sent him flying into the crate with a powerful kick. A teleporter door dropped on top of him and spat him out of a nearby teleporter door right when she was beating up Shogo.

She looked at the writhing Chiaki then at the door before she heard, "Hey, sweet cheeks!" She turned and saw Satoshi who told her, "Step away from them, now!" He fired his guns at her but she ducked. She got into a boxing stance as they circled around each other.

Meanwhile, behind her, on a crate was Daichi who was aiming to shoot her with the rocket launcher he'd just procured. "Oh, God, please don't let her see me," he prayed under his breath. A giant container dropped from above, forcing Satoshi and the fighter to jump as the giant crate came down with a hard thud.

"Yes," Yokoshima cheered, "I saved Satoshi!"

"Yokoshima, what are doing?" Satoshi snapped. "You're messing up my plan with Daichi! I was supposed to distract her for him!"

She looked back and spotted Daichi and he panicked as he loaded a rocket. "You ratted me out, you sonovabitch!" He launched the rocket and she dodged it as she grabbed a teleporter door and chucked it at Daichi

"Oh shit!" he shouted and took aim and shot another rocket, the rocket entering before exiting the other door that was lying under where Daichi stood. The rocket blew up against the crate and sent him flying into the flying door before the second door spat him out. "Oh shit!" She grabbed him and then kicked him straight into Satoshi

"That was awesome." Satoshi complimented before Daichi was knocked into him and they both kissed to the floor. She watched as the N2 members started to get back to their feet.

"What do we do, Shogo?" Daichi asked.

"I don't know. I've never hit a girl in my life," said Shogo.

"**Here's, a suggestion. Try harder**," signed Chiaki.

She charged at them and dodged their attempts to strike her. She first grabbed Shogo's fist and threw him into Satoshi. She ducked when Daichi fired and kicked him into a teleporter door which was linked to another door several feet away which spat him out into an opposite. She turned to face Chiaki who swung at her with his sign post but Daichi was flung out of the door behind him, knocking Chiaki forward so her foot collided with his crotch. She pinned Chiaki under her foot and pulled a shotgun out of nowhere, aiming it at his face. His eyes widened.

**Click!**

She pulled the trigger again.

**Click! Click! Click!**

She had no ammo.

"**Oh, thank God**," Chiaki signed but then she held her gun by the barrel and hit like a golfer, striking his balls again and sending him flying into Daichi, knocking them both down and sending them sliding along the floor.

"Watch it…" Daichi groaned.

"Let me show you how it's done!" said Shogo only for her fist to meet his face again and send him flying to where Daichi and Chiaki were.

"Nice demonstration," mocked Daichi.

"Shut up," Shogo mumbled as he got up.

A large metal container hung over her right now and Satoshi groaned and looked up, "Ugh… What?" He looked to the control room. "Yokoshima! Remember when I said not to help me? Forget that! I need you to help me! Right now!"

"OK!" Yokoshima smiled as he pushed another button.

The container dropped and Satoshi dived away to a distance, letting the container drop on the enemy.

Up above in the control room, Yokoshima whooped for joy as he watched the mean woman get flattened underneath the large container.

"Yes, it worked!" Yokoshima cheered. He'd been the one to do that.

"Yes, it worked!" Satoshi cheered but then saw that the container was being held up by her strength, "Aw fuck, that didn't work!" Satoshi ducked as she threw the container.

"We have to get out of here!" shouted Daichi. "We'll be crushed!"

"**No, we won't**," signed Chiaki as he readied his chainsaws. With only one, he sliced it right through the container and both halves went flying, spilling their contents (med-kits and gas tanks) all over Daichi and Shogo. "**Oops.**"

"Hey, are you two okay?" Satoshi asked.

Shogo's head poked out of the pile of med-kits. "What happened? I feel defeated, yet strangely rejuvenated," said Shogo, sounding dazed but considering the amount of head trauma from the woman's punches, it may have been the concussion speaking.

Chiaki was swinging at her only for her to dodge and then send him flying with a kick. Satoshi went to engage her, only to meet the same fate as he was sent sliding into a teleporter door.

"Did you see that?" Shogo asked.

"How could I have not seen that?" Daichi replied.

Satoshi went flailing out of another teleporter door and straight into her who caught him by the neck. She was about to punch him when she had a better idea and threw him into the teleporter door, only for him to be spat out of another one near the group.

"What is this black stuff?" Satoshi asked. His armor was covered with it.

"There she is!" Daichi shouted as he tossed Shogo the rocket launcher. "Get her!"

"Huh?" Satoshi saw Chiaki and Daichi rushing at him before they started to beat him up. "Ow! Hey! Stop it! Hey!"

"Wait! Stop!" shouted Shogo as Daichi had Satoshi in a headlock and beating him senseless. "I think that's Satoshi."

Daichi stopped, but then punched Satoshi again before releasing him. Satoshi demanded, "What was that for?"

"Sorry, force of habit," Daichi apologized.

Satoshi slipped on a med-kit and was about to fall backwards into a teleporter door laying on the floor if Chiaki hadn't caught him but then she came out from the door, looked around then punched Chiaki in the crotch before diving back into the door. Satoshi and Chiaki fell into the door and were spat another with her waiting. She knocked Chiaki down with a punch then caught Satoshi before she slammed him head-first into the ground with a suplex. She then mounted him and started beating him up.

Daichi looked to Shogo, "Daichi, what are you waiting for? Shoot her!"

Shogo whined, "They look the same! Which one do I shoot?"

"Shoot the one who's winning, dumbass!" Satoshi snapped.

She saw Chiaki get up so she dismounted from Satoshi, kicked him into Chiaki, grabbed Satoshi's ankle in mid-air and slammed her fist so hard on him that it knocked the black stuff clean off him. He went tumbling and joined the others.

"Wow. She knocked the black right off you," Daichi observed.

"That's racist…" muttered Satoshi.

Shogo, with the rocket launcher, now aimed and fired, shouted, "Fire in the hole!" The rocket flew straight for her who ran away from it, swinging into a teleporter door and exiting another, with the rocket following her. She was headed straight for them, with the rocket in hot pursuit.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Daichi shouted.

"Run!" Satoshi screamed.

Lina ran to the three and slammed her right fist with her left hand before reeling it back and knocking Satoshi, Shogo, and Daichi down with a clothes-line before sliding in-between Chiaki's legs with the missile following her path. Chiaki let out a sigh of relief and signed, "**Thank God**." He turned and saw her escape through a teleporter door on the floor and the rocket colliding with the med-kits. "**Oh Shit**!"

The explosion blew the med-kits and the N2 guys into the air as she rolled safely out of a teleporter door to watch the fireworks. Everyone dropped to the floor, groaning. All but one. She nudged a concrete divider forward with her foot and waited.

**WHAM!**

Chiaki dropped on it, crotch first, and signed, "**Ow…why won't you just…kill me…**" before collapsing.

She turned away from the carnage but then heard a familiar voice, "Hey, Lina!" She turned her head to see that it was Shin, "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

* * *

"Ow! Hey! Stop it! Quit it! You're embarrassing me, Lina! Stop! Ow!" Shin was being manhandled by the female cyborg, dubbed Lina. She was holding him by his scarf and beating him repeatedly with his own helmet.

"Shouldn't we help him?" asked Satoshi.

"Better him than us," Daichi remarked. "Sides, it's his fault for letting her out in the first place."


	128. Kamen Rider VS Terror Khan

**Terror Khan's description: A Darkloid sealed centuries ago. His seal was broken and he rises from the remains of the Hinamizawa dam project to continue his plans. Terror Khan is covered in black armor with curved blades jutting from his shoulder blades and skull-shaped, fanged shoulders. His feet resemble the heads of serpents and he sports sharp claws at his fingertips. He also wears a sleeveless coat over his armored body with a red orb in the centre of his chest. He has long black hair and his white-skinned face is covered up by a helmet that conceals everything but his lips and lower jaw. The helmet resembles a demon's head with a single horn jutting from his forehead.**

**And now…without further ado…a teaser…**

**KAMEN RIDER VS TERROR KHAN**

"Now…DROWN IN TERROR!" Terror Khan declared, giving Hinamizawa two thumbs down. His Paranoia Tower started to power up and soon the wave would engulf Hinamizaw and spread all over Japan. This was just a stepping stone to the Darkloid's plans. After Japan, the rest of the world would be next.

"HEY ASSHOLE!" Terror Khan looked up when he heard the shout to see Kamen Rider Showa flying straight at him on his Showa-Racer. The young Kamen Rider then leapt off his bike and called, "Let's Ride: X!"

In the form of Kamen Rider X, Showa wielded the Ridol Stick and attacked. He swung the weapon about to strike his enemy only for the demonic Terror Khan to dodge the swipes. Showa continued his assault only for Terror Khan to catch it, forcing them back to back. "Ridol Whip!" Showa called before breaking away from Terror Khan to kick him away. Terror Khan dodged the kick but had to duck the whip as it swung overhead of him.

"Let's Ride: Super-1!"

Assuming the form if Super-1, which caused the Ridol to disappear, Showa called out, "Hot & Cold Hands!" to activate Super-1's armaments. The green gloves allowed Showa to access fire and ice powers which he used to wail on Terror Khan. His flaming punches exploded against Terror Khan as his frozen punches stunned him.

"Let's Ride: Amazon!"

Assuming the form of Amazon, Showa clawed at Terror Khan. Sparks flew with each hit. He followed up with a kick but Terror Khan leapt into the air.

"No way! Let's Ride: SKyrider!"

Assuming the form of Skyrider, Showa leapt up and flew after Terror Khan. He grabbed him by the leg to drag him back down with him.

"Let's Ride: Stronger!"

Assuming the form of the Kabuto-themed Rider known as Stronger, Showa leapt into the air and unleashed bolts of lightning at Terror Khan. The lightning bolts exploded around him, causing him to shout out.

"Let's Ride: Roborider!"

Assuming the form of the Prince of Sadness as he landed, Showa opened fire with continuous bursts from his Voltech Shooter. The enraged Terror Khan drew his sword and deflected the shots, causing them to explode behind him. Once he came within range of Showa, he swung his sword to decapitate the nuisance only for Showa to swiftly duck under the swing that would've taken off his head before he jumped up into the air.

"Let's Ride: ZX!"

When Showa landed, Terror Khan came charging at him. ZX removed the shuriken-like explosives mounted on his elbows before throwing them at Terror Khan. They stuck on and exploded, throwing the Darkloid backwards.

"Let's settle this. Higurashi no Yaiba!" Showa called as he resumed his default state.

The sword speared through the air and was caught by Showa who in a flash of green that was accompanied by the chirping of cicadas became Kamen Rider Showa Higurashi. He brandished his sword proudly.

"How dare you…" Terror Khan growled. "HOW DARE YOU!" With a roar he summoned his Darkling minions who then started to dissolve into a black mist that was swallowed up by the red orb in the centre of his chest. His body felt the rise in power as a red-tinted black aura flared out from every pore of his body. "This is my power…NOW DIE!" He unleashed a blast of dark energy from his chest that surged towards Showa. It ripped off chunks of the tower along its way before hitting the Rider with explosive force. He was knocked right off the tower and knocked out instantly due to the blow, his eyepieces turning black as a result.

The villagers of Hinamizawa and the townspeople of Okinomiya gasped as they saw Kamen Rider Showa plummet to his doom. Then, all of a sudden, one of them screamed, "KAMEN RIDER!"

It was Rena and she'd screamed out, "Kamen Rider!"

Mion and Shion joined in, "Kamen Rider!"

Keiichi, Satoshi and Satoko added, "Kamen Rider!"

Their cheering was infectious as the rest of the villagers began to chant, "KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!"

Mion shouted, "Don't lose, Kamen Rider!"

Shion shouted, "Don't give up, Kamen Rider!"

Keiichi shouted, "Kamen Rider, you have to win!"

Satoko shouted, "Fight on, Kamen Rider!"

"KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!"

Rika and Hanyuu clasped their hands together and prayed, "Don't lose…Kamen Rider…Don't lose…Shinichi."

Showa heard their cries. He heard their cheers, he heard their chants, and he heard their prayers most of all. His eyes flashed back to life. "I…hear them…the cheers of everyone…IS GIVING US POWER!"

By 'us' he was referring to the Spirits of the Legendary Riders. He spread his arms as his Spark Core flashed, letting out a blinding golden light that enveloped him. When the light faded, Showa was still decked in his Higurashi Form armor but this time it was gold and sporting a long silver scarf that hung from his neck in two long lengths of fabric. The scarf then spread out along with his Higurashi Wings, giving him two sets of wings which carried him skyward at high speed.

"What?" Terror Khan gawked. He then attacked, firing a barrage of dark energy blasts at Showa, only for the Rider to dodge each blast by flipping and spinning through the air. Showa then got into position with his body straight and his legs stretched out, his feet aimed at Terror Khan. The soles of his boots began to glow with a golden color which was accompanied by the song of a thousand cicadas as he soared towards Terror Khan like a missile that was locked onto its target. Terror Khan tried once more to destroy the Rider with a massive blast from his chest orb, only for Showa to smash through it.

**WHAM!**

His kick smashed into Terror Khan, shattering his chest armor on impact, while also pushing him along through the air. The Terror Khan could feel the holy power being forced into him through the kick.

"This…this is…" Terror Khan uttered.

"Yes, this is your end. So go to Hell," Showa told him.

"Hell…how appropriate. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-ARGH!" The Terror Khan's laughed ceased with an explosion. The fireball was massive as he was torn to shreds. Showa then flew through the fireball as the Paranoia Tower collapsed and crumbled to dust.

The villagers and townspeople all cheered at Showa's victory, shouting, "YATTA!" loudly and repeatedly.

"He did it!" Keiichi exclaimed, throwing his arms up in celebration.

Satoshi cheered, pumping his fists, "Yes! He beat him!"

"He won! He won!" Mion and Shion cheered together, jumping up and down while holding hands.

"Shin-kun…" Rena wiped her tears, relieved and happy to see him safe and that he was victorious.

The Gaming Club all hugged each other and Rena was crying tears of joy along with Rika and Hanyuu. Dr. Irie even picked up and spun Satoko around.

Back in her room, Oryo was informed of the news, and smiled, "So, this Kamen Rider has saved the village."

Meanwhile, Showa descended and landed before the villagers. He turned to them and smiled, giving them a thumbs-up, "It's over. Thank God." His armor shimmered and reverted back to his default form. Snow then started to fall and he stared up at the sky.

After this, the Kamen Rider would be considered an agent of Oyashiro-sama to vanquish all evil.

Later, that night, it started to snow. It was the night before Christmas and what was Christmas without snow?

The gang decided to have a Christmas party at Keiichi's. Rena and Shinichi looked out the window at the snow while standing next to each other. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rena asked.

"Yes, it is," Shinichi answered, but his gaze was on her and not the snow. They both then turned to look at their friends who were having fun at the party. There was cake and roasted chicken, both bought by Mion to share. Keiichi provided orange soda for them to drink.

"Everyone," Mion called as she raised her glass of soda, "A toast to Kamen Rider Showa for saving us all just in time for Christmas. Kampai!"

"KAMPAI!" the others cheered. Rena and Shinichi clinked their glasses before hooking their arms together and taking a drink.

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Rena-chan," Shinichi told her.

"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too, Shin-kun," she replied.

Mistletoe slowly descended between the couple and they looked up. It was hanging from a string which was tied to a stick that Satoko was holding above them too.

"You know the tradition," teased Satoko. "Kiss! Kiss!"

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" their friends childishly chanted.

Rena and Shinichi blushed before the two shared a chaste kiss. Their friends then responded by whistling and whooping at the display of affection.

Rika smiled as she swirled her drink in her glass while Hanyuu enjoyed the sweet cake. "It would seem that Shinichi has a purpose here," she said in her dark voice.

"Really?" Hanyuu asked.

"It was no coincidence that Rena found him. Shinichi becoming our friend is just fate's way of telling us its sorry for what it put us through," said Rika.

"You think so, Rika?" Hanyuu questioned. Rika wiped the icing off the corner of Hanyuu's lips with a thumb.

"I know so, Hanyuu," Rika answered before she licked the icing off. "Nipah!" she cheerily added.

**-THE END-**

Days later, in Tokyo, Shiori Banabara was reading the paper. She looked at the headline and said, "Hm, Hinamizawa sure isn't boring, is it?" On the front page was Kamen Rider Showa standing tall with the remains of the Paranoia Tower behind him.

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, Showa's final battle with Terror Khan was on display on a series of monitors. He was being watched.

"So, what do you think, Director-san?"

"He has potential and just might be ARMOR material."

"Should we contact him then?"

"Not yet, but keep your eyes on him. I want to see what he'll do next."

"Hai, Director-san."

"And enough with that 'Director-san' crap, Ryuki. We're friends so there's no need to be formal."

"Gomen, Warren."


	129. ORBS

**KAMEN RIDER ORBS**

"I won't allow you to stop Khan-sama!" The Octopus Darkloid proclaimed

Showa cracked his knuckles, "Then it looks like I have to deal with…" He heard a coin drop and turned to the source of the noise, "Huh?"

A coin rolled towards Showa and stopped at his foot. He picked it up. The coin was green and depicted a sword. Then, a young man his age ran over chasing the coin. He had raven-colored hair that was parted in the middle with blue eyes. He was wearing a green t-shirt with a denim jacket, blue jeans and tennis shoes. Around his waist was a strange belt with a rectangular buckle with circular slots in the front along with a disc-like object attached onto the right side.

The Octopus Darkloid got in a fighting stance, "Who is this?"

Showa pointed to himself, "You asking me?" He called to the stranger, "Hey, who are you?"

The stranger saw the coin in Showa's hand, "Oh, excuse me, but that's mine."

Showa blinked, "It is? Here."He tossed the coin to the stranger who caught it."You better get out of here. It's dangerous."

The stranger flipped the coin and smiled, "I will, after I beat him."

Showa and the Octopus Darkloid tilted their heads to the side, "Huh?"

The stranger then reveals he had two additional coins in his hand, one red and the other blue. He slid the green coin into the slot on the far right of the buckle, followed by the red coin being slid into the centre slot and finally the blue coin being slotted into the slot on the far left. He then tilted the buckle at an angle and gripped the disc attached to his belt before swiping it across the coins.

"Henshin!" he called.

There was a chiming sound as giant coins spun around his head, chest and legs. The coins then joined together into a big circle which collided with his chest thus forming a suit of armor. The circle was divided into three vertical segments. The top segment was green with a sword in it, the centre segment was red with a demon's face on it, and the bottom segment had a shuriken in it. The armor itself was mostly black with a matching bodysuit. The gauntlets were red with black tiger stripes and his shoulders had red tiger stripes on them. His helmet was black with a green face plate that had a pair of horns jutting from the brow to make a U-shape. It resembled a samurai's helmet, with a faceplate and blue eyes. Finally, he wore blue boots that went up to his knees.

Showa gawked, "What?"

"Who are you?" the Octopus Darkloid demanded.

The stranger waved, "You can call me 'Orbs'. Kamen Rider Orbs."

Showa was taken aback, "Kamen Rider?"

Orbs then went on the attack, leaping high to avoid the whip-like arms of the Octopus Dopant that came at him. He hit the Darkloid with a kick that sent the demon staggering back before following up with another kick, and another. He continued to unleash a combo of kicks against the demon, sending it tumbling backwards.

The Octopus Darkloid growled and stretched its arms, wrapping Orbs up. The Rider was dragged back but he had a plan. A flaming aura erupted from his arms, burning the tentacles before he turned and struck with a flaming punch across the demon's head.

Orbs jumped to Showa, "I'll finish this up here. You go and save the village."

Showa jumped onto the Showa-Racer, "I dunno who you are, but thanks." The Showa-Racer converted to flight mode and took flight.

Orbs then turned his attention towards the Darkloid and drew a sword which he then loaded with three coins through a slot. The Octopus Darkloid charged at him as he swiped the disc over the blade, scanning the coins with a chiming sound. Then, he swung his blade and cut the Darkloid in half at an angle, the demon exploding as a result. Orbs looked up at Showa who was flying towards Terror Khan's base.

"Good luck, brother," Orbs whispered.


	130. Kamen Rider Showa Omake Collection

KAMEN RIDER SHOWA OMAKE COLLECTION: ALL RIDER

**Segment 1: Ichigo & Nigo Are the Same.**

The Gaming Club were having their usual after-school meeting when Mion brought something up, "Say, Shin-chan, I wanna ask you something?"

"Yeah?" Shinichi replied as he shuffled the cards.

"Why do Kamen Rider Ichigo and Nigo look the same?" Mion asked.

"They were made by the same organization with the same plans," Shinichi replied.

"So, they're the same," Mion concluded.

"That's right," Shinichi confirmed.

"So, no matter which one you use, it doesn't make a difference," she added. He stopped shuffling.

"What are you getting at?"

"Why do you have two Rider forms with the exact same capabilities?"

"Let's just play the game."

"You don't know, do you?"

"Shut up!"

**Omake 2: V3's 26 Secrets**

Keiichi and Shinichi were at Angel Mort, having tea, cakes, and ogling the waitresses.

Keiichi asked, "So, V3 has 26 secrets, huh? What are they?"

"If I told you, they wouldn't be a secret then," replied Shinichi.

"Do you even know what they are?" Keiichi pressed on.

"Of course I do!"

"Then tell me."

"They're secret!"

"Come on, at least write them down," Keiichi insisted.

"OK, fine!" Shinichi took out a pen and wrote on a napkin. After a few minutes he gave the list to Keiichi.

"Hey, what's this 'V3 Hopper' thing?" Keiichi asked, pointing to one of the items on the list.

"Oh, it's a surveillance device that V3 has," Shinichi explained. "It's a rocket-propelled, mini-transmission satellite that allows V3 an extensive view of the surrounding terrain. It can also be used to spy on keep track on my enemies that are trying to escape. The images captured are directed into V3's Matrix Eyes." Keiichi gave him a look. "What's with that look?"

"So, when you're V3, you can use this thing?" Keiichi inquired, smirking.

"That's right, I have access to all 26 of V3's secrets," said Shinichi proudly.

"So, have you ever used this to spy on the girls?" Keiichi asked suggestively, grinning.

"Oh, shut up."

**Omake 3: Riderman's Arms**

Showa demonstrated to his mother Riderman's abilities, showing off the arms he had. He showed her the default Rope Arm which could be modified to make the Hook Arm for climbing and combat, the swing arm which replaced the hook with a spiked ball and finally the Sickle Arm that replaced the spiked ball with a sickle. She also showed her how it could shoot nets as the Net Arm. He then showed her the Drill Arm, the Machinegun Arm, the Blaster Arm and finally the Power Arm.

Shiori asked, "So, Shinji, do you have a 'Broom Arm', then?"

Shinichi shook his head, "No."

"'Mop Arm'?" she pressed on.

"No."

"How about a 'Frying Pan Arm'?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "Why would I have something like that?"

"Well, I just thought those would be useful. You can clean up and also have something to cook with. Oh, you'll need a Spatula Arm too!" Shiori said, smiling cheerfully. "So, any other arms?"

"Well, there is an 'Octopus Arm' that I've never used and…Kaa-chan?" Shinichi saw that his mother had zoned out and was drooling. Worriedly, he waved his hand in front of her face, Kaa-chan.

A week later, the short story the 'The Octopus Man' would be published in an adult magazine with the protagonist depicted as a man that was 'violating' women with tentacles that sprouted out from his right arm.

**Omake 4: X Cowboy**

Showa was on his bike as he called out, "Let's Ride: X!" He then chased after his target as he used the Ridol Whip and lassoed his target. The rope tied around his prey and then he got off his bike and dragged the girl over to him.

"Now, you're mine!" the Kamen Rider declared as he threw the girl over his shoulder and carried her off to somewhere to do many, many, naughty, naughty things to her.

"Oh, please! Let me go! Have mercy! Please, be gentle with me!" Rena declared, grinning. She was wearing a very sexy Red Indian lady costume as she was carried into the tent where her 'masked captor' would have his way with her.

**Omake 5: Amazon's Jungle Tongue**

Showa, as Kamen Rider Amazon, was leaping from tree to tree as his friends walked through the forest together.

"He's like a monkey," stated Hanyuu.

"If monkey looked like big lizards," countered Rika.

"Rena wished she could do that," said Rena.

"Hey, have you ever wondered why all of Shinichi's Rider forms look like bugs and this one looks like a lizard?" Keiichi asked.

"I guess the clue's in the name, 'Amazon'," Satoshi replied.

Amazon hung upside down from a branch as he faced them and called, "Come on, slowpokes!" He then continued to jump from tree to tree. He spotted a dragonfly fly past and then he shot his tongue out which stretched and caught the dragonfly before pulling it into his mouth.

"Ew!" everyone grimaced in disgust.

Rena, however, was thinking about _other_ ways that tongue could be used and grinned impishly.

**Omake 6: Stronger Power**

Shinichi and his family were watching a movie one night when all of a sudden the power went out, covering them in darkness.

"Looks like we have a blackout," said Shiori.

"No!" Hanyuu cried out. "I wanted to see how it ends!"

"How, we have no power?" asked Rika.

"I have an idea," said Shinichi.

The family was able to enjoy the rest of the movie as they managed to find an alternate source of power. Showa, as Kamen Rider Stronger, had plugged the TV into his belt.

"You know, we could save on the electric bill like this," Shiori smiled.

"Don't even think about it," Showa warned. "This is only until the power comes back."

**Omake 7: Skyrider Flying**

Rena was the only one that Shinichi ever took flying with him as Skyrider and she loved it. Not wanting to be stingy, she wanted Shinichi to share the fun with everyone.

Showa, as Skyrider, stood before his friends of the Gaming Club and said, "You know, if you weren't my friends, I would be charging you."

"Just take me flying, Shin-chan!" Mion insisted.

"Wait! Wait!" Shiori shouted as she ran over to the group. "Me first! Me first!"

"Kaa-chan?" Showa blinked.

Shiori asked, "Shinji, can you take me flying first?"

"OK," Showa answered.

"Hey!" Mion snapped.

"She's my mom, Mion. She has priority," he reasoned.

"OK, fine, but I'm next," said Mion, grumbling.

Shiori beamed and looped her arms around her son's neck from behind as he hooked his arms under her legs like he was carrying her piggyback. "OK, here we go!"

_ZOOM…!_

"KYAA…!" Shiori screamed as Showa shot high into the air with her on his back. The ones on the ground whipped out binoculars and watched the flying Rider zip through the air. He then started doing aerial tricks.

"OK, now he's just showing off," said Shion.

"You know, he could get paid being a skywriter," Satoshi stated.

"Would fit with his odd job shtick," Keiichi responded.

"Wow, he's really fast," said Hanyuu.

"He's a pervert. I think he has to be fast to escape angry women," said Rika.

"Oh, Shin-kun wouldn't do that," said Rena, defending him.

When Showa landed, Shiori shakily put her feet on the ground. Her hair was a mess and she had a dazed look on her face. "Kaa-chan, are you okay?"

She replied, still in a happy daze, "I think…I just had…an orgasm. Does that count…as being on the 'Mile-High Club'?"

"Me next!" the rest of the girls insisted, raising their hands.

**Omake 8: Super-1 the Sweet Potato Roaster**

"So, Super-1 uses different gloves with different abilities," Shiori concluded. "Isn't that like Riderman?"

"Kinda," Shinichi shrugged. "Only Riderman changes weapons while Super-1 changes abilities."

"Can you show me?" Shiori asked.

Shinichi then proceeded to show off Super-1's Five Hands. The first set was the default silver gloves called Super Hands which allowed him to perform super strong punches. The next set was blue gloves called Eleki Hands which could channel electricity. The third set was the red gloves called Power Hands which gave him super-enhanced strength to carry heavy objects. The fourth set was the gold gloves called Radar Hands which could shoot missiles that emitted radar waves, allowing him to see further from the radar screens on his gloves. Finally, the green Hot and Cold Hands with the right glove equipped with a flamethrower and the left glove equipped with a cryogenic spray.

Thinking for a second, the woman smiled, "Let's have roasted sweet potatoes!" Shiori cheered. She produced the sweet potatoes, "Start up the flames, Shinji!"

**Omake 9: ZX the Ninja**

While in class, Satoshi started up a conversation with Shinichi.

Satoshi commented, "So, ZX is supposed to be a ninja, right?"

"According to the data I got, yeah," Shinichi admitted.

"Are you sure he's supposed to be a ninja? Because I don't see it," Satoshi said.

"What?" Shinichi argued, "He's got hidden bombs and weapons, holographic illusions, can make a smokescreen and then he has a chain weapon! Of course he's a ninja!"

Satoshi rebutted, "ZX is red and white. A ninja is supposed to be stealthy. _That_ color is not stealthy."

"Alright, I'll show you stealthy," Shinichi grumbled.

Later that night, Satoshi was having a bath when all of a sudden there was a loud splash as a figure rose up in front of him inside the bathtub. He let out a girlish scream at the green-eyed figure staring back at him.

"Hah, not stealthy, huh? Who's laughing now? Hahaha!" Showa, as ZX, snickered. He then realized that Satoshi had passed out. "Oops." He then started climbing out of the bathroom window before someone came in to check but made sure to put Satoshi out of the tub out of fear that he might drown.

**Omake 10: BLACK Demoted to BLACK RX **

Shinichi was at the Furude Shrine with Hanyuu and Rika, with brooms to clean up the place.

"So, Kamen Rider BLACK is the Century King, right?" Hanyuu asked.

"Well, yeah," confirmed Shinichi.

"And Kamen Rider BLACK RX is the Prince of the Sun," added Rika.

"What's your point?" Shinichi asked.

"Isn't that like a demotion, from King to Prince?" Rika questioned. "Not much of an upgrade if you ask me."

Shinichi dropped his broom in shock. That never occurred to him.

**Omake 11: Roborider the Robot**

Shiori walked past her son's room and heard music. Opening the door a crack and looking in, she spied her son in Roborider form, dancing.

He was doing 'The Robot'.

**Omake 12: Biorider the Plumber**

Shiori pointed at the sink that was filled with water, "The sink's all clogged up."

"We should call a plumber then," said Shinichi.

"Actually, I want you to help," said Shiori.

"But I'm not a plumber," he replied.

"I know, but you can turn into that blue Biorider fellow, right?"

Shinichi eyes widened as he protested, "No, no way! No way am I doing that! No way!"

Shiori pleaded, "Please~ Shinji."

Shinichi sighed, unable to refuse. "Let's Ride: Biorider."

Afterwards, Shinichi was able to unclog the sink which Shiori was grateful for but he spent the rest of the day curled up on bed, under the covers, trembling and mumbling, "I've…seen…horrible…things."

There were a lot of nasty things in there.

**Omake 13: Kamen Rider ZO the Cheater**

The Gaming Club was playing Hide and Seek in the forest. Mion, being It, was able to find everybody. However, she was unable to find Shinichi.

In the Gaming Club, one should do anything possible to win so cheating was allowed. That was why Shinichi was in the form of Kamen Rider ZO and hiding in the trees, his green armor providing him camouflage. He chuckled as he watched Mion trying to look for him but it was futile. However, the branch he was on started to break and when it snapped he dropped onto the grass.

"Found you!" Mion pointed.

"Damn it…" Showa grumbled.

**Omake 14: Kamen Rider J and the Jumbo Ego**

Showa, in the form of Kamen Rider J and in Jumbo Formation, glared down at the incomplete dam. The dam, once completed, would've flooded the village. Fortunately, the villagers' protests managed to get the project aborted. However, this structure still remained.

Not any longer.

Rena, who sat on his shoulder, ordered, "Smash it!"

With his mighty fists, he smashed the incomplete dam to pieces with explosive force. The villagers witnessing cheered as the blight to their village was destroyed right before their eyes. Since then, there were statues made proclaiming him the Great Green God.

As Shinichi walked to school with his friends, he walked in the front of the group with his head held up as he heard the praises for his alter-ego.

As if he didn't have a huge ego already.

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Hope you enjoy this omake collection and rate your favorite ones.**


	131. Densha Sentai Lineranger First Stop

**DENSHA SENTAI LINERANGER**

**First Stop: We Have Arrived!**

Sauron, the Devourer and the Living Gate, watched with disgust at the humans below. She was on the roof of Sakakino Academy, observing them. Humans were only good for one thing in her opinion and that was as a food source for her kind, the Horrors. However, upon arrival to this world she'd been drastically depowered and stuck in this human form. How she wished she could just go down there and rip them all to shreds as well feast on their blood and flesh.

The greatest insult, however, would be the ChronoLiner Riders. While they had also been depowered they weren't as bothered about it as she was. Of course she had fun taunting Ryuji but it still didn't extinguish the hatred and disgust she had for her situation. Not only that, they hadn't saw it fit to come after her. Ryuji would've probably told them she was in this world and was just as weak as them, thus easily dealt with. However, they just ignored her. They didn't acknowledge her as a threat in her current condition.

She could not stand for this. Her fingers squeezed the fence tightly as she glared down at Ryuji who was dancing with Kotonoha. Now that was something she could not forgive as well. He was messing with a masterpiece. Kotonoha was supposed to be raped tonight, Kotonoha was supposed to breakdown mentally and emotionally, and Kotonoha was supposed to kill Sekai. The ChronoLiner Riders had also gotten themselves involved with the rest of the characters, including Sekai and Makoto to make sure Makoto didn't turn into a promiscuous womanizer who slept around thus breaking Sekai's heart as he'd broken Kotonoha, which would lead to his death at Sekai's hands.

She knew of the three characters' situation. It was a love triangle with a beautifully bloody ending and she would not allow it to be ruined by these heroes.

As her hatred rose, so did the darkness within her. A dark aura began to surround her body and her shadow also began to expand. She did not notice at first due to her attention being focused on the folk dance on the schoolyard below but then she heard the sound of chattering teeth and twitching limbs. She slowly turned around and saw Horrors rising from her shadow.

"My Horrors…" She concluded, "My powers are back." Her face adopted an incredibly sadistic and psychotic expression as she realized that her powers had returned. The Horrors were connected to her and she could sense their hunger. They could also sense her hunger as well and the need for it to be satisfied. She commanded, "Go down there and feed." The Horrors obeyed and took off on their dark wings and she watched as more and more rose from her shadow to follow her command. She let loose a laugh as she watched them soar down towards the unsuspecting crowd below.

Kotonoha was enjoying herself with Ryuji. The kiss had confirmed everything. She had indeed fallen in love with this rought-around-the-edges young man who'd healed her heart. As for Ryuji, he was actually having fun himself once he realized that he too had fallen in love. "Heh, imagine that," he whispered under his breath. He never thought in a million years that he would fall in love and to this human girl no less.

They didn't notice anything but each other until screaming was heard all around them. Tearing their attention away from each other, Ryuji and Kotonoha saw a dreadful and horrific sight as winged skeletons fell from the sky and started attacking the students. Kotonoha cried out, "What are they!-? What's going on!-?"

"Horrors," Ryuji growled. That could only mean that Sauron had gotten her powers back. '_Damn it, I knew we should've killed her when we had the chance._'

His friends were already on the move. Warren saved a couple of students by tackling a Horror away and telling them to run. The other members of the ChronoLiner Riders were also assisting, attacking Horrors that were attacking the students or leading the students to safety. Ryuji then watched as Warren drew a familiar sword which he recognized. It was his Zanpakutou. He also saw Ryuki conjuring a key-like sword he recognized intimately, the Keyblade. Then he looked at Craig who'd summoned his guns which glowed green with necroplasmic energy. Finally, his eyes were cast upon Ryan who was gripping his drum clubs. Vash and Teresa were leading students to safety so he didn't see them but he was still surprised to see the others with their powers back.

"Hyah!" Warren slashed, slicing a Horror straight down in half.

"Ho-ryah!" Ryuki called as he swung the Keyblade. The flames of the bonfire followed his command and formed into a dragon that swallowed the Horrors up, burning them to a crisp. He then jabbed his weapon forward several times, letting loose a series of fireballs which collided with the Horrors, blowing them up.

"Eat this, muthafucker!" Craig called as he shot bullets of necroplasmic energy from his guns, blowing the Horrors up in fiery emerald blaze. He was surrounded but simply spun around while squeezing the triggers, destroying their heads and killing them in an instant.

Ryan was focusing his spiritual energy into his Drum Clubs which became enflames at the top. He then bashed them against the Horrors, destroying them all each with a single blow. He then twirled the Drum Clubs around and smirked as he tapped them together. "Let's Rock and Roll."

Ryuji then heard a familiar scream and turned to see a couple of Horrors had grabbed Kotonoha and were dragging her away as she struggled, kicking and screaming for help. "No!" he denied and that was when his hands became engulfed in blue flames. He dashed to Kotonoha's rescue, striking the Horrors in the face with his fists. All of a sudden, they became flash frozen in ice and shattered. Ryuji pulled Kotonoha to safety and she wrapped her arms around him. She was terrified. He doubted she noticed how he'd frozen the Horrors.

"Koto-chan," he said to her, "I need you to run."

"But what about you?" she asked.

"I can take care of myself," said Ryuji and to demonstrate he backhanded a Horror sneaking up on him. The ice cold flames enveloped the Horror and froze it in ice before it shattered in an instant. Kotonoha gasped as she saw this show of power. "See?" he grinned.

"Hey, stop showing off for your girlfriend and help us!" Craig snapped.

"You really know how to ruin the moment, Mortuary!" Ryuji called back.

"Just fight, Ifrit! Draco, Wraith and Oni are pulling their own weight!"

Kotonoha was perplexed by the codenames. "I'm Ifrit," he told her. He put himself between the Horrors and Kotonoha and grinned. "HYAH!" He unleashed twin streams of blue flames that swallowed the Horrors up and froze them in ice. "Oh yeah, I still got it." Snapping his fingers, the ice shattered along with the Horrors.

The five of them were able to deal with the Horrors. They were just starving cannon fodder. Ryuji knew the mastermind was still around, watching them.

That was when Sauron appeared, clapping her hands. Kotonoha recognized her as a fellow student but then gasped as she saw a dark aura envelop Sauron's human form before it was absorbed into her pores, revealing her true form as a female demon in dark skeletal armor. Her helmet resembled a Horror's head but with four horns instead of two and the lower half of her face remained exposed with the fangs framing it. She had dark flesh as well and her gauntlets and boots had spikes on them. Her cape hung from her shoulders and the spaulders were shaped like skulls.

"So, you all got your powers back," she observed.

"And so did you," Ryuji growled. The others stood alongside him. Kotonoha too as she had not taken her chance to flee.

"No matter what, it won't help you," Sauron taunted.

"We'll see about that," Warren countered.

"Minna, ikuzo!" ordered Ryuki as he ignited his Keyblade and they all charged. Well, all but Ryuji.

"Take cover," said Ryuji to Kotonoha before he caught up with the others to fight Sauron. Kotonoha did as told and took cover from behind a tree and watched the ensuing fight.

It was Ryuji who attacked first, fists engulfed in flames that froze on contact instead of burning. He threw his fists at Sauron but she dodged and kicked him away, sending him tumbling. Craig saw his chance and fired necroplasmic bullets at Sauron that didn't do much damage. They simply annoyed her. With a wave of her hand she sent Craig crashing into several of the stands which had been set up for the school festival.

Craig, however, was simply a distraction as Ryan and Ryuki attacked Sauron together, striking their flaming weapons against her as she attempted to block their blows. However, they were fast and managed to land some very good hits on her, cracking her demonic armor as a result. Realization dawned upon her, '_Damn it! I'm not at full power!_'

Her two assailant then spun away to give Warren the opening he needed to use his Zanpakuto. He used a single downward swing as he fed the blade some spiritual energy and it sliced through Sauron. She cried out as black blood splattered from the wound. She staggered from the five of them and growled. However, her scowl turned into a grin as she spotted Kotonoha hiding behind a tree. In the blink of an eye she vanished and then returned to her spot with an arm around Kotonoha's neck and her claws poised and pressing against her face.

"Kotonoha!" Ryuji shouted. "Sauron, you damn coward!"

"Call me what you want, but I'll do whatever it takes to win," Sauron sneered. "Now, put down your weapons, power down, and let me kill you or this girl's pretty little face is gonna end up with a few new scars." Kotonoha trembled in Sauron's grasp.

"Do as she says," Ryuki ordered. They couldn't risk the safety of an innocent civilian, no matter what.

Sauron taunted Ryuji, "I expected them to stop fighting because I have a hostage, but _you_? You really have fallen from grace, Ifrit."

Ryuji didn't answer but his gaze went towards Kotonoha. He wanted to save her but if he tried anything, Sauron would kill her. He hated feeling so weak and powerless! '_Damn it!_' he cursed in his mind.

Sauron laughed but then her laugher suddenly died as the blade of sword suddenly popped out the front of her face. She released Kotonoha who ran into Ryuji's arms. The blade that was coming out of Sauron's face had stabbed her from the back of her head and the one holding the sword, a claymore, was none other than Teresa.

"You're really annoying," said Teresa as she withdrew her sword and kicked Sauron forward. "Now!"

Warren, Ryuji, Ryuki, Ryan and Mortuary all formed orbs of energy in their hands and then aimed them at Sauron. They then shouted out and unleashed the balls of energy which burst into streams of pure power. Ryuki's energy was hot like fire, Ryuji's energy was cold like ice, Mortuary's energy felt like death, Ryan's energy was singing and Warren's energy was something dark.

The five energy blasts hit Sauron directly and she roared as she was hit before being erupting in an explosion that caused the ground to shake. Ryuji covered Kotonoha to protect her from the shrapnel. Once the explosion died down, there was a scorched area of earth and a ring of flames where Sauron had stood.

"Did we get her?" Ryan asked hopefully.

"Knowing her, she'll be back," said Ryuki. He saw Ryuji comforting a trembling Kotonoha and smiled. "Ryuji, you should take Kotonoha home."

"I don't need you to tell me that," Ryuji snapped. All of a sudden, Kotonoha wrapped her arms around Ryuji and smashed her lips against him. He almost lost balance from the sudden kiss but recovered quickly before wrapping his arms around her and returning the kiss.

"Guys, I think we have a bit of a problem," said Ryan as he gestured around them. Some students and teachers had remained despite the danger and had seen everything. "Witnesses."

"Quick escape then," said Warren as Vash ran up to them. A loud whistle was heard and the ChronoLiner landed in front of them, opening its doors. The group, with Kotonoha, then went into the train which flew up and away from the scene.

* * *

It all happened so fast for her and her heart was still pounding in her chest. She just wasn't sure what was going on as none of it made sense. She remembered the kiss she shared with Ryuji as they danced around the bonfire together. Then, all of a sudden, honest to god demons had appeared and started attacking everyone. Then, her new friends were fighting back against the demons with weapons and supernatural powers. Ryuji also had a special power when she saw his hands covered in blue flames that froze instead of burn. She remembered how chilly the flames felt when they were close to her. All of a sudden, a schoolmate of hers turned into a demon and her new friends fought against her. Kotonoha then ended up being used as a hostage and human shield but then Teresa stabbed Sauron in the back of the skull, causing the female demon to release her and provide an opening for Ryuji and his friends to blast her, sending her to oblivion.

Now, Kotonoha was in Ryuji's embrace, sitting in a train which had appeared out of nowhere. The interior of the car was a dining area with booths that had tables and comfortable chairs. There was even a counter at the front end of the car where a woman dressed like a stewardess was making drinks.

She was alone in the booth with Ryuji with the others taking seats in the other booths.

"Are you okay?" Ryuji asked. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"N-no," Kotonoha answered. "She didn't, thanks to you."

"I didn't want to get you involved in all this," he said regrettably. "I'm sorry."

"Wow, did I hear right?" Craig said in mock-amazement. "Ryuji actually said 'I'm sorry'. Stop the fucking presses!"

"Oh, bite me, asshole!" Ryuji snapped at Craig. He had changed, a lot, since arriving in this world and it was all because of the girl he was holding.

"What happened?" she asked. "What's going on? What were those things?"

"Demons attacked," Ryuki answered simply, summarizing the events earlier.

The door of the dining car opened and Antonitis Fenton McCrown, owner of the ChronoLiner, came in. "Welcome to the ChronoLiner, Kotonoha Katsura," he welcomed. "I am her owner, Antonitis Fenton McCrown. You may call me Ant."

"And I'm Andie!" the stewardess added cheerfully. She brought out a menu and put it on the table, "Is there anything you'd like?"

"Some ice tea," Ryuji ordered. "Make it two." Kotonoha needed something to calm her nerves after tonight. He asked Ant, "So, you managed to get the train fixed."

"Well, kinda," Ant tilted his head to the side.

"Kinda?" Ryan cocked an eyebrow.

"I got the train moving again, but we're still stuck in this world," said Ant. "Sorry about that. It's just the parts responsible for space and time travel needs some work."

"Take your time," said Ryuji, his attention on Kotonoha.

"Ryuji-kun, how did you do that with your hands?" she asked. "I saw you punch those demons and they froze."

"That's my superpower," he answered. "All of us here have them. Normal folk would call us freaks."

"We're superheroes," Warren corrected. "Not freaks."

Kotonoha then remembered what Ant said, "What did Ant-san mean 'stuck in this world'?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Ryuji said. "Warren can tell you."

"We crashed here weeks ago," Warren answered simply.

"So, you're all aliens?" she questioned.

"In a way," said Warren, shrugging. "But we're mostly human."

Kotonoha turned away and pressed her face against Ryuji's chest. "Thank you…" she said gratefully. "You saved my life, and saved everyone."

"For now anyway," Craig interjected. "Sauron, that demonic bitch, will come back and she'll be madder and stronger than ever."

"Doesn't matter how strong she gets, we'll steal beat her," said Ryan confidently.

That was when the TV that was mounted on the wall showed them the news and it wasn't good news. There was a massive portal in the sky and it was spitting out Horrors.

"And yet again she fucks us up from behind," cursed Craig.

"Come on, let's go," said Ryuki.

"Not yet," denied Ant. "Andie, if you will please bring out the tray."

Andie saluted and from her counter she picked up a tray with a cover on it.

"Now's not the time to be eating," griped Ryuji.

"Be patient," said Ant and he lifted up the cover to reveal train passes like the one used to control the ChronoLiner. However, they were each a different color. One was red, the second one was black, the third one was blue, the fourth one was yellow and the fifth one was green. Picking them one-by-one, Ant tossed them to Ryuki, Warren, Craig, Mortuary and Ryan.

"What are these, Ant-san?" asked Ryuki.

"Something that will help you fight," answered Ant.

In the city, the Horrors attacked mercilessly, striking down the humans who were fleeing to safety for food. The police attempted to gun them down but with limited success as they got back up from getting shot. Suddenly, the ChronoLiner burst into the scene and flattened several Horrors under it before stopping. A door opened and Ryuki, Ryuji, Warren, Ryan and Craig exited and stood defiantly before the Horrors.

"Minna-san, ikuzo!" commanded Ryuki as he held out his red Liner Pass in front of him. Warren held out a black pass, Ryuji held out a blue pass, Ryan held out a yellow pass and finally Craig held out a green pass. This caused belts that sported rectangular buckles with a slot on the side to materialize around their waists with green stones set in the centre of each buckle. "Liner Change!" Ryuki slid his pass into his belt.

"LINER CHANGE!" the others called out as they simultaneously slid their own passes into their belts in the same fashion.

The five young men were enveloped in bright flashes of colored light which blinded the Horrors, causing them to screech out. Once the lights died down, the five young men were revealed and were changed. They wore identical suits that were only different from each other in terms of color: red, blue, green, black and yellow, that also sported gloves, boots and helmets with their respective colors. Their sleeves and pants were black. The black visors of their helmets were bisected by a silver vertical stripe which also appeared on their matching uniform suits.

**(NOTE: They resemble Den-O Plat Form but without the armor)**

Ryuki called out, "Liner Red!"

Warren called out, "Liner Black!"

Ryuji called out, "Liner Blue!"

Ryan called out, "Liner Yellow!"

Craig called out, "Liner Green!"

Altogether they called out, "**ORE-TACHI WA**…**DENSHA SENTAI LINERANGER! SANJOU!"**

**(NOTE: Their intro pose is similar to Den-O Sword Form/Momotaros)**

Facing the Horror legion, the five warriors removed the black bars attached to the sides of their belts and put them together. The black bars were collectively known as the DenGasher and the pieces could be stacked together to form a weapon.

Liner Red, Black and Blue formed swords with blades in their respective colors from their DenGasher pieces while Liner Green and Yellow formed a gun and axe respectively.

Red went on the attack as he slashed with his sword and struck the attacking Horrors with flaming slashes once he focused his power into his weapon. He ducked under Horrors trying to tackle into him and rolled along the ground. He turned and then stabbed his DenGasher sword into the ground, calling forth a wave of fire that swallowed them up and burnt them to a crisp.

That was when Blue also attacked, slashing away with his blue-bladed DenGasher sword that was covered in blue flames, freezing and shattering the Horrors they came into contact with. He twirled his sword around, swinging and swiping at the Horrors ruthlessly. Some tried to attack him from above but he was unafraid as he swung his sword, unleashing bursts of blue flames that engulfed and flash froze them in ice. They fell to the ground and shattered.

Yellow was attacking with his DenGasher axe which was crackling with electrical energy as he used it against the Horrors. He hacked at them with the blade and bashed them in the skulls with the blunt side of his axe.

Black's DenGasher sword's blade was enveloped in dark energy that banished the Horrors he cut into. He continued to cut them down with the speed and grace of a samurai. He was like a blur as he defeated the Horrors.

Finally, Green was shooting necroplasmic energy bullets with his DenGasher gun that knocked the Horrors down and engulfed them in green flames, incinerating them. He was chased by several Horrors and jumped onto the top of a police car to get to higher ground. He then knelt down, took careful aim and gunned them down as they got near, twirling his gun around before jumping off the car.

The sword-wielders were forced back to back with Horrors surrounding them. "These fucking things are coming in swarms!" shouted Blue.

"It's that portal," reported Red. "We have to get it closed."

"I don't think we need to," said Black as the portal blinked out of sight. "It just vanished."

"What the hell!-?" gawked Blue.

"Seems that her holy bitchiness didn't see fit to keep the portal opened long enough," stated Liner Black.

"Maybe she just isn't fit enough to do much after what we did to her earlier," added Red in agreement. "Let's finish this." He took his Liner Pass out of his belt and held it in front of his belt. Blue and Black did the same.

Liner Belts: "**FULL CHARGE!**"

The blades of their DenGasher swords glowed in their respective colors before they struck with their attacks. Red struck with a series of slashes that sent the Horrors ablaze while Blue's slashes froze them in ice before they shattered to pieces. Black's slashes just made the Horrors cease to exist as they faded out of existence.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Green aimed and fired a burst of emerald energy from his gun which vaporized the Horrors he had aimed at. "Oh yeah," he chuckled.

At the same time, Yellow's axe was crackling with electricity that jumped off the blade. He then struck at the Horrors as he dashed past them and watched as they were electrocuted before bursting. He hefted his weapon on his shoulder and then he held it like he was holding a guitar, strumming imaginary strings.

They then boarded the ChronoLiner and it flew off as people watched, wondering what had happened.

"You know, this is gonna make fighting here a lot easier," admitted Craig. As soon as they had entered the train they had cancelled their transformations and were sitting around the dining car.

"I think we should celebrate for our second victory for the night," said Ryan. "Andie, a round of drinks!"

"Hai!" Andie saluted before she started making the drinks.

Ryuji was sitting next to Kotonoha who was snuggling up to his side. "Kotonoha, we need to talk," said Ryuji seriously. Kotonoha looked at him. He took her hand and slowly they walked out of the dining car.

"So, how did you get him to agree?" Craig asked Ant.

"I just hinted that it would impress his lady friend," stated Ant.

"So, you manipulated him with his budding feelings for her," Warren concluded.

Meanwhile, outside the dining car, which was the gap between two train cars, Ryuji faced Kotonoha. He spoke seriously, as he hadn't used the nickname he'd given her. "Kotonoha, I never wanted this for you."

"What do you mean?" Kotonoha asked.

"I never wanted you to find out about _this_." He demonstrated by enveloping his hands in blue flames. He asked, "Doesn't it bother you."

"It feels cold," she admitted.

"My powers are representation of my heart," he clarified. "If my powers are cold that means my heart is made of ice."

"It isn't," she denied. "If your heart were as cold as ice you wouldn't have saved me."

He couldn't deny what he'd done. "You're right," he confessed. "Still, a girl like you shouldn't get mixed with all this, or mixed up with a guy like me. A girl like you deserves a normal life-"

"I don't want normal!" she shouted loudly. Ryuji was taken aback by her loud and passionate declaration. "I…I don't want normal." She began to shake.

Ryuji realized what she meant. Up until now her normal life was just depressing. At home she had her family but at school she had no one. She didn't have any friends until she met Sekai. Then she fell in love with Makoto, but that bastard had to go and cheat on her. Kotonoha was also bullied on a daily basis. She felt so alone until he and his friends came along and helped her out of her shell. Normal, to her, equated to sadness, loneliness and heartbreak.

"I want you," she admitted firmly. "That's all I want. That's all I really want." She rested her head against his chest.

"If that's the case, will you except without question?" Ryuji asked.

"I will," she answered.

"Can you promise that? Really promise that? There's stuff about me you don't know about."

"I can promise that, Ryuji-kun. And I don't care about your past."

Oh, she could say that now but if only she knew what kind of monster he really was.

"Kotonoha…" Ryuji softly murmured as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes. There was a moment of silence before they slowly but surely leaned in for a kiss, their second kiss if anyone was keeping count.

Back inside the dining car, Ant spoke, "Well, now all we have to do is to perform a memory wipe."

"We can do that?" Ryan asked in wonderment.

"It's a new feature and I think we need it after you all blew your cover at school," Ant stated.

"You did come right onto school grounds with the ChronoLiner," Ryuki pointed out.

"I didn't think it'd make such a big deal," Ant responded, "Besides, once we wipe everyone's memories none of them will remember seeing you use your powers."

"How about just now?" Craig asked.

"You were all in uniform," Ant stated.

"Craig's right," agreed Warren. "I think it's better that this world doesn't know that it was attacked by demons."

"Alright, I better set the memory wipe to include you guys kicking demon butt on two occasions," said Ant.

Back with Kotonoha and Ryuji, they were sitting on the floor, cuddling. He had his arm around her as she leaned against him.

She told him, "I saw you fighting those monsters with the others. You saved the city. You're a hero like that."

"I never thought I'd be a hero," he replied honestly. "It's not my thing." He looked down at the blue Liner Pass in his hand. "How come I'm blue?"

"It fit your theme," said Warren as he appeared out of nowhere, causing the two lovers to jump to their feet in surprise. "Oops, sorry," Warren apologized. "Did I ruin a moment?"

"You did," Ryuji answered, grumbling about Warren's sense of timing. "What's up?"

"Ant gonna do a memory wipe sweep all over the city," said Warren.

"Memory wipe?" asked Kotonoha. "What's that?"

"Well, the ChronoLiner is gonna fly over the city and release a sort of powder. It'll erase specific memories like how we used our powers, oh and how we appeared as the Linerangers," Warren explained.

"That's good. There's no way I'm going to school if they're gonna swarm me," said Ryuji. "It's not the attention I want."

"You don't want any," Warren told him. "All you want is people to leave you alone." He corrected, "Well, everyone but your girlfriend here."

Kotonoha blushed at being acknowledged as Ryuji's girlfriend.

* * *

With the group now officially stuck in Kotonoha's world and with the threat of Sauron hanging over their heads, they really couldn't leave and Ryuji was alright with that. Ryuki, of course, missed Jinx and everyone back home but at least he wasn't lonely. Warren was sure Ant would be able to get them out of this world. Craig, Ryan, Vash and Teresa didn't have a problem, of course. This world still needed them.

Ryuji and Kotonoha entered class 1-4 with Ryan and Vash and all eyes were on them. Kotonoha hung her head down but Ryuji just glared at everyone. They really shouldn't put Kotonoha on the spot about the kiss she and he had shared at the bonfire. Of course, they now knew the meek class rep was dating the class delinquent.

Otome glared back at Ryuji. With the boy around Kotonoha, there was no chance of ever bullying her. Even Vash and Ryan had interfered, allowing Kotonoha to have fun while they took her place. Otome stomped over and spoke to Kotonoha, "Katsura, you abandoned your post!"

"Hey, listen bitch!" Ryuji snapped. "She deserves to have fun!"

"You stay out of this!" Otome shot back.

"No, I will not!" he denied.

"What did you say?" Otome growled.

"Are you deaf? I said I'm not going to stay out of this!"

"It's none of your business!"

"Then I'll make it my business!"

Otome and Ryuji continued to glare daggers at each other. Otome hated it when she didn'[t get her way.

"Sides, I took over so what's the problem?" Ryan asked.

"Because Katsura was supposed to do it!" Otome told him.

"Hey, what's with all the yelling?" asked Vash. "Really, it's too early for this shit."

"The harpy won't shut up," Ryuji said to Vash.

"Harpy!-?" Otome shrieked.

"Katou, just go back to your seat," said Ryuji. "You're not going to win this one."

Otome clenched her fists and turned to stomp away.

"Oh, and you really need to get laid! All that stress really isn't good for you!" Ryan called, causing Otome to stumble and the class to laugh.

"Nice," said Ryuji as he and Ryan fist-bumped.

"Hey, I try," said Ryan.

"Ryuji, you really didn't have to…" Kotonoha began.

"Hey, you're my girl," he told her, smiling. "I may not have to, but I wanted to. You deserve to be protected."

"And now you got friends like us," added Ryan.

"That's right," added Vash, grinned.

Kotonoha smiled. She wasn't lonely anymore.

* * *

Meanwhile, in class 1-4...

"So, where's Sawanaga-san?" Ryuki asked Sekai.

"Well, he was found all beaten up," said Sekai. "He didn't say who did it."

'_Ryuji_,' Ryuki thought. If Taisuke had assaulted Kotonoha like he did in the anime then it was a miracle that Taisuke managed to survive Ryuji's wrath.

* * *

"I definitely can't go back to my Rosalinda like this."

Meanwhile, Sauron was not in good shape. After her defeat from last night she was hiding in an abandoned warehouse to nurse her wounds. A portion of her body was missing and needed time to regenerate. Summoning all those Horrors had also sapped her of her strength but she was slowly regaining it. What really disgusted her was that she was reduced to feeding on rats to feed her hunger.

"Damn it," Sauron growled. "They got in my way again…" She hated them, hated them all. She wanted them dead and made into her next meal! It was what they deserved. "HORRORS! TO ME!" she called and a hundred Horrors appeared in her presence. "NOW, MERGE TOGETHER AND DESTROY THE CITY!"

* * *

It was lunch time and the students were all eating their meal. Kotonoha sat at a table with her friends when the TV in the cafeteria immediately switched from its regular programming to an emergency newsflash. On the screen was a massive monster and it was attacking the city. The newscaster repeatedly reported that this was not a hoax and it was happening in Sakakino right now.

It was bestial and skeletal in appearance. Its face was lean and narrow with eight red eyes that were filled with nothing but hatred. It also had elongated arms and finally it sported a thick tail with a drill at the tip.

"Great, she ruined my meal," grumbled Ryuji.

"Teresa, Vash, stay here with Kotonoha," Warren told them. "We'll deal with this."

"Looks like another job for the Densha Sentai Lineranger," said Ryuki.

* * *

The Lineranger team arrived at the scene and saw the Horror that towered over them. Green asked, "OK, how are we supposed to fight that thing?"

Red was about to reply when he received a message from his helmet's built-in communicator, "_Hey, you seem like you have some big trouble_."

"Ant-san?" Red asked.

"_Don't worry. I'm gonna be sending you something that'll help._"

"What?"

"_Why, what every Sentai needs!_"

Speeding out of the portal was a gigantic steam engine that was colored red. Smoke blew out of its smokestack as it stopped on the tracks. It was pulling four train cars behind it.

"Sugoi…" Red gazed.

"_The steam engine is yours_," said Ant. "_The others can tell which is there from the colors on the train cars._ _Now, make me proud!_"

"Hai!" Red ordered, "Everyone, get into you vehicles!" They all dashed towards their respective positions with Red jumping inside the Liner Engine. He landed inside a cockpit with a really advanced and fancy console with a single joystick to control the machine's movements. Also, there was a slot that was big enough for the Liner Pass. "Input Liner Pass!" He slid his red Liner Pass into the slot.

Inside similar, individual, cockpits, were the other members of the Lineranger team. They also slid their Liner Passes into the consoles.

Inside the steam engine was Liner Red and he asked, "Is everyone ready?"

Green answered eagerly, "I'm ready."

Yellow showed equal eagerness, "So am I."

Black nodded, "Ready for your command."

Blue impatiently answered, "Let's just get this started!"

Red nodded and declared, "Releasing Liner Machines!" and pressed a button on the controls.

The first train car split open and the two halves spread out as a black helicopter hovered up. This was Liner Black's Liner Gyro. The second train car opened in the same way as a blue submarine hovered upward. This was Liner Blue's Liner Marine. The 3rd and 4th train cars also opened up but yellow mono-drill tank and the green fire engine rolled down makeshift ramps from the opened train cars. These were Liner Yellow and Liner Green's Liner Digger and Liner Fire, respectively.

The Liner Engine attacked first, firing bursts of heat from the front at the Horror. It roared and swung its tail at the steam engine, nearly knocking it over if Red hadn't dodged.

"Open fire!" Black ordered from his cockpit. "Missiles launch!"

"Torpedoes launch!" Blue pressed a button on his controls.

The Liner Marine, which could also fly, fired torpedoes as the Liner Gyro fired missiles. The Liner Digger burst out from the ground and nailed the Horror in the foot, causing it to stumble and fall. The Liner Fire was equipped with folding ladder and the top of the ladder were guns that fired cryogenic spray. The Horror roared as it received a face full of the spray. It slapped the fire engine away and it went spinning.

"Woah! I think I'm gonna hurl!" shouted Green from within the Liner Fire.

Ant told them, "_Now, you can attack individually, but I think this is where you make your great debut and combine!_"

The five vehicles faced the massive Horror and Red commanded, "Alright, all together!" He entered the command, "LINER GATTAI!"

The Liner Engine separated from the train cars and rose into the air. The back half of the Liner Engine split in half before both halves folded onto the sides of the front half as the wheels were pulled in and a pair of large cylinders that resembled thighs slid out.

The Liner Gyro and Liner Digger rose into the air and extended at the middle as their back ends formed into what resembled broad shoulder pads, the tail of the Liner Gyro twisting and sliding into the main body to do this. The two machines resembled arms as a fist popped out of the front of the Liner Gyro while the Liner Digger's drill was the hand for it and both connected to the sides of the Liner Engine.

The Liner Fire and Liner Marine rose up as their front portions folded and pushed up at a 90 degree angle to look like legs and feet. They then connected to the cylinders under the Liner Engine.

The smokestack on top of the Liner Engine rolled back as a new head popped upwards with horns that looked like smokestacks attached to a red helmet with a short fin and brim like from a cap. The robot's face had green eyes and a grilled mask covered the mouth. There was a loud whistle as smoke blew out of the smokestacks.

"**COMPLETE! LINEROH! ALL ABORD!**" declared the Linerangers as they were all moved into a new shared cockpit with their individual consoles in front of them. The cockpit was inside the head of Lineroh.

"Full Speed Ahead!" Red commanded and the Lineroh rushed along train tracks under its feet straight towards the Horror.

"Let me take the first shot!" Black shouted as the Liner Gyro arm shot forward, catching the Horror in the face. The rotor on the back of the forearm spun rapidly and was like a buzzsaw as it sliced into the Horror. The Horror roared and swiped at the robot, knocking it back.

Yellow shouted, "This is mine!" as the Liner Digger arm's drill spun and shot forward, boring into the Horror's skull.

"Eat this!" Green pressed a button and the green Liner Fire foot kicked up, smashing into the giant Horror's stomach.

"My turn!" said Blue and the Liner Marine leg also kicked into the Horror's leg, knocking it back.

Red read the gauges, "Everyone, we have to end this soon. If we combine for too long we'll lose too much power and we'll be sitting ducks."

"Then it's time to finish it, Red Leader," said Black.

Red nodded and punched in the command, "Alright, let's finish this!"

The Horror got up but froze as the Lineroh was speeding towards it.

"THIS IS THE END OF THE LINE!" the five Rangers declared as they pushed their buttons to execute the finisher. "FULL SPEED! DENSHA LINER EXPRESS!"

The Lineroh was enveloped in flames and it punched its drill right through the Horror. The Horror howled and exploded with Lineroh turning around and performing a victory pose.

"YATTA!" Red cheered, feeling proud of their victory but he didn't do it alone. He turned in his seat to look at his fellow Rangers. "Arigato, minna."

"Hey, we're just your subordinates," said Black.

"And you probably needed all the help you can get," added Blue.

"We should get back to school. Lunch is gonna be over," stated Yellow.

"Right, and I'm still hungry," said Craig.

The five Liner Machines broke apart and the four smaller machines returned to their train cars which closed up and the Liner Engine connected with them before the massive train flew off.

* * *

"YATTA!" Kotonoha cheered loudly in the lunch room and then gasped at what she'd just done. She'd just jumped out of her seat when she witnessed Lineroh finish the giant Horror off.

"Guess she's excited," teased Vash as Kotonoha sat back down, chuckling.

"Hey, I would've done it too," shrugged Teresa. She turned to Kotonoha, "Didn't know you had it in you." Kotonoha hung her head and blushed.

* * *

From the top of a building, two figures watched as the mechanical marvel flew into a portal.

"Seems McCrown has been busy…" a male figure mused through his binoculars.

"Onii-sama, what will you do…?" the female figure asked.

"Nothing, yet. For now, we'll watch and see how things turn out."

"And Sauron?"

"Don't worry. She may have become stronger than she was last time we saw her, but she's nothing I can't handle."

The two turned and entered a black and gold steam engine. The train blew its horn loudly as the screen faded to black…

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Now, this is my second attempt at an original Super Sentai fic. As you see, this is an alternate version of my School Days of the ChronoLiner Rider fic and will become an entirely new story from that one as the heroes stay. They will be Sentai instead of Riders. I don't know how well this will go but Kamen Rider Bushido supports me on this project. He's helping me out and well there will be some interesting things that will happen. Now, I don't have a female Sentai member but that will happen later. I just haven't thought of who that would be. **


	132. BONDS OF THE THREE KINGS

The year is 348 AS and the location is Neo Dominatrix City, the most technologically advanced city in the Edo area, located on the set of islands that was previously known as the country of Japan. Electricity was abundant, as was food, water, and other essentials. It was pretty much the equivalent to a modern city like history's Manhattan of New York. Pokegirls were generally accepted here and had equal rights as humans. This story focuses on three young men who are on their way to becoming Tamers. Well…two of them are anyway…

Two young men were walking down the street, on their way to the local Pokégirl expert's home. One of them had black spiky hair, with the upper layer of his hair pointing upward while the lower layer points down, with red highlights in four of his spiked bangs, and he had deep blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He wore a long-sleeved black jacket with a high collar and ruby gems on the shoulders, collar tips, elbows, and the end of the jacket, over a black sleeveless shirt with a red stencil of a serpentine dragon, with its body in a circle as the head met the tail and the wings stretched outward. He wore black gloves below his elbows with a ruby gem on them. He had black jeans with ruby knee pads and black, calf-high, motorcycle boots. Around his neck was an emerald crested, golden cross-shaped medallion.

The other young man next to him had fair skin, ice blue eyes, and long and unkempt black hair tied in a loose braid at the base of his skull, with some blue highlights on the tips of his front bangs. He wore black jeans, boots, a white shirt, and a thick bomber jacket. His icy-cold scowl kept many citizens at a good distance from him but his companion wasn't fazed.

"So, today's the day," the spiky-haired boy grinned.

"We become Tamers," the wild-looking one declared with a straight face.

"By the way, where's Kazu?"

"Late again," the wild one sighed.

"He was still asleep when you called him, wasn't he?" the spiked one chuckled. "Chill out, Ryuji, he'll be on time. He always is."

"Right," Ryuji nodded. They then came to a stop as they looked up at the towering city hall building with its 100+ floors. "Why does your dad have to work so high up, Yuji?"

"Dad was always a fan of heights," Yuji shrugged. "Guess it's in his blood." The two went inside and entered the elevator taking them to the top floor. When they exited the elevator, they found a large laboratory with several high-tech devices and gadgets. "Hey, Dad," Yuji called, "We're here!"

A man turned around to show his face. He looked like Yuji, but was older, his hair was somewhat larger with golden highlights instead of red, and he had a gold mark under his left eye. He wore a blue dress shirt under a white lab coat, and black slacks.

"Hey there, Yuji, Ryuji," the man smiled slightly.

"Yo, Professor Fudo," Ryuji saluted.

"Where's Kazuki?"

"Late," the boys answered with dead-panned looks on their faces.

On cue, the elevator doors opened again and a boy ran out, crying, "I'm late I'm late I'm late!" He ran out the elevator before Yuji caught him by the collar of his shirt as he comically fell on his back before the three other men. "Itai…"

"Good to see you made it, Kazuki," Professor Fudo smiled.

Kazuki was another boy with black hair and blue eyes, but his eyes were storm blue, his black hair was long and in a neat braid with yellow lightning bolt-shaped highlights on the sides of his hair, and wore a black Chinese shirt with a blue dragon design on it, and black kung fu pants and shoes. "Hehe, that's good to hear," Kazuki chuckled as he was still on his back.

Prof. Fudo then clapped his hands, "Well, now that everyone's here, let's get started." He walks to a silver case on his desk and carries it to the three boys, "Suffice to say, I was very impressed with your scores on the tests, even on the Advanced Tamer's Tests. So I am happy to present to you your Starter Pokegirls." He opened the case to reveal 3 Pokéballs in a triangular formation within the black padding of the case.

"Waah," Kazuki marveled at the three Pokéballs, "Sugoi!"

"I think you should get first pick, Ryuji," Yuji encouraged.

"Yeah, the "King" should have the honors," Kazuki beamed.

Ryuji smirked and took the ball on the lower left corner, "This one feels good."

"Me next," Kazuki enthusiastically chimed as he grabbed the ball in the lower right corner. He grinned to himself like a little kid.

"Then I'm last," Yuji smiled as he grabbed the Pokéball on the top center of the case.

Prof. Fudo nodded, "Good, now you can release your Pokégirls and meet your new partners."

The boys pressed the release mechanism on the balls as the opened up and let out three flashes of light simultaneously, each taking form into three different Pokégirls.

Ryuji's Pokégirl was standing at a towering 6'9", taller than even Professor Fudo who stood at an even 6 feet, was fairly muscular to match her astounding D-Cup breasts as they hung proudly, her skin was the color of stone, her long black hair reaching the small of her back, and her eyes were black in the sclera and her irises were gold in color. She stood in her naked glory as she towered over all the men in the room.

Yuji's Pokégirl was nearly indistinguishable from pure-blood human girls, but he noticed that her ears were slightly pointed at the tip. Her hair was long and black, with two bangs reaching past her shoulders, and her eyes were a rich brown. Her chest was quite impressive as well. And her curvaceous body and fair skin only made the girl more beautiful.

Kazuki's Pokégirl was the shortest individual in the room, standing at 5'5" and had a nice pair of B-Cups. Her scaly skin was ivory white, her eyes were yellow with slit pupils, and her wild waist-length hair was a deep red, and her ears were fin-like.

"Oh, she's so adorable," Kazuki beamed, making the reptilian girl blush.

"Wow, where have you been all my life?" Yuji grinned. The blonde tried to look away but she couldn't hide her blush from the hunky male in front of her.

Ryuji walked up to the taller girl, looking up to her as she smirked down at him with her breasts almost blocking his vision.

"See something you like, little boy?" the towering girl asked.

"Prof. Fudo," Ryuji called, "I believe we still need the rest of our gear, right?"

The professor nodded, "That's right," as he pulled out three devices and tossed them to the boys. They each had a lens and they frame resembled a dragon's head. The lens on Kazuki's device was green, Yuji's was red, and Ryuji's was blue. "These are your P-Scanners," Prof. Fudo began. "They will act as your Pokedex for the remainder of your journey and can even scan a Pokégirl that's in her ball. And they of course have other functions."

Kazuki fitted his over his left eye and grinned, "Sweet!"

Yuji looked himself in the mirror and smirked, "I look good."

Ryuji fitted his on, "Not bad." They then scanned their individual girls.

_**SHOXIYA, the Thunder Lizard Pokégirl**__  
__**Type**__: Near Human (Lizard Animorph)  
__**Element**__: Electric  
__**Frequency**__: Rare  
__**Diet**__: Fruits, small bugs, Pokéchow  
__**Role**__: Decoy, Scout  
__**Libido**__: Average  
__**Strong Vs**__: Electric, Flying, Steel, Water,  
__**Weak Vs**__: Ground, Rock  
__**Attacks**__: Fury Swipes, Fireball, Spark, Timid Strike  
__**Enhancements**__: Enhanced Speed (x5), Enhanced Jumping ability (x5) Adaptable to any climate  
__**Evolves**__: Sexlóng (battle high, well-trained)  
__**Evolves From:**__ None  
Shoxiya are small in size appearing to be at a height of 5'5" at maximum with nicely shaped B-cup sized breasts. Their ears are shaped similarly to small dragon wings in a slightly curled upward position. Their wild, waist-length hair varies in colors, but most often their color is red. While not particularly strong in strength, they are quick and agile. Their face, for the most part contain human-like features but have a slight muzzle and their tongue is forked. Their eyes are initially yellow, but the colors vary and their pupils are slit. Their smooth-yet-scaly skin is ivory white along with small claws on their hands and feet with their tail being 3/4 in length of their legs. Their most distinguishing feature is their "veins" from their cheeks down to their feet which glows in a bluish color. It is often said you can tell how much electricity is flowing inside of a Shoxiya simply by the brightness of the glow.  
However, as electric types go, Shoxiya are known to be weak in general. Their strength is laughable, they cannot take much punishment in battle, and the only thing they seem to be good for is running away, yet they still believe that they have the battle won, if not ready to turn it into their favor. Despite their weak stats, it is possible for a Shoxiya to be a legitimate effective Pokégirl battler. With good training and by learning the right moves, a Shoxiya can become a decent combat Pokégirl. However, there is just one little problem: When it comes to battles, Shoxiya tend to become arrogant, too arrogant for their own good!  
They put too much faith in their own abilities to realize their limitations, and have too much pride to admit need of help. Thus training could be very difficult, especially when working around their weaknesses. Until you are confident in her abilities, it is highly advised that you restrict your Shoxiya to either double battles paired with a strong Pokégirl that can cover her weaknesses or single battles that you are sure she can win, no matter how much she complains. Otherwise, should Shoxiya lose a battle (which is likely) neither her Tamer nor her Harem-sisters would hear the end of it. Needless to say this is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.  
By nature, Shoxiya can be energetic and playful but they also tend to be rash, rarely if ever listening to reason. Their optimism tends for them to see things on the brighter side though, but it can make them prone to gullibility and obliviousness. Tamers and Researchers alike are often puzzled how a Shoxiya can go from being arrogant and antagonizing in battles to playful and cheery. Some have suggest that they do it all for attention from those they can get it from, especially their Tamer, to the point where if they feel ignored, they will do whatever they can to gain the attention they feel they deserve. To them negative attention is better than none at all, which may bring trouble to their Tamer. Lately, "attention whore" are the first words to come to mind when thinking about them.  
If you're not willing to go through all the trouble of training, Shoxiya have their uses outside of battling. Their speed and adaptability make them great scouts for checking out unknown areas for traveling Tamers. Their strong leg muscles grants them great jumping ability which allows them to leap onto high places to get a better view of certain areas. The high amount of electricity residing inside of them makes them useful as battery chargers as well as serving as an emergency power source for electrical equipment. Note that the latter only works best for small items such as hairdryers and lamps. Afterwards, it would be best to feed them and let them rest, as to them it is a draining experience. Also, their eagerness to fight makes them great decoys to keep dangerous feral Pokégirls away from defenseless tamers and Pokégirls. Just be sure to be quick to get the defenseless ones out of harm's way, because they won't be able to hold them off for long, no matter what they say.  
During Tamings, Shoxiya prefer their Tamers and only them. They won't be pleased to see anyone else, especially his Alpha or Beta. To them, they're more than enough to satisfy and they see even the thought of bringing in another as an insult to them and their abilities. If another joins, she will become the object of the Shoxiya's resentment for "stealing" her turn. Shoxiya often like to be dominated and if the Tamer won't take the initiative then she will, often giving him a "playful" shock, in order to rile him up to show her who's boss. Often foreplay is involved, usually involving tender stroking and ear nibbling, until they are ready to go down with the Tamer. Normally one time is enough to satisfy them, but depending on their feelings towards their respective Tamers, they may want to go for it again.  
It is highly unlikely to threshold into a Shoxiya, as there have only been eight reports of this occurring. Feral Shoxiya are not that different, but unlike their domesticated counterparts, they won't stop until they achieve their goal (Namely, attacking all that comes by for a battle) even if it will cause them serious bodily harm. Otherwise, they tend to search for packs to travel with._

_**DRACASS, the Dragon Guardian Pokégirl**__  
__**Type**__: Very Near Human Metamorph  
__**Element**__: __**Human Form**__: Fighting  
__**Dragon Form**__: Dragon  
__**Frequency**__: Rare  
__**Diet**__: Human Food with a preference for meat  
__**Role**__: Heavy Artillery  
__**Libido**__: Low  
__**Strong Vs**__:__** Human Form**__: Bug, Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel  
__**Dragon Form**__: Dragon, Electric, Fire, Plant, Water  
__**Weak Vs**__: __**Human Form**__: Flying, Psychic  
__**Dragon Form**__: Ice  
__**Attacks**__: __**Human Form**__: Aura of Cute, Punch, Kick, Quick Attack  
__**Dragon Form**__: Slash, Roar, Tail Slap, Dragon Rage, Hyper Beam  
__**Enhancements**__: Human Form: Youthful, Enhanced Strength (x2), Enhanced Agility (x2)  
__**Dragon Form**__: Youthful, Enhanced Strength (x10), Armored, Enhanced Senses (x8), Flight  
__**Evolves**__: __**Dronza**__ (hatred of humanity), __**Warvern**__ (battle stress; special)  
__**Evolves From**__: None  
Created near the end of Sukebe's Revenge, the Dracasses were intended as heavy assault platforms to assist in the defense of Sukebe's more important installations, while at the same time not being a heavy drain on increasingly limited resources.  
Unfortunately, by the time the Dracasses were sent out into the field, the war was almost over. In a desperate, last ditch attempt to save their creator, the small numbers of Dracasses already created attempted to breach the enemies line in their human forms and destroy their headquarters, hopefully buying enough time for their master to escape.  
The plan couldn't have gone more wrong. The Dracasses were ambushed before they ever made it to the enemy HQ, and ninety percent of this Pokégirl breed was wiped out. With this success in one hand, the attack on Sukebe's lair went ahead of schedule, catching the mage/scientist unaware. The few Dracasses remaining fought as hard as any other Pokégirls on the field, but weren't enough to turn the tide of battle.  
Normally remaining in their human form, they are nearly indistinguishable from pure blood humans, save that physical aging stops somewhere in the teen years, usually immediately after puberty. While this lack of physical aging keeps a Dracass in her prime combat condition, it comes with a steep price, as no Dracass has ever been recorded as becoming a pokewoman, and thus never having had children outside of parthenogenesis.  
While considered to be Fighting-types, Dracasses are not very powerful when compared to other Fighting-type Pokégirls. They are, generally speaking, not as fast, strong or durable as other Fighting-types.  
In their Dragon forms, Dracasses gain a foot in height, and grow a layer of armored scales over their previously soft flesh. Wings sprout from the Dracass's back, enabling her to fly, though she must be trained, preferably by a Flying-type, before she can fly effectively. In addition, the Dracass gains a long tail, three quarters as long as she is tall, tipped either with a solid bone bludgeon, or a spear like point.  
The Dracass can maintain this Draconic form for only a short time, usually measured in minutes when the Pokégirl is still young, but increasing as she gets more experience.  
It is rare for a girl to Threshold to Dracass, although it is not completely unknown. A Threshold Dracass will likely be a danger to those around her however, as it takes some time before she will be skilled enough to control her Draconic half without losing control and destroying everything around her.  
Despite an inherent desire to help those weaker than her, a Dracass does have a bit of a problem with authority figures, especially Tamers. While she won't go out of her way to refuse a Tamers orders, a Dracass is likely to take the easy way out, at least until her Tamer has proven that he actually cares for her in some way. This has caused Dracasses to be regarded as more trouble than they're worth by many researchers and Tamers alike, but, once a Dracass's respect has been earned, they are without a doubt, one of the most loyal Pokégirls to have._

_**HUN, the Ice Warrior Pokégirl**__  
__**Type**__: Very Near Human  
__**Element**__: Ice/Fighting  
__**Frequency**__: Rare (Edo League, former Mongolia area), Very Rare (other Arctic Regions)  
__**Diet**__: Human-style  
__**Role**__: Arctic warriors, hunters  
__**Libido**__: Above Average  
__**Strong Vs**__: Rock, Plant, Flying, Dragon  
__**Weak Vs**__: Fire, Electric, Psychic  
__**Attacks**__: Snow Storm, Slash Wave, Ice Wall, Spincut, Ice Blade, Sentinel, Ice Blade Mark II, Assault, Heat Drain, Mirror of Equity, Cold Snap, Cry of the Fallen, Ice Armor, Broken Castle, Snow Blind  
__**Enhancements**__: Enhanced Strength (x4), Enhanced Endurance (x4), Enhanced Durability (x4), resistance to cold, natural hunting ability  
__**Evolves**__: None  
__**Evolves**__ From: None  
Huns are tall, muscular Pokégirls, about 6'9" with D-Cup breasts and long, black hair. They have skin the color of stone, with eyes that are black in the sclera and gold in the iris. They usually wear leather clothing, hoods, and cloaks, and usually wield scimitars, although some have been known to use spears. They are also expert marksmen and very skilled with a bow and arrow.  
Huns were one of the most deadly problems the Edo League faced during the Revenge War, made for coordinating the efforts of Ice-type Pokégirls in that area. For the old Chinese Empire, they were a nightmare reborn, as they and the other Pokégirls teamed with them tore down the Great Wall and invaded, tearing through city after city before the remaining army of the nation began to rally. Many lives were lost just from the blizzards created, as they were frequently teamed with Snow Queens, the Snow Storm power both Pokégirls had bolstering each other and creating intense, gusting snowstorms and thick snowfields. Huns consider themselves to be the best of the ice-type and fighting-type worlds, but they will not be overbearing about it, only stating their view if asked.  
Huns are brave, courageous fighters, and will fight endlessly for their masters until defeated or victorious. They make good Alphas, but if they aren't, they won't try for the position. However, if the chosen Alpha is not a good fighter or strategist, or if the Hun views her as incompetent in general, they will speak up and try to get the position of Alpha for themselves. They also function as hunters, finding food for their Tamer and Harem sisters, capable of finding edible items in places most other Pokégirls wouldn't think to look. Due to their ice-type nature, they radiate cold a great deal of the time, and seek out battles and taming to keep warm. Although their need is not as extreme as a Shaguar's, it is still very intense.  
The Feral state of a Hun is light, similar to that of a Fighting type, although due to the fact that Huns keep together in tribes, they are very group-oriented and very protective of their 'warrior sisters.' Tamers that want to catch a Feral Hun usually have to earn the tribe's respect, showing that they value their Harem and are brave before they allow a Tamer to claim one of their own.  
Huns, due to the Pre-Sukebe history associated with the name, were very unpopular at first. But when a tribe of nomadic, Tamerless Huns were seen attacking Madame Arctica of the Limbec Pirates, it caused the stigma surrounding the breed to fade. The leader of that tribe was questioned by the authorities, and she told her that Madame Arctica was there to try and recruit the various tribes that wandered the area. Hers was the fourteenth tribe to turn her down, as they viewed the Limbecs to be dishonorable, an insult to true warriors everywhere. Still, while in most of the world, the stigma surrounding Huns has faded, those of Chinese descent in the Edo League still possess a distrust of them, almost like a genetic memory.  
No Threshold cases of becoming a Hun have been reported._

"Very nice," Yuji nodded. The Dracass blushed from the way the boy was looking at her, before turning her head away.

"This is awesome!" Kazuki cried with a pumped fist. Though a Shoxiya was a weak Pokégirl according to the public, he would prove the world wrong by turning his Shoxiya into a real warrior.

Ryuji nodded from the information feed he received and looked up to the Hun, "OK, Hun, we fight. If you win I'll let you go and you can choose your own Tamer. But if I win, you're mine."

Yuji folded his arms as he cocked a brow, "You think you could take this outside, Ryuji? I don't want you wrecking my dad's lab."

"Sure," he shrugged.

"Before you guys forget," Prof Fudo called as he brought a tray of 15 Pokéballs, "Here are your empty Pokéballs to start off with." The boys took the devices and pocketed them. "Now then, let's head over to the Square."

"Can we get her some clothes first?" asked Ryuji as he gestured towards the Hun.

"Do I distract you, little boy?" the Hun asked.

"A little," Ryuji admitted, "But from where I come from a woman must only be nude during a shower, bath, in the company of other women or in private with their lover. That's lesson #1: modesty."

"I think I can find something for her to wear," said Prof. Fudo.

"Already giving me clothes?" the Hun asked. "I thought you said I'd only be yours once you beat me. Giving me clothes is like you've already laid claim to me."

"Technically, you are already mine," Ryuji retorted.

* * *

"It's a tight fit," said the Hun as she stood in her new clothes. The shirt was a bit too tight and so were the shorts. She didn't have any footwear but Ryuji would change that.

"It covers you so now I can concentrate," said Ryuji. He then went into stance and said, "Don't hold back."

"I could hurt you," said the Hun.

"That's the point. I want to see how strong and worthy you are to join me on my quest," said Ryuji.

"And what is your quest?"

"After this I will tell you."

Yuji and Kazuki sat on the sidelines with their girls, along with Prof. Fudo.

"Why are they fighting…?" the Dracass asked meekly.

"Ryuji wants to get acquainted with the Hun," Yuji answered. "It's how he does things."

"I bet I could take him," the Shoxiya boasted.

"Not really," Kazuki denied as he shook his head.

"And why not?"

"He cheats," the boys answered at the same time.

The Hun cracked her knuckles and then lunged at Ryuji. Ryuji swiftly dodged as the fist came crashing down and hit the spot he'd stood before and saw the damage she'd done to the ground. "Strong," he acknowledged, smirking. He was starting to like this Pokégirl and not just for her looks. Still, if that blow had connected he would definitely have broken bones.

The Hun roared and then attacked Ryuji again and while she was stronger than him he was faster and had learnt martial arts to defend himself. The Hun threw a punch but Ryuji sidestepped, grabbed her wrist and then used his foot to knock her off her feet and used the momentum to throw her to the ground. It was a Judo move. He then put his foot to her chest to pin her down.

"Against a stronger opponent, there are two tactics: run or use their strength against them. I prefer the latter. That's lesson #2," said Ryuji. He released her and she got back to her feet, growling.

"Ryuji has this match won," Prof Fudo spoke. The boys nodded. "The Hun is letting her anger get the better of her, and Ryuji's about to finish this."

"Now, it's time I make you mine," said Ryuji as he put his hand into his pocket. He waited for her to come to him and as she rushed at him with her fist drawn back to crush him. With a smirk he removed his hand from his pocket and then tossed powder at her face. She accidentally inhaled it and it got into her eye.

"And now…5…4…3…2…1…" Ryuji counted down as he watched the Hun stumble. He then said, "In a real fight, cheating is allowed. The only thing that matters is victory and survival." The Hun then collapsed.

"Called it," Yuji and Kazuki stated.

"Now then, I think you should all get acquainted with your girls for a few days before you decide to progress in your plans."

Kazuki nodded and took the Shoxiya's hand, "I'll see you guys later!" he ran off with his Pokégirl following behind.

Ryuji recalled the Hun and nodded, "See you in a few days, Yuji."

"Yeah," Yuji nodded before hooking an arm around the Dracass, "So, wanna meet my mom?" She hesitantly nodded before the three walked away.

* * *

Kazuki opened the door to his home and chimed, "Kaa-chan, Jii-chan, I'm home!" The Shoxiya was marveled by the eastern-style furnishings of the home as Kazuki urged her to follow him in. They made their way to the kitchen and found a Ria at the sink, chopping some vegetables. "Kaa-chan, I'm back," Kazuki smiled.

The Ria turned to smile, "Ara, welcome back, Kazuki-kun. I see you came back from Prof. Fudo's."

Kazuki nodded and hugged the Shoxiya around the waist, making her blush, "This is my Shoxiya, Kaa-chan. I haven't thought of a name yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something."

"Well, feel free to help yourself to anything, cutie," Kazuki's mother winked.

"So, you're back," spoke an elderly gentleman who came into the kitchen. His long braid and mustache were grey, his eyes were brown, and he wore a purple kung fu shirt and black kung fu pants.

"Hai," Kazuki nodded. He then introduced, "This is my grandfather, Master Asia. He's the greatest fighter this world has ever seen!"

The Shoxiya was taken back a bit before bowing, "It's nice to meet you…"

"Ah, so the little one can speak," Master Asia chuckled. "Well then, I suppose you'll want to get acquainted with your new friend and partner?"

"Ah yes," Kazuki remembered before smiling at the Shoxiya, "Come on." She blushed and followed Kazuki up the stairs.

"Kazuki-kun has been so cheerful since we came here," the Ria smiled serenely. "I think being friends with Yuji-kun has helped him cope with his father's death… Mt precious Kazuo…"

"My son gave his life to protect us and the village from that Widow swarm, Hikari," Master Asia spoke with a somber tone. "He was an excellent Tamer, a genius martial artist, and a great man."

"I know you miss him, Shuuji-san," Hikari agreed. Master Asia, also known as Shuuji, could only nod as he left the kitchen.

The Tamer and Pokégirl entered Kazuki's room and walked on a blue carpet as the Shoxiya scanned the room, seeing a bed, desk, flat screen TV, a PC, some models on the bureau, and a generally average room altogether.

"Nice room," the Shoxiya commented.

"Thanks," Kazuki smiled. "Have a seat." She accepted the offer and took a seat on the mattress while Kazuki sat on the chair at his desk. She smiled at the softness of the mattress. This was good. Perhaps if she was lucky, the cute boy across from her would tame her right on the bed. She just had to be patient. "So, have you already been tamed?" Kazuki asked.

"Oh no," she denied. "The professor put me and the others through taming cycles."

"I see," Kazuki blushed.

She rested her chin in her hands as she leaned forward, with her elbows on her lap, "Did you think I was already tamed, Kazuki?"

"Well," he blushed harder, "yes…"

She giggled, "Well, I haven't been tamed by anyone yet." She then got up from her seat and sashayed over to Kazuki. "You know, you're really cute." She said as she leaned over and rested a hand on his lap, making Kazuki back up slightly as she cast a sexy glare at him. She ran a hand over his shirt as she felt his muscles underneath. "You're built too," she observed as she licked her lips. "You work out?"

"I train," he elaborated. "I'm a martial artist."

"You ever kissed a girl before?" she whispered huskily in his ear.

"No…" he gulped.

"Then I'm you first?" Kazuki nodded and the Shoxiya giggled as she inched her way forward to Kazuki's face, "I'm glad, because I get to do this…"

She then shoved her mouth against Kazuki's, they're lips pressing together. Fireworks went off in Kazuki's brain as he felt the connection of the electrifying kiss. It was a surreal feeling that was indescribable to him. The veins on her side began to glow as she put some electricity into the kiss, sending jolts to Kazuki's tongue which made his eyes widen in surprise and excitement as he felt his member becoming quickly erect. He could feel her forked tongue as it entered his mouth and danced on his, the two tasting each other's mouths before the Shoxiya slowly pulled away, letting Kazuki gasp for air.

"That was…" she panted.

"Electrifying," Kazuki finished as there were traces of saliva down his mouth.

"I see I made a real impression on you," she giggled.

"I think I have the perfect name for you," Kazuki said.

"What's that?"

"Elektra," he responded.

"Mmmm," she hummed in thought, "Sounds exotic. I like it." She then sat on Kazuki's lap, staring down at him a bit as he looked into her yellow eyes, "Then let us begin our relationship, Kazuki."

They kissed again and the electrifying sensation was back with a vengeance. It made Kazuki's heart race and his face flushed as he kissed back with fervor in order to enjoy the kissing more. He had his hands at her sides as Elektra's hands were on his shoulders for support. Kazuki ran his hands up and down her sides with a gentle touch, making Elektra moan in his mouth as she began grinding on his lap. His hands followed her motions as he continued exploring her smooth-yet-scaly skin, traveling up her stomach as he rubbed his hands into her belly, making her moan more before continuing up to her soft and firm breasts. He grabbed the globs of flesh, earning a soft yelp from Elektra as she broke free of the kiss while she continued panting from Kazuki's exploration of the female body that was on top of him.

"How does it feel…to touch a woman…?" Elektra sighed as her breasts were being carefully massaged by the boy.

"Surreal…" he admitted. "Despite the scales, I've never felt anything so soft in my hands before… I like it…"

"I'm glad…" She smiled as she continued grinding on him, "Because we'll be doing this a lot more, Master…"

Kazuki blinked when she called him that, "You accept me already? But we just met."

"And here you are, feeling me up and me grinding on you," Elektra retorted with a playful smirk on her lips. "Besides, I like you… You're honest and cute."

Kazuki blushed as he stopped for a moment to look into her eyes, "I like you too, Elektra…"

That look he gave her came close to making her heart melt. He was so sweet and innocent that she couldn't help but fall deeper for Kazuki. With her mind made up, and her snatch good and wet. She climbed off Kazuki and helped him out of his chair as she guided him to the bed. She fell on her back against the soft mattress as she pulled Kazuki onto the bed, the latter being on top of the former.

"Let me be the one to share in all your firsts, Master," Elektra pleaded.

Kazuki smiled softly as he hovered over his Shoxiya before earning another kiss from her. He moved his hands down her scaly belly, earning soft hums from the Shoxiya before she moaned from the feeling of Kazuki's fingers tracing the lips of her pussy. They broke the kiss and Elektra gripped the sheets as Kazuki handled Elektra's snatch with care.

"Oh, by the gods," she sighed, "I'd think you were a natural at this…"

"Kaa-chan taught me the motions," Kazuki responded before slowly sliding his fingers into her wet folds, making her buck slightly from the jolt of pleasure. He then grinned as he charged his fingers with electricity and pumped them further into her, making the horny Shoxiya gasp from the electricity coursing through her moist walls.

"You can use electricity too?" she inquired as she continued moaning.

"A Blood Gift," he responded. "Surprised?"

"Very -Uuunnn- surprised," she grunted as she grit her teeth to keep herself from cumming. It was hard to concentrate though and she yelped in surprise as she looked down to see Kazuki eating her out so suddenly. "Your tongue…" she grunted, "So…waaarm~! Deeper… Shove that tongue deeper!" Kazuki granted the Shoxiya's wish as he drove his tongue deeper into her wet walls, wriggling his tongue through her warm cunt as he reached for her breasts and fondled them gently. "Oh Gooods," she moaned, "You really are a natural! Gonna cum, Kazuki… Cumming…!" She bit down on her lip in vain as she let her juices flow out onto Kazuki's face while he tried to drink said fluids. He sat up and wiped the juices off his face and licked his fingers.

"Sweet, and sour," he observed when Elektra sat up to take the rest of his soaked fingers into her mouth as she sucked the juices off them. "You taste good," Kazuki admitted.

"Now it's my turn," she giggled as she crawled forward to undo his pants and release his erection. She smiled at seeing his erection up and she grabbed his base before pushing Kazuki back to lean on the bed. She kissed the head and started licking his cock, making the boy hiss slightly from the feeling of her mouth on him as she engulfed his hard muscle. She pushed him down completely and started bobbing on his cock, slurping and sucking and even wrapping her forked tongue around the head.

"Elektra…" he grunted. "Good… it feels good." He ran his fingers through her hair and Elektra hummed on his cock from the gentle touch of his hand. She sucked more on him and massaged his balls in her hand as he felt Kazuki starting to tense up. "Elektra…gonna cum…" He held her head down as he exploded in her mouth, making Elektra's eyes widen from the copious amounts of semen that she swallowed. The sounds of gulping was all that could be heard in the room as Elektra released Kazuki meat and panted with a dazed look in her eyes. Kazuki was also trying to catch his breath as Elektra crawled over to him to sit him up and undo his shirt. She released the ties and three his shirt to the side as she straddled him with his cock against her ass cheeks.

"Want you now…" Elektra glared at him as she positioned herself over Kazuki's pulsing member. And she sunk down and was penetrated in one go, forfeiting her virginity to the boy and making her moan loud from the fullness that was accomplished."Ooooh, Gooods~! You're bigger than I thought, Kazuki!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist as she began bouncing on top of him to try and cum. Kazuki grasped her hips and thrust upward to match her bucking as their mutual pleasure increased. The sounds of wet squishing can be heard as skin-on-skin contact continued and both parties gazed into each other's eyes lovingly as they made out. "You're very good at this -Ahhh- Kazuki…" Elektra smirked. "If I didn't know you beforehand…I would've thought you were an expert…or something. Oh yeah, right there!"

"Arigato, Elektra," Kazuki smiled as he took one of the Shoxiya's nipples in his mouth, sucking it like a baby and making her yelp as she threw her head back.

"Cumming baby," she alerted, "Cumming!" She held him close to her as she came hard, her walls gripping down on Kazuki's tool like a vice. The fluids and tightness around him caused him to grunt and fire his own seed into her, making her moan to the heavens as they both rode out their orgasm. Kazuki collapsed on top of Elektra as the Shoxiya tightened her grip on the new Tamer as he was still inside her, the two drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Ryuji returned to his home, the Sonozaki Mansion. The Sonozaki Family was one of the richest families in Neo Dominatrix City. Ryuji's uncle, Ryubee, was the owner of the Neo Dominatrix Museum which had a huge collection of Pre-Sukebe artifacts.

Ryuji had lived with his uncle since the death of his parents who'd died because of Team Rocket. His Uncle Ryubee also had two daughters, Saeko and Wakana. Saeko ran a company which developed and provided the latest technologies for Tamers and her sister Wakana was a famous radio DJ. He looked up to them as elder sisters.

As the door was opened by a butler who welcomed him inside, Ryuji headed to the dining hall to see his uncle having tea and cake.

"Good evening, Uncle Ryubee," Ryuji greeted.

"Ah, Ryuji," Ryubee greeted back. "So, how was your day?"

"I just got my Starter, Uncle. It's a Hun."

"Quite an interesting choice, nephew," remarked Ryubee.

"Well, you do know my dream and I need all the help I can get to reach that dream," said Ryuji.

"Would you join me for tea and some pastries?" Ryubee asked.

Ryuji shrugged. He didn't let anyone else know this but he had a huge sweet tooth. "Sure, but you know I prefer coffee."

* * *

After having pastries and talking with his uncle over his plans for his journey, Ryuji went to retire in his room. His uncle gave him his blessings. To be honest, when Ryuji had first met his uncle he'd been intimidated by the man but while Ryubee did seem cold at times he did show he cared about his children. He may have been a bit strict on Saeko and doted on Wakana like a princess, but he was still able to show he cared for his daughters. Ryubee even showed he cared about Ryuji like a son.

Ryubee had even taught Ryuji that they, the Sonozaki Family, were destined for great things and Ryuji believed it.

Ryuji looked at his Pokéball and then touch the switch that opened it up. The light from within the open Pokéball was unleashed and took shape on his bed before solidifying into the form of the Hun he'd defeated.

Ryuji went to his bedside table and pulled out the drawer before reaching inside and taking out a bottle of smelling salts. He opened it up and held it under the Hun's nose and waited. He then watched as the Hun began to come to from the smell of the smelling salts and closed the bottle.

"Good, you're awake," said Ryuji. He noted her glare. "You're furious."

"You cheated," she growled.

"In a real fight the only thing that matters is winning," Ryuji told her. "That's the only rule. Anyone who says that what I did was cheating is a weakling who doesn't understand that fact. Are you a weakling?"

"No," she answered.

"Good because there's no room for weak Pokegirls in this team. Only strong ones or those with potential," Ryuji told her straight out.

"What is your quest? You said you would tell me," inquired the Hun.

"My quest is my dream and my dream is this," said Ryuji as he put his hand on a globe. "I want the world!"

"Yes, the world! I want to rule everything and everyone!" He let the globe spin, "But to do that I need power and right now the path to power is to be a Pokegirl Tamer which will have people acknowledge me!"

The Hun thought he was nuts but then she saw his eyes. Those were not the eyes of a madman. Those were the eyes of a person determined to fulfill their dreams.

"Hun, what is YOUR dream?" he asked. "Tell me now!"

The Hun frowned and then answered furiously, "To be the strongest of my kind!"

"Hmph, such a small dream," snorted Ryuji.

"What was that!-?" she demanded.

"Why aim to be the strongest of the Huns when you can be the strongest of all Pokegirls? Why not aim to become a LEGENDARY?" he asked. The Hun stared at him.

"A…legendary…?" Hun murmured. That was impossible, wasn't it?

Ryuji wasn't all talk. He would become a legend and so would his Pokegirls. "You need a name," said Ryuji. "Since I always aim to be at the top and claim victory your name will be…Victoria."

"Victoria…" the Hun repeated and then smiled. "I like it." Ryuji then climbed onto the bed and looked into her eyes and she gazed back at him. "You're insane, but I like you. You aim high."

"The sky's the limit and when I've reached the limit I will go beyond," he told Victoria before claiming her lips fiercely.

After they broke the kiss, she asked, "What's your name?"

"Sonozaki… Sonozaki Ryuji," he told her before kissing her again. "Now, take off your clothes," he commanded. "It is time for me to Tame you and claim you as mine, my Victoria."

"Yes…Master…" she whispered into his ear.

"Call me Master Ryuji," he requested.

Victoria nodded as she removed her shirt to reveal her buxom chest, allowing Ryuji to grasp and fondle them as Victoria laid her head back on the pillow to enjoy the feel of her master's hands on her. She hummed a light tune as Ryuji began kissing down her neck before working his way down her stone-colored yet soft skin. He also began to slide off her shorts. The color to her skin was merely a decoration and he continued kissing down her stomach and reaching her womanhood. She had a small patch of pubic hair, but he ignored that and proceeded to eat her out, making Victoria yelp as she felt his tongue probe her precious place. He looped his arms under her legs to hold her up more as he feasted on her lustful fleshy folds with fervor as her juices began to dribble down his mouth.

"Oh, Master Ryuji…" she moaned as she bucked her hips into his face more. "So good… By the Gods, what a man…!" He suddenly stopped, making her pant in confusion before he made out with her again. She could taste herself through the kiss and she tasted pretty good. He then started sucking on her tits and Victoria was relishing the attention. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her chest as she mewled in her pleasure as Ryuji suckled on the D-Cups like a baby. "Oh, Master, suck them harder…! More! Aaahh~!"

Ryuji felt his pants getting uncomfortable so it was time to let out the beast. He removed himself from the flesh pillows and stood on his knees to remove his shirt and Victoria licked her lips as she gazed at his muscles. He was pretty built and she wanted whatever was in his pants as she caught sight of his erection. Ryuji didn't disappoint as he removed his pants and boxers and Victoria's eyes widened when she saw his semi-hard sausage.

"Now then, time for your part in this," Ryuji ordered. The Hun obeyed and began stroking his dick as she watched Ryuji enjoying her service. She began licking up and down his shaft as his grunts slowly grew in volume, she then took his length into her mouth and bobbed back and forth on his cock. She was getting wet again and she was playing with her hole with a free hand as she looked up at him with a wink. "Now, back on the bed," he ordered as she laid back and he placed his cock between her ample tits. He proceeded to thrust between the mountains as Victoria held them from the sides to keep them in place for Ryuji's pleasure. She wasn't idle either as she sucked his head whenever she could. He smirked as he continued tit-fucking the Hun, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She could only give a slight nod as she focused more on sucking the plump cock whenever she had the chance. "Well then, allow me to make you enjoy it more," he smiled slightly as he pumped faster before giving a grunt before he released his seed onto her breasts and face. Victoria moaned as she took the blast of man-cream in her mouth and her pupils dilated as an Alpha-Bond had been established. For the third time today, he had officially claimed Victoria as his. He grabbed a tissue from the desk by his bed and wiped away the excess off her face as he lowered himself until his crotch was parallel to hers. "Ready for the main course?" he grinned.

The glazed look in her eyes was still there from the Taming Shock as she nodded with a cute, "Hun…" She spread her legs, ready to be speared by the man that she now belonged to.

Ryuji obliged his queen and thrust forward with his mighty spear of manliness, making the taller girl moan out in delight as she felt her hymen break and Ryuji's spear-point reach into her further. She had stiffened and Ryuji stood still until Victoria nodded for her King to continue. He nodded and pulled back as he began thrusting into the warrior girl, hearing her gasp and moan had sounded like music to his ears as the pleasure in him began to steadily rise.

"Hun! Hun! Hun! Hun!" the Pokégirl screamed with each thrust as she was repeatedly penetrated by the slick cock that was lubricated by her sexual fluids. Ryuji made out wither again and Victoria continued screaming into his mouth. Her hands were on the headboard for support as Ryuji's hands were at her sides, caressing her skin to help her relax and it was working as her muffled screams were dropped to mild moaning as the fire in her belly grew hotter and hotter. Her hair was matted to her forehead from the sweat and she panted as Ryuji had broken their kiss to caress her cheeks.

"I believe it's time to wrap this up," Ryuji smirked as he continued pounding into her love well with fervor. She gasped with each with each quickening thrust and gritted her teeth as she came hard with a scream, splashing his cock with her fluids as he grunted with one final thrust, pooling his semen into her womb as Victoria's body went as stiff as a board. She finally loosened up and pulled Ryuji closer to her to cuddle, and the boy accepted as they drifted off to dream land.

* * *

Yuji, the Dracass, and Prof. Fudo had returned to their home on the top floor of the Tops Building, which was a house constructed on the roof. She marveled at the elegance of the living area and it was obviously clean.

"Aki, we're home," Prof. Fudo called as a Pokéwoman came in from the kitchen.

She was about the professor's height, and had charcoal black skin. Her eyes were brown as a pair of horns protruded out of her hair and she had black wavy hair, not to mention a nice chest as one would tell from her beige shirt. She also had a long black tail, with an equally, black and purple flame, swishing back and forth behind her. She had on a black skirt that reached her thighs. Protruding from her back were two large black wings with red membranes.

"Yusei, Yuji, okaeri," Aki smiled. She gave Yusei a long kiss before turning to her son. "I see you managed to get your Starter, Yuji. She's definitely cute," she smiled.

"Thanks, Mom," Yuji smiled as he hugged the Dracass closer to him.

"Thank you…" she blushed.

"Dinner will be ready in a little while so go ahead and just wait, OK?" Aki informed as she made her way back to the kitchen.

Yuji nodded and guided the Dracass to the hall where the rooms were. He opened the door to his room, which was a light blue in paint scheme and had average bedroom furniture. He guided her to the bed as they both had a seat.

"So, I'm guessing you're not Feral-born," Yuji stated.

She shook her head, "No, I'm not. I Threshold into a Dracass about a year ago, since there is a heavy Dragon-base in my ancestry."

"That's cool," Yuji chuckled. "My dad has the same on his father's side and some flying blood on his mother's. They're not around anymore, unfortunately," he sighed.

"I'm, sorry," he apologized.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he smiled. "It happened way before I was born. So, a Dracass like you is pretty hard to come by in these parts. Are you from the mainland?"

"Well, my mother was from the Opal League, but my father was born closer to the tip of the Edo League, where my father's from. After I came of age, I hit Threshold and became a Dracass. My parents took me to a ranch where I would be safe for a while…" she then shivered, "When we were attacked."

"Attacked by what?" Yuji asked.

"Team Trauma…" she growled. "They attacked the ranch without mercy one day and stole me away from my friends and family! They believed they could get me to evolve with enough tamings, so they hired some thugs to rape and defile me…! I tried to keep hope and believe I would be rescued, but as the days went on, I started losing faith and began to hate humanity for what they did to me!" She started sobbing and Yuji was quick to wrap her arms around her in a warm hug. She calmed down somewhat but was still sniffling.

"It's a miracle you didn't evolve into a Dronza," Yuji said with astonishment.

"A day sooner and I would have," she nodded. "But then…_he_ came."

"He?"

A wall of the facility I was in exploded and the men who were about to rape me again were slaughtered by blades of wind. Once I focused my vision, I saw a shadow entering from the wall with spiky hair and glowing eyes."

"So my dad saved you," Yuji realized.

She nodded, "Prof. Fudo saved me from that awful place about two weeks ago. He helped me recover and said he knew the perfect person to be my Tamer. After that, he put me in a Pokéball and gave me a taming cycle to calm me down."

"I guess that's why he wanted me to be a Tamer," Yuji mused. "He wanted to help you." He then held her close, allowing her to feel his warmth, "And that's exactly what I'm gonna do. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you. I promise you that."

"Arigato," the Dracass sighed as she began to relax.

"By the way," Yuji spoke. "I never caught your name."

"It's Kotonoha," she said. "Katsura Kotonoha."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he smiled, making her blush. "And my name is Yuji Fudo. A real pleasure to meet you, Kotonoha."

"Likewise," she nodded before a thought came to mind. "Were those other boys your friends?"

"Oh yeah," he nodded. "Kazu and I go way back, since we were still in diapers. And Ryuji's been with us since we were 10."

"How did you meet him?"

"Well, it happened about 6 years ago," Yuji began. "Kazu and I were playing by the swings and this kid with wild hair came up to us. I noticed a lot of the other kids were scared of him, even Kazu was a little spooked, but I wasn't."

"He does look intimidating," Kotonoha nodded.

"That's just because of his cold personality and he scowls a lot," Yuji dismissed. So the first thing that came out was "fight me" and so we fought. He tried to cheat but I still kicked his ass and we ended up tying the fight. We became friends ever since. After that, we all made this one agreement."

"What was the agreement?"

Yuji turned to her and grinned, "We're gonna rule the world."

Her eyes widened as she tried to process what Yuji just said, "The world? But that's impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible sweetheart," he shot back. "The world is full of possibilities and as long as there's even of chance of it happening, it can be done." He looked up at his ceiling and sighed, "It happened when were all 11…"

* * *

_It was the dead of night as the eleven-year-old Ryuji, Yuji, and Kazuki were in a field. Ryuji was standing on a tree stump while Yuji sat against said stump and Kazuki was lying on the grass, staring up at the night sky and stars._

_"One day I will become a King," Ryuji declared._

"_What's a king?" little Kazuki asked as he continued staring at the stars._

"_A ruler, Kazu," Yuji answered._

"_A ruler of what, Ryu-chan?" Kazuki turned over to look at Ryuji._

_Ryuji gave Kazuki a serious look,"Everything, and everyone."_

"_Everyone?"_

_Ryuji nodded,"Everyone."_

_Kazuki sniffled, "Even us...?"_

_Ryuji scratched his hair,"Well, the world is a big place. Maybe I can share with you two."_

_Kazuki stood up and beamed"Really?"_

_Yuji sat in thought,"That sounds like a lot of land..." andgrinned,"I like it."_

_Ryuji nodded,"Split the world in three, one part for me, one part for Yuji and one part for Kazu."_

"_AWESOME!" Kazuki cheered beforeblinking,"Wait...what about all those legendary Pokégirls that we've read about in class. What'll happen to them?"_

_Ryuji smirked with his arms crossed,"Kings need strong wives, don't they?"_

_Yuji nodded. He had a point._

_Kazuki gaped and uttered a,"Whoa..."_

_Ryuji then pointed to the sky and asked,"Guys, when you look at the sky whaddya see?"_

_Yuji looked up and answered,"Possibilities."_

_Kazuki beamed,"Adventure!"_

_Ryuji continued,"Well, what I see is the limit of our dreams and they are endless!"_

_Kazuki jumped up and cheered,"Yeah! Like all-you-can-eat sushi!"_

_Yuji chuckled,"Always thinking with your stomach first, Kazu. Amazing, seeing as how you're the computer genius between us."_

_Ryuji crossed his arms,"You all know what my dream is, right?"_

"_To be King, of course!" the other boys chorused._

_Yuji then added,"Of course, there will be obstacles."_

"_What are obstacles?" Kazuki asked._

"_They are the things I will break through to get what I want!" Ryuji answered._

_Kazuki jumped up,"Waah, sugoi! Ryu-chan's gonna break them!"_

_Yuji nodded, "We all will, Kazu. Together."_

"_Yay! Together!"_

* * *

Yuji sighed as he recalled the day fondly, "Yeah, we're gonna make that dream reality." He then looked at Kotonoha, "So, why don't we go eat?"

She then blinked, "You're not going to tame me?"

"Well, Dad gave you a taming cycle and since you have a low libido initially, there's no need to tame you right away," Yuji reasoned. He placed a finger under her chin so she could look up to him, "Besides, I'm not one to force myself on beautiful women. When you're ready, then I'll tame you, not a minute sooner than that."

Kotonoha blushed. Yuji was willing to wait for her until she was ready. If only she had met him before her incident, then she wouldn't have suffered the way she did. She was beginning to like him more.

"Can we…at least kiss…?" Kotonoha asked with her blushing growing.

Yuji smiled as he closed the distance between them as he took her lips in a soft kiss. Kotonoha relaxed as she felt the warmth coming from Yuji as she felt actual love coming from him instead of simple lust. Oh, how she wanted to go further with him! But alas, she wasn't ready, not after what happened to her. So the best thing to do was to wait and slowly develop a relationship with her new Tamer.

* * *

Ryuji and his Hun woke and he pulled her into the shower together with him. They didn't try to go into a Taming session during the shower, however. It was time to do something important.

It was time for Ryuji to introduce his Pokégirl to his family.

Once they were out of the shower, Ryuji clothed himself while his Hun was left in a bathrobe. As he was finish dressing, she hugged him from behind and nuzzled his hair. For a tough Pokégirl, she was surprisingly tender-hearted and wanted to please him.

Ryuji then called for the maids of the house. He needed his Hun clothed for tonight.

They came in single file, carrying cloth, measuring tape and sewing pins and surrounded the Hun who got into a fighting stance.

"Relax, Victoria," said Ryuji. "They are just our tailors."

The Hun relaxed and allowed the maids to remove the bathrobe and take measurements.

"She prefers leather," Ryuji informed and the maids nodded as they continued their work. A maid then broke off from the group and left before returning with a set of leather clothing, with some underwear. The Hun blinked as she saw the bra and panties.

"Modesty," Ryuji informed her.

"But you are the only man who gets to look at me in the buff," grinned the Hun. Ryuji shrugged. Once the Hun was dressed, Ryuji smiled. She was now in a red leather one-piece dress that had a collar around her neck. It was sleeveless and the skirt reached her knees. Her hair was also up in a ponytail.

"How is it?" Ryuji asked.

"It's snug," said Victoria and the maids filed out and bowed to Ryuji. Ryuji then approached Victoria and took her hand in his before kissing the back of it.

"My lady, shall we go?" asked Ryuji. He then led her downstairs to the dining hall where his family was waiting. Ryubee was there and so were Saeko and Wakana, his cousins who were more like his sisters than anything.

"Everyone, this is Victoria," Ryuji introduced.

"Oh, is this your new Pokégirl, Ryuji-chan?" asked Wakana. Despite being in her twenties she was childish and was the princess of the family. Ryubee doted on her.

"I'm not impressed," snorted Saeko. She was a bit haughty but Ryuji knew deep down that she had a kind heart. She was often strict when he was growing up but also treated him like family. She also had high standards, like the type of education her cousin would receive.

Ryuji's famous subject was history, particularly those of past conquerors like Alexander the Great.

Victoria scowled at the woman, but Ryuji calmed her down by wrapping an arm around her waist, making her blush slightly.

"Despite her looks, Seako-neesan, she is strong," Ryuji stated before looking up to Victoria, "And she is my Queen." Victoria's stone skin adopted a blush when he called her "Queen."

* * *

Prof. Fudo and his family, along with Kotonoha, were having a relaxing dinner. Yuji took her hand and smiled, making the Dracass blush as she tried to look away, making Aki giggle.

_Possibilities._

At Kazuki's home, he and his family were having a conversation over dinner as Elektra tried to feed him, making Kazuki blush.

_Adventure._

The same was going on for Ryuji's family dinner as they were also having a conversation, with Victoria listening intently to Ryubee's words.

_Conquest._

The screen does a triangular split screen of Yuji and Kazuki on the side, with Ryuji on the top section.

_These three Tamers aim high with their goals of conquest as their journey has yet to begin. Only time will tell what awaits them in the future…_

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER BUSHIDO: Nothing in this chapter belongs to me except Yuji Fudo and Kazuki. This is just more madness that I cooked up in my noggin. Hope you like this as much as my other stuff. Love it? Hate it? Some feedback would be good if you choose to leave reviews.**

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Well, we see the beginning of what will be an epic journey for three Tamers. The Ryuji in this story is based on my Ryuji Sonozaki character. He can be considered megalomaniacal but he actually aims high for his dreams and desires.**


	133. The Rider

**I watched Fate/Stay Night and decided to see what would happen if I put in an OC of mine. Basically, we replace the Medusa Rider with a different Rider and so I chose one of my successful OC's. Now, just sit back, relax and enjoy this story because I enjoyed writing it as much as you'll enjoy reading it.**

**THE RIDER**

Rin was frustrated and annoyed as her left eyebrow kept twitching and this time it had nothing to do with her host, Shirou. No, Shirou wasn't the problem. While at first he found his ideals unfitting for the Holy Grail War, she actually grew quite fond of the redhead and after losing Archer she realized she didn't want to lose anymore friends in this War. His decision to take Illya in despite her warnings had made her angry as the albino girl had tried to kill them with Berserker but she grew past that as without Berserker Illya simply didn't have the drive to continue.

Currently, Shirou and Saber were out on a date which Rin had originally laughed at since she had not expected it. Sakura was out shopping and Illya was still passed out. This left Rin alone…with him.

Lying on his side with his head propped up in one hand was the Servant Rider, who just happened to be the Servant of Sakura Matou. He was dressed in a black jacket with blue jeans and occasionally picking cookies out of a bowl to munch on as a sitcom played on TV. Rin just couldn't stop glaring at the lazy Servant and how the two strands of hair that stuck out like antennae bobbed up and down whenever he laughed at something.

Rider was an enigma. Their original encounter with him was when Shinji proclaimed himself as Rider's Master. However, Rider did not share the sentiment and constantly insulted Shinji with Shinji unable to make him stop. Rider was simply too independent for Shinji's taste and Rin suspected that Shinji wasn't Rider's true Master as Shinji lacked the Command Seals necessary to prove himself as a Master in the War. Rider always had a snide remark ready for Shinji, not at all hiding his disgust, but still carried out his orders.

As a Servant, Rider was indeed formidable. He had been granted incredible speed by the power of his Class and also possessed abilities which could qualify him for the other classes as well. He was stealthy as an Assassin, as sharp as an Archer, as swift as a Lancer, as proficient with blades as a Saber, able to cast magic like Caster, and could generate a blood lust as terrifying as a Berserker.

But the guy didn't seem to know when to stop talking. Even when fighting he would make quips and remarks aimed at his opponents. He had mocked Archer and Saber in their fights and then withdrew whenever he felt he couldn't win.

Then there was Shinji's death at Rider's hands. Shinji had ordered, "Eliminate all your Master's enemies."

And that was when Rider turned on him and literally stabbed him in the back before vanishing.

He only resurfaced when he came to them begging for help as Sakura had been kidnapped by Caster. That was when they all found out that Sakura was Rider's Master.

Rider was a loyal Servant too and was kind to Sakura as well as obedient to the girl's wishes. He also cared for her too and Rin realized that the feelings were mutual between Sakura and Rider. Rider didn't really care for the Holy Grail and had admitted that he just wanted to spend time with his Master.

Outside of battle, Rider was simply lazy as he spent his time just eating snacks, watching TV, or reading manga. Illya seemed to like him though as Shirou enjoyed his company, but Saber and Rin found him annoying as he made perverted comments about their bust size.

Rin still couldn't find out anything about Rider's true identity. His Noble Phantasms were legendary, that was for sure, but they each belonged to a different person. Rin's only theory was that Rider was the fusion of three Heroic Spirits that manifested into a single being. However, Rider's personality didn't match up to any of the Heroic Spirits that would've made his entire form. Another clue was that scar that was branded above his left eyebrow. Rin wasn't able to find any answers from that either and asking him outright was just out of the question.

That didn't mean she couldn't try other things.

"Are you just going to sit there all day and watch TV?" she asked with a huff.

"Probably will Rin-chan," Rider answered, knowing just how much Rin disliked being called 'Rin-chan' by people she didn't like. "Sakura-hime is out and Illya-chan is sleeping. I don't really have anything to do at the moment."

"And what about Lancer then?" asked Rin, crossing her arms. "He's still out there you know."

"Yeah, but he's been a ghost since the first time he fought us," Rider nodded. "I figure his Master's hoping we'll take each other out before he swoops in and finishes the last man standing. Besides, if he wants to bide his time then let him. I don't care either way."

"You really don't care about winning the Holy Grail, do you?" asked Rin.

"No, can't say that I do," shrugged Rider uncaringly. "I mean the Grail goes to the last Master and Servant, right, and that means the end of the War, which also means that the Servants will be gone until the next Grail War. So, as long as we don't fight each other and finish each other off, I get to stay with Sakura-hime a little longer."

"And what happens if Lancer goes after Sakura?" Rin asked.

"Then I'll vanquish him if he lays a hand on her," Rider responded, his voice losing all his cheeriness.

"Then there's that gold Servant that killed Caster and her Master," Rin reminded. "What about him?"

"Look, all I'm saying that unless he goes after Sakura-hime or she orders me to take care of him, he's not really my problem," responded Rider.

"I swear you're like Shirou-kun at times," Rin growled. "Wait and see, wait and see. That attitude can get you killed you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Rider huffed. "I'm a Servant for a reason, Rin-chan, remember that. Sakura-hime didn't just pluck me out of the bottom of the barrel. So I should know a little bit more about fighting than you do."

Rin bristled. She knew battle! OK, maybe not to his level but still she took things seriously.

"You miss him, don't you?" Rider asked as he sat up and looked up at Rin, his eyes piercing hers. "Your Servant, Archer."

Rin crossed her arms and frowned before she admitted, "I do."

"Even if he was simply a weapon for you to attain the Holy Grail, he was more than that to you, wasn't he? And when he was vanquished by Berserker, you felt a pain in your heart." He asked for confirmation, "Am I right?"

Rin wondered how the topic had shifted but she answered anyway, "Yes, because of our contract."

"It's more than that and you know it," stated Rider. "That's why I want to stay with Sakura-hime, even though I know it's impossible. I don't want her to feel the same pain."

"You really care about her," Rin observed.

"She is my Master," Rider responded and he recalled the day he'd been summoned. His eyes had opened and his gaze was locked on the beautiful girl who'd called him forth from the Throne of Heroes. Then he found out he would have to serve that sleazy brother of hers and instantly he knew the guy was scum, even called him scum without warning. He'd wanted to kill Shinji at that moment but Sakura had begged him not to.

Rider, however, resisted the transfer of the Command Seals and simply obeyed Shinji as Sakura had ordered. However, Rider was still able to interpret the orders in any form he wanted and when Shinji had given his final order, which was to eliminate threats to his Master, Rider had simply obeyed and killed Shinji.

He recognized Shinji as a threat to Sakura's safety. He knew of the depraved thoughts the young man had and those thoughts were unforgivable. Rider had no respect for him as he was a sniveling coward who hid behind a cover of arrogance and superiority.

After the act he'd returned to Sakura and delivered the news before comforting her. He only did what he did to protect her but despite the terrible things Shinji had done to her she still loved him like a brother. Rider took it upon himself to heal those wounds of hers.

Sakura was better off living with Shirou in his home than she was in the Matou Mansion. That place was cold and suffocating, no place for a princess like Sakura. Rider remembered how Sakura had flushed when he referred to her as 'hime'.

She was his Master, his princess, and also his companion and friend. As her Servant he would defend and fight for her, like a knight in shining armor.

Speaking of knights, his thoughts turned towards Saber. That woman was dedicated to her goal of attaining the Grail with her only wish to be sent back and to undo her mistakes. Saber was always looking back, never looking forward. He hoped that Shirou could open her eyes with their date. He managed to give Shirou a few pointers about what to do as the redhead seemed pretty inexperienced about dating. It was all up to Shirou to change Saber's mind.

Saber just had to see that she shouldn't look back to the past, but to live in the present and look forward to the future with Shirou. As much as Rider respected Saber's dedication, a bit of it was misplaced. The past should be left in the past and what has happened cannot be changed so it should be left that way.

"I'm back," Sakura announced and Rider was instantly at his feet as he went to the front door to greet his Master.

"Welcome home, Sakura-hime," greeted Rider. Sakura had grocery bags and Rider insisted that he help her carry her load into the kitchen since she had carried them all the way here. "May I carry those for you, Sakura-hime?"

Sakura nodded and handed the grocery bags to Rider who smiled back at her. This caused her to blush as she found him very attractive. He then turned and went for the kitchen to put the groceries away as Sakura went to the sitting room to rest her feet. She found Rin there with a scowl on her face and couldn't help but giggle. Rider enjoyed teasing Rin and Sakura found it funny how he could get the calm and collected girl to get so angry at him.

"Hey, Sakura," said Rin.

"Yes, Rin-sempai?" asked Sakura.

"Do you know anything about Rider's past?" Rin asked.

In truth Sakura did. Since the day she'd summoned Rider she had seen his memories in her sleep. The Dream Cycle allowed a Master to peer into the memories of their Servants through dreams. Shirou saw Saber's memories and Sakura saw Rider's and she was pretty surprised at what she saw. He wasn't an ancient hero at all from what she saw. She was horrified, though, of what she saw. He'd been through so much. He had been taken from his family and tortured for 10 years to become a madman's slave and weapon and only broke free after killing his first love. From then on he dedicated his life to fighting evil and his heroic feats were nothing to scoff at. She had seen him at his best and worst. She also saw that he wanted a normal life more than anything and that his abilities prevented that.

Her Servant had also fallen in love again and because of that love he sacrificed himself to save everyone, earning him his place in the Throne of Heroes.

"He was a hero who sacrificed his life for the safety and wellbeing of others," Sakura answered, summing up what she knew of Rider. Unfortunately, that didn't help Rin much, though it confirmed that he wasn't an amalgam and was just a person who attained the three Noble Phantasms that made him formidable. Rin wanted to pull her twin tails in frustration!

"Ugh, he's just like Shirou! He's so laid back and tries to take it easy!" Rin snapped. "And he's a total pervert!"

Sakura defended Rider, "I don't think so, Rin-sempai. I think Rider just has a healthy appreciation for the female form."

"See? She gets it," said Rider as he appeared out of the blue. Rin didn't jump in shock. She was used to Servants just reappearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye. "And the difference between most perverts and myself is that I admit it."

"Sure, that makes it so much better," muttered Rin sarcastically. "What kind of Hero are you?"

"A SUPER one," Rider answered, grinning, as his twin ahoge bobbed up and down. "So, anyway, how about a game while we wait for Shirou and Saber to return from their date."

The door slid open and Illya called out, "I wanna play!"

"Sure, I needed four players anyway," said Rider. "Of course, the loser has to pay the penalty."

Rider took out a deck of cards from his coat and began shuffling. Sakura recalled another dream she had of Rider's past. He loved to play games. She remembered playing Chess with him and he had taught her some pretty advanced strategies.

Rin saw the grin he had on his face as he shuffled the cards and was wary. When he mentioned a penalty, she grew even more nervous.

"So, what are we playing?" asked Rin.

"Oh, Poker," said Rider as he distributed the cards to the three girls and then picked up his own hand before fanning out his cards. "And the weakest hand has to pay the penalty."

* * *

Rider was still winning the game. As for the girls, they were pretty embarrassed. Illya was now dressed in a gym shirt and bloomers. Rin was wearing a bikini with cat ears. Finally, Sakura was dressed up like a Playboy bunny. Rider hadn't lost a single hand.

The penalty for the loser was for them to wear a costume provided by the one with the strongest hand and Rider always won, which was why the three girls were now dressed as such.

* * *

Saber and Shirou had returned pretty late that night, right after everyone was asleep. Well, not everyone was asleep. As Shirou was resting in his room, Saber was in the kitchen preparing him something to eat. Of course, the way she was chopping the vegetables was like how she used her sword. She was holding the knife in a two-handed grip and bringing the blade down on the vegetables.

"You know you're chopping vegetables, not chopping off heads, right?" asked Rider as he leaned against the entrance of the kitchen. Saber ignored him and continued with her task. She found out that just tuning him out was the best way to deal with the annoying Servant. "So, why did you come home late?" he asked before teasing her, "Did you and your Master check into a Love Hotel for a happy ending?"

Saber spun and glared at Rider and he smirked. He then wore a serious expression. This was Rider. He could change expressions in the blink of an eye. "So, what happened?"

"What does it matter to you?" Saber questioned.

"It doesn't, but I like Shirou and Sakura-hime likes him too, so I was feeling a bit concerned as to why you both came home late," Rider said. "Did something happen along the way?"

Saber decided there was no harm in telling Rider. He was annoying, but he was trustworthy. She then told him about Gilgamesh and their confrontation.

"So, your ex-boyfriend got miffed at seeing you with Shirou," concluded Rider.

"Gilgamesh is not my 'boyfriend'," Saber retorted, "He is a delusional fool."

"Yeah, and those are the worst. Believe me. I've had my experience with those types before I died," Rider told her. "So, are you trying to make Shirou supper or something?"

"I am," Saber confirmed.

"Well, you might wanna ease up on the chopping. You don't wanna chop the board in half," he advised before he left her alone. He then stopped in mid-step and addressed Saber seriously, "Oh, and if you want help in dealing with Gilgamesh, be sure to call."

"Rider, why are you here? It is obvious you care not for the Holy Grail."

"I am here because Sakura-hime wants me here, and that is all I need."

* * *

**Shinichi Banabara**: Abducted at a young age, he was operated on numerous times to push him to superhuman status. At the same time, he was mentally tortured and forced to shut down his emotions and mental processes until he only had obedience left. However, during his imprisonment, he met a girl who invoked an emotion he never felt and thus never had a chance to seal away: Love. One day, his 'handler' Dr. Gebok in a fit of curiosity wondered what would happen if his creation got all of his emotions and mental facilities back. As such, he manipulated events until he killed the girl he loved by sheer accident.

It resulted in complete destruction.

In a fit of madness with the return of his repressed mental facilities and feeling the pain of love lost, Shinichi destroyed his prison and almost everyone in the building. From there, he stumbled off into the night to be missing for a time to come. He reappeared in Hinamizawa, but his memories were gone because of how painful they were. He forged new ties with the people in the village and used his powers to protect his new home from the curse which plagued it and his former masters. During these exploits he made contact with his Noble Phantasms and earned the right to wield them. With their combined power, Shinichi battled his enemies and eventually destroyed them all and finally earned his right for peace.

**Class Qualifications:** Rider, Berserker

**Skills:**

Time Manipulation (A): A unique ability which Shinichi retains from his time. He holds the ability to freeze, reverse and accelerate time. He used this ability to reverse time and prevents deaths of innocent people who may or may not have been caught in the middle of the war. He can also use this ability to freeze time or accelerate the healing process. He can also use the ability to age or de-age items or people in a 'time steal'. The ultimate form of this ability is to 'Erase' as in remove an object from existence and/or remove memories.

Shikigami (C): Origami figures used to gather information and spy on opponents. He can also pile the Shikigami together to form a giant construct for him to mount. Hence, his class of Rider.

Independent Action ( B): Shinichi is incredibly independent because his sense of justice was so strong. Forcing him to submit to your will is nigh impossible without use of a Command Seal.

Enhanced Reflexes (B)

Eye of the Mind (C): This may have been higher if it were not for Shinichi's amnesia. His artificial enhancements made up for the lack of experience. Should his memories return, it will be a B-rank if not A-rank.

**Noble Phantasms:**

Higurashi no Yaiba: Originally a sword wielded by a samurai known as Furude, one of the three founders of the area known as Hinamizawa. It is a holy sword forged by an emphatic swordsmith not only with master skill, but with the hopes and prayers of people living in fear and pain. Nothing evil is able to touch the sword and it even has Steel Awareness, being sentient to an extent. Shinichi earned the right to use this sword through his powerful desire to protect the innocent and those who are precious to him from the many evils which threatened his new home.

Oni no Hone: A skull-like helmet which was rumoured to have been made from the skull of a powerful oni. It was worn by another samurai called Sonozaki, another founder of Hinamizawa. Shinichi earned this helmet by use of his primal instincts and desire to punish evil. Invoking it gives Shinichi a minor Magecraft (D) ability, allowing him to manipulate fire, wind, and lightning.

Kage no Hoshi: A shuriken which was wielded not as a weapon, but as a personal charm by the third samurai founder of Hinamizawa, Kimiyoshi. It was a weapon which an assassin had attempted to kill him with. He was struck by it, but he survived and was told that by holding it he would be stealthier. Shinichi received it by his determination to never stop in his quest for justice. Wielding it gives Shinichi Presence Concealment (D) among other abilities.

**Heroic Achievements Include:**

Defeated the terrorist organization bent on world domination known as Gin-Shocker, also the same ones which made Shinichi what he was

Defeated the Dark One, the source of the Hinamizawa Syndrome and demons throughout the entire area.

Destroyed the Dark Hatred Society, a group dedicated to the destruction of the world as we know it.

Saved the people of Hinamizawa and the surrounding area numerous times.

In Fate/Stay Night (Fanfic): Rider (Shinichi) is summoned during the Fifth Holy Grail War by Sakura Matou and he instantly began to dote on the girl who reminded him of his love, Rena. He is quite protective of Sakura, even threatening her brother's life when he harassed her and tried to pressure her into giving Mastership of Rider over to him. However, due to his Independent Action he is able to resist the transfer of Mastership but Sakura uses one of her Command Seals, at Shinji's insistence, to command Rider to obey Shinji. Of course, Rider still has no love for Shinji and openly insults and berates him with Shinji unable to actually control him save for giving him basic commands. Shinichi is absolutely devoted to Sakura and loves her and wants her to be happy. Rider observes the other Servants and appears before them, confusing them and keeps them guessing about his Class as he possesses abilities that qualifies him for all the Classes due to the Noble Phantasms he has at his disposal. He fights all the Servants that he sees, making comments about their Masters, and likes to poke fun and make jokes in battle. His true colors show when Shinji commanded him to kill the other Masters (Shinji: Eliminate all the threats to your Master!). Rider, however, interprets this as a command to kill Shinji and he stabs Shinji in the back and kills him coldly stating that he was only following orders and clues the others in that Shinji was never his Master due to his lack of Command Seals. He then returns to Sakura, leaving them baffled.

Sakura's identity as Rider's Master is finally revealed when Sakura is kidnapped by Caster and Rider begs for help from Shirou and Rin. After rescuing Sakura, Rider and his Master move into Shirou's house because it is more homely than the Matou Mansion. He still pokes fun at the others, pissing Saber and Rin off. He also openly admits he's a pervert and he prefers to just relax instead of fighting because he wants to stay with Sakura just a little longer. Rin, of course, tries to find out his true identity but with no such luck. The Noble Phantasms he has only makes her conclude that Sakura somehow summoned the amalgam of the Three Founders of Hinamizawa and Rider was the result. Rider doesn't deny or confirm Rin's claim and simply tells her that he was a hero who was good at hiding his accomplishments.

Rider's relationships with the other characters differ. He respects Shirou's ideals, likes to tease Rin and Saber, and dotes on Sakura and Illya, the latter whom he sees as a little sister as she reminds him of his. Personality-wise, Shinichi is a bit perverted as he enjoys pornography which gets on Rin's nerve, especially since he never denies he's a pervert and almost proud of it though he has limits like he would never peep on a girl in a bath unless it's someone he loves or that he would never spy on women unknowingly. Also, he would never force them to do anything. Personally, he has no desire to win the Holy Grail and prefers to lounge about, eating snacks and reading manga, while enjoying Sakura's company and cooking. He's generally friendly and easygoing but when he's enraged he's very wicked and bloodthirsty. As a fighter he is very proficient.


	134. FATE: ETERNAL TEARS

**FATE: ETERNAL TEARS**

The shard had floated through the Multiverse, never really impacting on a specific world like the other shards had. Unlike the others, this one had simply had the luck of not hitting anything after its whole shattered and simply slowly lost momentum over time. It had come close to many worlds and absorbed information from them. Some worlds were nice, filled with pretty and cute things which would make hearts flutter. Other worlds were mean and scary worlds that could give nightmares. Lots of worlds though were somewhere in between the two. Absorbing so much information from each world, the shard developed a kind of sentience. With that limited sentience, it understood that the lack of action happening was not a favoured form of stimulation. So, it decreed that it would go find a world where such positive stimulation could be found.

It looked over the next few worlds and after some small consideration it decided on one world in particular. For some reason, it seemed like a good world to go to. So it changed its course and headed towards that area. It quickly pierced the dimensional membrane which separated the worlds and entered the world and descended towards an area which seemed to call out to it. It seemed like a small, out-of-the-way place yet it was steeped in ancient power. It seemed like a nice place to hide.

* * *

The fragment hadn't gone unnoticed by those who knew where to look. It was a mainly empty room which they met in with only a single table for them to pay attention to aside from each other. However, the table was far from normal. It was a game table which allowed the players to look down at the real world and play games with real people by their own whims. The first was a woman in a black dress who wore her dark blonde hair tied back in a bun. She was beautiful, but she held an aura of malice that would terrify all but the most hardened of people. A pipe was held in her fingers as she clenched her teeth around the end of it, looking down at the game table as if an opponent had played a particularly annoying move. Her name was Beatrice the Golden Witch. She was a woman whose life and power spanned centuries and had done numerous terrible things. She had gotten married recently to a man who was her opponent in a different game, which was a shocking move to all that knew her. However, it seemed to be good for her since she didn't seem as cruel as she used to be. Of course she would complain about him, but the smile in her eyes never seemed to go away.

The second at the table was a woman dressed in a black and white gothic outfit. She had long blue hair and eyes which seemed to go on into infinity. Her face was blank despite how cute it was, but her eyes spoke of concern and confusion. What was odd about her was the cat tail with a blue ribbon tied to the end coming out from under her dress. She was resting her chin in her hand as she stared at the game board, contemplating what to do next. Her name was Bernkastel the Witch of Miracles. She possessed a power which could transcend fate, but at the price of her heart. She could be cruel, and often was if for no other reason than to preserve her heart, but her kindness could be seen now and then.

Third was a blonde girl dressed in a shockingly pink outfit decorated all over with pearls and ribbons. On her hip was a jack-o-lantern decoration which gave her a slightly creepy vibe. Her hair reached to her shoulders and she had red eyes. Unlike the two before her, she seemed most interested in what was going on with the game board and seemed excited to see what was going to happen next. Her name was Lambdadelta, the Witch of Certainty. Like the other two, she was cruel and often was for amusement. She considered Bernkastel to be her rival, but she also loved her at the same time. It was a complicated relationship that the two shared.

The fourth woman in the room was appearance-wise older than the other three. She had long silvery hair and wore a black dress which made her look quite classy. She also wore a black hat which was decorated with crimson roses. Her eyes were closed, but one could tell that she was staring at the game board and an open frown was on her face. Her name was Virgilia and she used to be the Endless Witch before she handed the title over to Beatrice. She was still immensely powerful and was not to be trifled with. Unlike the other witches, Virgilia was very kind and had hoped to impart that mindset to her students but failed.

Lastly was the lone man in the room who stood at the front of the game board in the position of a game master. He wore a loud suit which consisted of a green overcoat, striped pants, a polka-dot tie, and a top hat on the top of his head. Short messy blonde hair was visible from beneath the hat and he had a hooked nose which stood out. He didn't look like a person who would be there, but the witches knew better than to mess with him outside of a joke. He was the Infernal Merchant, a being who could give you anything you wanted for an appropriate price. He was the Game Master over the latest game between the four witches and they played by his rules and they knew it. Now something new had happened.

"What is the meaning of this, Merchant?" asked Virgilia with a frown. "You know how dangerous those fragments are."

"Yeah!" Beatrice snapped. "We busted our asses to make sure none of them landed in our world and you just bring one in!"

"This is going to be fu~un," Lambdadelta giggled.

"Hm," Bernkastel frowned.

"Ladies, trust me," Topper grinned with a salesman's smile. "Consider this…a bonus round."

* * *

"Hyah!"

Showa unleashed a punch with collided with the Darkling's face, knocking it back. The Kamen Rider of Hinamizawa was battling a small group of Darklings which had crawled their way out of the darkness to make an attack on Hinamizawa. Thankfully the Rider was able to spot them during his patrol and quickly went to fight them before they could evolve into Darkloids and cause even more trouble or worse, spread the Hinamizawa Syndrome even further. Normally fighting a small group of the dark creatures would be quite easy for him…but something was wrong.

Since the fight began, Showa was feeling himself grow steadily weaker. At first he just assumed it was from fighting so much lately. After the destruction of GIN-SHOCKER it seemed that the Darkloids were starting to get more aggressive. As the fight progressed though, he was feeling as if he was being attacked by Scanner who was draining his powers again. Soon he was panting, missing openings to attack, and taking more hits.

What was going on?

"RAWR!"

The Darklings charged as a group and crashed against Showa, sending him tumbling across the grass from the impact. Coming to a stop, his Spark Core flashed before his armour vanished and left him in his regular form of Shinichi Banabara.

"Crap…" he groaned, getting to his knees. Panting, he looked up at the approaching Darklings and grimaced at them. "Rena-can…"

The Darklings approach continued, but they didn't notice as the moonlight began reflecting on something in the grass surrounding the boy. It grew brighter as more moonlight shone until it looked like a circle array had surrounded him. The soft silver light didn't stop the Darklings as they approached.

The pillar of light that came from it sure did though.

Shinichi covered his eyes and tried not to go blind from the power. Squinting, he was able to see a human figure appear in the middle of it all, formed by the light itself. The light continued until the figure was fully formed and then winked out, revealing who it was.

The figure turned out to be a woman and an attractive one. She had long red hair which reached down to her backside. She wore a bright red coat like something a Romantic era officer would wear on a ship with a large leather belt wrapped around her waist. However, the top of her coat was unbuttoned which revealed a lot of cleavage and the fact that she likely wasn't wearing a top beneath the jacket. Leather was wrapped around her neck and vanished into her coat, indicating that she had weapons under her jacket. She had tanned pants and high-heeled boots which went up to her thighs. Her face was pretty, but she showed a lot of confidence and there was a scar which went across it from the middle of her forehead down to her left cheek. The scar didn't mar her beauty one bit.

Even though he was with his Rena-chan, the love of his life and in the midst of a deadly situation, Shinichi couldn't help but stare at the hot woman.

"Hm," the woman smirked, eyeing the Darklings. "Seems we're fighting right off then? How fun."

"Wait…" Shinichi grimaced. "You can't…"

The woman didn't listen as she reached into her coat with both hands and removed them to reveal a pair of pistols which looked like they came out of the Elizabethan era. Holding them up, she began shooting the iron balls out of the muzzles at the approaching skeletal monsters. Each shot hit true and made a small flash like magnesium burning, causing the Darklings to scream and stumble backwards from the impacts. The sight caused Shinichi to freeze. Normal bullets would never have stood a chance against even Darklings. Just who was this woman?

The redhead continued to approach the monsters, shooting them up as she went. When a bullet struck a limb, the body part would shatter, crippling the Darkling while headhsots would make their craniums explode like firecrackers. Despite the carnage, she just kept calmly walking towards them as if nothing was happening and she wasn't killing creatures capable of spreading a disease which drove people insane. Shinichi himself was shocked, and a little turned on to be honest.

Reaching the first of the corpses, the woman finally lowered her pistols and saw that all of the Darklings were either dead or dust. A soft smirked came across her lips in satisfaction before she turned around and began heading back towards Shinichi with a calm stride. While she was walking, a Darkling hissed and managed to get up to its shambling feet before charging at the woman from behind.

"Look out-!" Shinichi cried, trying to get to his feet.

*BANG!*

The woman didn't even break her stride as she turned her right pistol around to point it behind her and pulled the trigger without looking. The bullet struck the Darkling between the eyes and made its head explode in ash with the rest of its body dissolve with it. Shinichi blinked at the sight, honestly impressed that a normal-looking person was able to take on the Darklings and win. There had to be something more to the woman than what she appeared.

Reaching Shinichi again, the woman took a kneeling position in front of him, and incidentally offered a fine view of her chest. He had almost missed her next words because of the distraction and his weakened state of mind.

"Servant Rider has been called," she whispered, her voice teasing and sexy. "Are you my Master?"

"Uh…"

* * *

Akane Sonozaki sighed as she left the clinic in Okinomiya. She had been feeling tired all day, like something was sapping the strength out of her. She would have gone to see Dr. Irie at his clinic, but her husband had been worried and asked her to go to the clinic in the nearby town in order to have access to better medical equipment. It was moments like that which made Akane smile. A yakuza man he may have been, but he was a good father and husband despite his activities.

Walking along the sidewalk, she stifled a yawn as she went to get to her transportation. She had told her bodyguards to relax and get coffee or something to pass the time while she was speaking to the doctor. Only one guard had been there and he was busy getting the final details with the doctor done with. It was her own little way of getting a little bit of freedom outside of the Sonozaki estate. Oh her husband would fuss over her if she heard and if her mother heard she'd chew her out as she always did.

Walking, Akane suddenly felt woozy and held herself against the side of a building for a moment to get her balance back. As she had her eyes closed and was rubbing her face, she didn't notice a flash of light coming from the nearby alley and the surge of commotion she only attributed to a sudden gust of wind. It wasn't until after the light died that she managed to get her balance back and none the wiser for what had occurred. She felt a little better though.

"WAUGH!"

She did notice the scream though.

Slipping her tanto our of her kimono sleeve by reflex, she inched towards the alley the scream came from. Reaching the edge, she took a breath before daring to peek inside. She had been expecting to see perhaps some thugs beating up on one another or something to that extent. What she got was something radically different.

Standing in the middle of the alley was a young girl. She looked to be perhaps twelve or thirteen and was deathly pale. She had short hair which was shock white and her eyes were a pale blue. Her clothes though were much more shocking. She had thigh high boots with purple toes, but she didn't wear any pants and instead something akin to black bikini bottoms. Her chest was covered with a black jacket-like bit of clothing that had tails which covered her barely-clad derriere. She had red circles on her shoulders and belts decorating her arms with white bandages covering her hands. She was merely standing there, looking absently about.

Akane was shocked that a little girl was wearing something so scandalous and while she was raised traditionally, she knew no normal girl wear clothes like that.

"Little girl?" Akane asked softly, sheathing her tanto. The pale girl turned to look at her, almost curious. "Little girl, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"…no," the replied softly, shaking her head.

"Where are your parents?" asked Akane, approaching the young girl and kneeling down in front of her. "Are you by yourself?"

"…yes," the pale girl nodded.

Akane bit her lip. If the girl was by herself and was dressed like a prostitute then likely some sick pervert was taking advantage of her. The moral thing to do was try to find a way to help the poor girl, but Akane's mother would just say to ignore the girl since it was below a Sonozaki's concern. However, Akane was not her mother and she took pride in that.

"Would you…like to come home with me?" the vertette asked hopefully.

The girl blinked and for once seemed totally alert to Akane's presence, "…will you be my mother?"

That statement just made Akane want to cry and hug the poor girl. Instead, she gently took the girl's hands and squeezed them reassuringly, "I don't see why not."

The girl blinked but then she smiled softly. Stepping forward, she hugged Akane tightly. It was heart-warming, but Akane still had to resist the urge not to cry out of sorrow for the girl. Once the girl had a moment to enjoy the embrace, she stepped back to keep smiling at the woman. Akane removed her shawl from her shoulders and wrapped it around the girl as to try and keep her warm as well as protect a little more of her modesty, "What's your name?"

"…Assassin," the pale girl answered, making Akane blink. Was that a nickname that horrible pervert called her? "…you can call me…Jackie…please."

"Okay Jackie-chan," Akane smiled. "Let's go home then. There's a hot bath and a warm bed waiting for you."

Assassin smiled and took Akane's hand before the pair left the alley. As they left though, a dumpster which was likewise in the alley was developing a puddle underneath it from a hole in the bottom. Normally it would have been thought to have been from a soda or something was dumped inside. However, the deep red colour and the copper smell would tell otherwise. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be until several days later when garbage would be collected that anyone would notice that there had been a murder and a particularly gruesome one at that.

* * *

"Nii-nii, you're not feeling good! You should go see Dr. Irie!"

"Satoko, I'm fine! Honest," Satoshi sighed, rubbing his eyes drowsily.

"Satoshi-kun, you've been drowsy all day and have been steadily getting worse," Shion frowned. "If you aren't going to Dr. Irie then at least go to bed."

The three were at the Houjou house where the three were cleaning things up. With Satoshi and Satoko's uncle in jail and likely to be there for a good and long time, the two didn't have a reason not to go back. Despite the bad memories connected to the house they were determined to give it a face lift and make some new memories.

"But…" Satoshi groaned.

"If you do," Shion whispered, leaning close, "I'll go with you."

Satoshi blinked before his eyes bulged at the thought. Shion, while generally the more soft-spoken of the two Sonozaki sisters, had a sensual streak which she kept hidden until she managed to get Satoshi by himself. She would tease him like a professional but it was so, so worth it.

"Well…I suppose I can't win against you two," Satoshi sighed, sounding like a reluctant defeat.

"Excellent," Shion smiled before she turned to smile at Satoko. "Satoko-chan, if you want to go do something else I'll take care of Satoshi-kun while he's getting some rest. I'll even make dinner tonight."

"Okay, Nee-nee," Satoko beamed. "Just make sure than Nii-nii gets his rest or I'll have to make a trap to keep him in bed."

"I will," Shion nodded. "Now then, let's-"

*WHOOM*

A sudden vibration rocked the house and all three of the inhabitants froze. Having long since become accustomed to strange or bizarre things happening out of the blue, they quickly recovered themselves and began to move. Normal people would have tried to run from something like this happening, but they were the curious types and it had managed to save their hometown from a psychotic nurse and her goon squad. So the three had instead began racing for the source of the commotion which had come from outside and had engulfed their windows in bright light. They quickly reached the front door with Satoshi grabbing his baseball bat from nearby.

"Stay back," Satoshi whispered before he reached to the door handle. Gripping it, he then opened the door to try and examine what was going on outside.

Everything outside still looked completely normal. However, it had one new addition in the form of a man standing still and what seemed like writing inside a book with a feather quill. He was dressed in green clothes which looked like they came out of the Elizabethan era and also had a deep green cloak hanging from his one shoulder. He wore brown gloves, but they were stained slightly with ink. He looked western and had brown hair which was short and somewhat untamed which had sideburns that connected to a beard which covered his chin.

"Hey! Who are you, mister?" Satoko demanded hotly.

"Hm?" the man blinked, turning to look at the trio. "Ah, so the master has arrived has he? Excellent timing. I was just about to begin my next work."

"Huh?" Satoshi blinked. "Next work? Just who the heck are you?"

"My name is Caster," the man replied, sticking his quill onto his jacket and shutting his book. He then took a few steps to get closer to the trio before he made a grand bow as if he were on a stage. "And I am your very humble Servant."

"Servant?" Shion blinked.

"Indeed," the man nodded. Standing straight, he examined the trio before stroking his beard as if in thought. "I must say that it is fortuitous that not only master, but his companions appear to be such strong protagonists. This could indeed be the start of my grandest work yet!"

"Huh?" the trio blinked as one.

* * *

Rika yawned a little as she swept the steps at the front of the shrine. She'd been feeling a little sleepy all day and it made her wonder if she wasn't getting enough sleep lately. Well, Mion had been pushing them a lot in their games since she was still celebrating the defeat of GIN-SHOCKER. Well, that and wanting to beat Shinichi at some more games if she could manage it. Things had been getting wild for lack of a better term.

"Au, au, au!" Hanyuu murmured as she helped her friend, but seemed very nervous about something.

"What is it?" asked Rika, easily recognizing the signs of the goddess' worry. If something could actually worry Hanyuu, then it gave her a reason to worry.

"Au, well…I feel like…" the horned girl began. "It's hard to explain. It feels like something that shouldn't be here is. At the same time it feels like something that has already been here is back again. I can't really say it any better than that."

"Shouldn't be here? Been here before?" Rika asked confusedly.

"I just don't know," Hanyuu sighed, shaking her head. As she tried to continue with the sweeping, she suddenly jolted as if she had been shocked by something. Rika blinked, knowing for sure that something was up with her friend and that it meant something big.

"Hanyuu?"

*WHOOM!*

The Saiguden of the Furude Shrine suddenly lit up like a star had appeared. Both girls gasped in shock and dashed for the source, fearing that it was some kind of return of their enemies in GIN-SHOCKER, or perhaps worse**. **Rika, with the keys of the Saiguden in hand, carefully approached the Saiguden with Hanyuu shakily behind her. Rika unlocked the padlock in front of the door and removed it before opening the door. The two girls cried out as they were assaulted by near blinding light which soon shrank into a pillar in the middle of the floor in front of the statue of Oyashiro-sama. Rika could tell that it was obviously magic, but what it did was rather a mystery to her.

"Au! Au! Au!" Hanyuu trembled. "Something's coming! I can feel it!"

The pillar shone for another few moments before it promptly died down, but where it had been a person was now standing. He was handsome, apparently just into his twenties. His hair was shaggy, but a shade of green which made Rika wonder at first if he was related to her friends Mion and Shion. He wore a blue tunic of sorts with a white undershirt beneath it. He had black leather on his arms and black sandals on his feet. Strapped to his back was what appeared to be a flat rock with a flower design in the centre that looked like it could be split into five pieces. Running through holes in the rock was a strip of leather that had a pocket in the middle. He wasn't Japanese, but he was handsome Rika had to admit and looked western. He was also quite fit if the muscle she could see revealed from his tunic was any indication. Her blush brightened at the thought.

"I know you're there," he smiled, turning to where the two girls were hiding. "You and your friend can come out now, Master."

Frowning at being caught, Rika did just that with a frightened Hanyuu following her. They walked up to the strange man who so far hadn't done anything to prove he was threatening but Gebok had managed to get into Hinamizawa by pretending to be nice.

"How did you know we were there?" Rika asked in her adult voice.

"Such a mature voice for one so small," the man commented, sounding amused. "As for how I knew you were there, I heard you."

"Au, you heard us? How?" asked Hanyuu.

"I am Archer," the man introduced. "Since I bear the title, I possess heightened sense which allow me to hear on a level most cannot and see details that otherwise elude other people." He kneeled down to look Rika in the eye. "And I have also been summoned to serve you."

Rika blinked, a little unsure of what this all meant.

"Let me ask you, little one; are you my Master and if you are will you please tell me your name?"

"I am Rika Furude," the little shrine girl answered. "How would I be able to tell if I am your master?"

"Well, if you show me your hands then I will explain," Archer replied. Suspicious, Rika did just that and held out her hands. As she did so though, she saw a red tattoo on the back of her right hand which was glowing with a soft red light. The tattoo was in the shape of three flower petals in a triangular formation. Hanyuu gasped at the sight while Rika raised an eyebrow in confusion. Archer merely continued his explanation. "These markings represent our bond. With these, you are most assuredly my master."

Rika couldn't help but take her hands back to examine the markings on her skin. They didn't feel like they were tattoos or paint of any kind. In fact, they felt like they were always a part of her skin despite the fact that she knew otherwise. It was one of the stranger things she had run into during her life in Hinamizawa. Considering everything that occurred in the past that was a very profound statement.

* * *

Dr. Gebok was not in a pleasant mood at the moment. Ever since the day had started, his physical augmentations had been going on the fritz. At first it was just minor errors which were negligible, but as the day wore on those errors were getting worse and worse. It had gotten so bad his body just as may as well be a regular human for all the good it was doing him. All day he had been running tests on himself to try and figure out what the problem was. It had been slow going since most of his equipment with GIN-SHOCKER, but he had been making progress and if his offers of alliance to the DHS came to fruition then funding and equipment weren't going to be a problem.

At the moment, he was reading over his findings.

"It seems that an outside force is siphoning the extra energy needed to maintain my physical augmentations, leaving me only with what my body is capable of doing naturally," the mad scientist muttered to himself. "Where is this energy going? What purpose does it serve?"

It made no sense to the doctor, but then again he was suspecting that it was a natural occurring phenomenon. If it were one of his enemies then he would have been attacked long before now. No, his energy was being used for a purpose and he was going to learn what that purpose was. It wasn't like he had anything else to do at the moment anyway.

*BREET! BREET! BREET*

"Huh?" Gebok blinked, perking up at the screaming alarms. Heading to one of the computers, he began typing and getting a readout as to what was going on. A quick examination told him that a portal of energy was forming on the property and might possibly be bringing enemies. Cursing, he pulled up the readouts to tell him where the portal would form. As he read the information though, he paled slightly as he got the location confirmed.

…right in his lab.

*BOOM*

The room was filled with light as Gebok's machines were tossed from the force of the portal opening. Gebok himself managed to keep himself on his feet, cursing the fact that his enhancements weren't working. He was defenceless without a weapon at this point!

The light died down quickly and Gebok grabbed a simple and shamefully primitive handgun before pointing it at the source of the light. The glare needed a moment to die down, but he was just able to see what, or rather who had been the source of the energy siphon and subsequent light.

The person was in fact female, and stood a little over six feet tall. She was clad in a white wedding dress which went down to her shins and had a large ribbon wrapped around the skirt with a decorative round bell on her waist. Her arms were covered with white gloves and her chest was covered with more of the white fabric, but it was strapless. Her legs looked like they were encased in steel high-heel boots but it was hard to say if they were able to come off or not. Her neck was wrapped in a brass neckpiece which was connected to two large brass bolts on the sides of her head. It was decorated with what looked like a black veil which ran down to the base of her neck. Her hair was red and short, but on her forehead was a brass decoration which was a plate with a sharp brass horn. Her face was cute, but her eyes were two different colours with one being gold and the other being blue. Gripped in her hands was a long white pole which had a large heavy ball at the end.

Gebok blinked at the strange creature, but it wasn't her features which caught his attention. It was the look in her eyes which did. He wasn't looking at someone who was a warrior or a fighter of any kind. He was looking into the eyes of someone who was purely mad. Logic had no place, patience, sanity, reason, none of it was there in the strange woman's eyes. Still, the spark of intelligence was visible if only barely underneath the layers of insanity.

"Fa…ther?" the bride growled out.

"Ah, yes!" Gebok nodded quickly. "Yes, I am your father. Tell me, do you know who you are?"

The creature grimaced for a moment, but then began growling again, "Ber…ser…ker."

"Berserker, you say?" Gebok grinned. Had this girl teleported into his lab? Then where had she come from? Of course the bigger question was what she was. She was obviously a cyborg judging by her appearance. He could tell just by looking at her and his scans picked up on her status. Who had built her, why and what was she doing in his laboratory? Well, it looked like some unexplained force had brought before him a new specimen for study and experimentation. He would need to be careful, though. BLACK 13, his greatest creation, had rebelled and he'd learnt his lesson from that debacle. He would need to tread carefully and this was his chance. "Now, come with me and let me take a good look at you, my dear Berserker," Gebok said gently.

* * *

"Hey come on baby! We don't bite!"

"Yeah, we'll show you a good time! Promise!"

Natsumi Kimiyoshi cringed as the group of three boys circled around her. They were obviously the kinds of dropout thug her grandmother kept preaching to her about who infested larger cities and one of the main reasons why life was better back in Hinamizawa. While she tended to take her grandmother's speeches in such areas with a grain of salt, she was beginning to regret it now. She knew she shouldn't have stayed so long at the arcade, but she had gotten sucked into the game and didn't want to stop until her watch had gone off and alerted her to the time. She tried to get home fast by ducking into an alley, but that just put her in the sights of the three goons who were cornering her now.

"Now come on sweet thing, we're being really generous here," the lead thug snickered. "I mean, Tatsu's usually a lot more aggressive about how we ask a lady out."

"Yeah," the thug on the left snickered, toying with a switchblade. "I think we're being downright gentleman."

"Help…" Natsumi whimpered under her breath.

When the knife-wielding thug advanced on her with his blade at the ready, Natsumi thought her life was going to end.

*WOOSH!*

That was before light erupted from behind her and knocked over the wire mesh fence that she had been backed up against. Scurrying out of the way, Natsumi hid behind a trash can while the three thugs stumbled blindly since they had been looking directly at the light when it started up. It didn't last long, but it did make her flinch as she wondered what was going on. Was it one of the monster attacks that she was hearing about lately?

The light died down and Natsumi could see that someone had appeared when the light had. He stood tall, and nearly naked save for a ragged loincloth which looked like it had been made from some animal's pelt. However, he was certainly muscled and despite the situation the girl couldn't help but feel her face heat up at the sight of a man's chest. Gripped in his hand was what looked like a long straight stick which was topped with a sharpened rock tied on with thin vines. His face was sharply defined and had long shaggy hair which reached down to his back and his eyes showed a kind of…ferality which normal men didn't have.

"Who the hell is this guy?" cried one of the three thugs.

"Looks like a psycho out of that Hinamizawa place if you ask me!" replied another.

"Who cares? He's dead to me!" the knife wielder growled before he charged the man.

The punk reached the man and swing wide at his neck, but missed completely. The wild man had crouched low before pushing forward with his feet and smashing his head into the thug's gut. The knife wielder let out a loud huff of breath as the wind was knocked out of him. However, the wild man was quickly upright again before he lashed out with a savage kick that sent the thug flying backwards into his two friends. It was a sight that made Natsumi gasp in surprise. One kick managed to floor all three thugs at the same time? Just how strong was this man?

"Ow!" groaned the leader. Shaking his head, he pushed his blade-happy friend off and got to his feet. "Screw this! No chick is worth this!"

"I'm with you!"

Both punks quickly got to their feet and ran for their lives, leaving their friend unconscious on the ground. The wild man just grunted and approached the unconscious boy before tapping him with the blunt end of his spear, checking to see if he really was down and out. When the punk didn't move, the man seemed satisfied. He then sniffed the air before turning to the garbage cans which Natsumi was hiding behind.

"Are you well, Master?" he asked gently.

"Ah?" Natsumi squeaked, beginning to tremble.

"I won't hurt you," the man spoke, stepping closer to the cans. "I just wish to make sure you're safe."

Still trembling, but seeing no means of escaping Natsumi slowly stood up so that the wild man would be able to see her. Again, he didn't move, didn't make a threatening gesture, just stood his ground so that he wouldn't frighten her.

"My name is Lancer," he introduced. "I was summoned to serve you for the near future."

"S-serve me?" Natsumi stuttered.

"Protect you, aid you, fight for you," Lancer elaborated. "All that I am is yours to command."

Natsumi couldn't help but blush as her mind took a dive into the gutter at those words.

* * *

Rena was at her favourite place in the whole world: the junkyard in Hinamizawa. Well, to others it was simply a dump to toss away their garbage. However, Rena only saw a place filled with buried treasure. It was her paradise, a safe haven for herself, her personal little hideaway. She had even made a base out of an old minivan and often came to this place to hunt for treasure. She salvaged and collected anything she perceived as cute. She had once brought Keiichi along with her but he hadn't shown much enthusiasm in her hobby. That was OK. She knew not many would share her outlook but she didn't blame any of her friends. Besides, this place was also dangerous but Rena had always loved coming here and knew how to be careful, even at night.

However, as she sat atop her minivan, she just sighed in boredom. She was waiting. "Shin-kun…" He had told her that he would be coming but he was already an hour late. He said he would be coming once he was done with his patrol. Just what was holding him up? At first she felt annoyed but then she felt worried. Could Gebok be back? That man always had a habit of returning despite being destroyed each time. What if Shinichi was in trouble and had to fight again like he had against GIN-SHOCKER? The organization was gone, was it not? Then maybe it was Darklings and Darkloids again. They seemed to pop up every now and then.

Her worry and anxiety seemed to attract attention, and not the good kind. Yellow eyes, tinted with red, looked upon her with hunger. It growled as it snuck through the shadows. It made sure its footsteps were silent as it slowly approached its prey, ready to pounce. Stepping ever closer, it bent the muscles in its legs and prepared to jump…

*WOOSH!*

A pillar of light erupted from the space between the beast and its victim, causing both to freeze and pay attention to the event. Rena was frozen with shock and the best in confusion. The light was powerful, but it had been in enough darkness to hide it. What it felt coming from the light though…

The light died down quickly, but it left a figure behind. He was a western man and had long flowing brown hair that reached past his waist. He seemed to be wearing bronze armour with more of the same armour on his arms and legs. Over his armor he wore a white surcoat which covered only half his armor-clad torso and was decorated with a red cross. A white cape hung from his shoulders, flapping in the night breeze. He stood strong and proud like something out of a storybook. Rena couldn't help but gape at his appearance.

"Sugoi…" she gasped.

The knight then reached into his cape where Rena couldn't see and retrieved a sword which had pure white steel for a blade and a golden hilt and handle. Taking the blade, he pointed it at one of the trash piles which populated the area around them as if he were going to challenge it.

"Demon!" he barked, his voice strong and proud. "Do not dare think you can hide from one such as I for I can sense your foul presence even if it were a mile away!"

Rena blinked in confusion, "Um…Mr. Knight? I don't think…"

A raging hissing noise cut off Rena's thoughts when a Darkling bust from the confines of a wrecked car and lunged for the knight standing in the trash. Rena would have screamed, but the knight was already moving when the beast had attacked. All Rena would be able to say about the attack was that the knight's arms moved and there was a flash of light before the Darkling was behind the knight and wasn't moving. It was still for a moment before it suddenly split down the middle like it had been chopped by a super-sharp sword before both halves dissolved into dust.

"Wow!" Rena gasped in shock. Shinichi could only do that when he used the Higurashi no Yaiba!

Sheathing his sword, the knight turned to face Rena who sat upon her van/fort, "Are you unharmed, Milady?"

Rena had to fight not to blush. He was talking like right out of a story! "Um…yes. I am. Thank you."

"Ah, then that is good," the knight nodded. Stepping forward, he reached the foot of the heap which was topped by the van before bowing down on one knee with his armour crushing the trash beneath. "I am Servant Saber, Milady. I am to be your sword to do battle with and defeat those who would rise against you for the sake of your desires."

"Um…" Rena blushed, unable to control it. She had to struggle to sit still while inside her mind was yelling, '_OMOCHIKAERI!_'

* * *

"And so the seven Masters and sever Servants have been united!" Topper declared. "Let the games begin! Place your bets, ladies, who will you wager your money on? Which pair will be the last one standing at the very end of MY Holy Grail War?"

The seven pairs were displayed on the windows like stained glass. In one window was a depiction of Shinichi and Rider, standing back to back, with a fleet of ships hanging over their heads. In the window after it was a depiction of Assassin held in a motherly embrace by Akane but with the Servant holding her daggers with her arms crossed. Then there was Archer, who stood behind Rika. Let us not forget Berserker and Gebok, with the mad scientist standing behind the charging Servant as he gave his command, lightning striking above them. The stained glass window depicting Satoshi and Caster showed the two glaring at each other. Well, Satoshi was glaring while shouldering a bat while Caster stared at his Master in amusement. There was a depiction of Lancer, swinging on a vine, while holding Natsumi's hand. And finally, a depiction of Saber riding on horseback with Rena at his side was in the final window of stained glass.

"I knew it! I knew it! This is going to be so much fun!" Lambdadelta giggled while clapping her hands in glee.

"You know…I think this just might be worth the risk of having that shard around," Beatrice smirked in interest.

"I admit it has potential…" Bernkastel commented, seemingly on the fence about what she was doing.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Merchant," Virgilia frowned.

"I always do, Lady Virgillia," Topper snickered softly.

* * *

**Ten-Faced Paladin: Okay, the basis of this story is that an Infinity Fragment managed to drift along the Multiverse and absorbed knowledge from worlds it skimmed by until Topper drew it back to Hinamizawa. There, it felt the desires of the founding families and the magic which is infused into the land along with the desires of other significant people. Since the fragments grant power to whoever holds them, the fragment wanted to grant the desire but since there were so many, it decided to start a competition on who deserved it most based on the method of fighting it learned of when it skimmed one of the many worlds in the Multiverse. So now we have a Holy Grail War without a Holy Grail and of course the Hinamizawa Gang are in the middle of it.**


	135. KOIHIME MUSOU: MESSENGERS OF HEAVEN

In each generation heroes are born. Whether it was due to free will, fate or divine intervention, these heroes were created in order to protect and avenge the people. It all started with one but now they are ten. Masked men who fight in the shadows to combat the nightmares that humanity denies exist. This is a new chapter for them...

**KOIHIME MUSOU: MESSENGERS OF HEAVEN**

* * *

Kan'u, Chouhi, Choun, and even Koumei were all stuck in a tight situation. While in their usual travels, they had been jumped by a group of bandits. They had heard about the Beautiful Black-haired Bandit Hunter Kan'u Unchou and set a trap for her. Rumours they had spread in the city had brought Kan'u to where they had been hiding out and soon their trap was sprung. All of the bandits had in fact been from former groups which Kan'u had busted before and all of them wanted revenge. Some weren't very concerned about who her companions were since some had been from the gang that Kan'u and Choun had busted by themselves.

"We're in a tight spot," Kan'u frowned.

"Too many. Even for me," Choun frowned.

"Hey! We can beat these guys! Just like all of the other ones we took on before!" Chouhi insisted.

"The numbers aren't in our favour, common thugs or not," Kan'u insisted. "We're in for the fight of our lives right now."

"I'm scared," Koumei whimpered, clutching to Kan'u's back.

"You've had this coming for a long time Bandit Hunter!" snickered a short bandit with a big nose.

"All of the suffering you gave us is going to be paid back in full!" grunted a large fat bandit.

"All right boys!" yelled the apparent leader who had at least some garments of a Chinese soldier. "CHARGE!"

"AHHHHHHH!" Koumei screamed in fear.

"STOP!"

The bandits halted, fearing that they had been busted by some kind of government official. Quickly ignoring Kan'u and her friends in favour of what might have been a deadly force of soldiers, the bandits turned to see only one man standing at the opposite end of the clearing, panting slightly and with the setting sun to his back, casting a glow on him. His clothes were odd, some kind of blue jacket with matching blue pants. His inner shirt was red with a black symbol on it which seemed a little like a snake. (These people are in ancient China and haven't seen as S before most likely.) His hair was black as night. His hands were covered with black gloves which seemed good for riding something, say a horse.

"Eh?" blinked the short bandit. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to stop you!" the man frowned. "Now back away from the women!"

"Heh! One man?" asked the bandit leader. "One man thinks he can tell us what to do? He must be a fool! Kill him boys! We'll warm up with him and then take down the Bandit Hunter!"

Several bandits broke away from the main group and began approaching the man with murderous grins and their weapons. Kan'u and the others cried out and begged the man to run away while they were cut off by the remaining bandits, but the man didn't budge. Instead, he removed his gloves, revealing metal hands with silver coils around the wrists. Pointing his hands over his right shoulder, he drew them across to his left shoulder before drawing his right arm back.

"Henshin!" the man cried, thrusting his arm over his shoulder and creating a large spark which blinded everyone.

The bandits and the group of women cried out as they shielded their eyes. It was like lightning had struck in front of them. The glare had died down, allowing everyone to see again, but what they saw made their jaws drop. The man had been replaced by…something else. This something else wore a black bodysuit with a belt wrapped around his waist that had a buckle shaped like a star. He wore white gloves and boots with red lines running down his legs and over said boots. His torso was protected by this red armor with the strange symbol on it while his abdomen had blue armor. Wrapped around his neck was a white scarf which danced in the breeze. His head was covered by a black helmet with large green eyes and a silver mouth guard. To top it all off, the man sported horns which looked like they were from an insect.

Clenching his fists, the armoured man pointed at the bandits,

"The heavens call...  
The earth cries out...  
The crowds roar...  
All calling on me to strike back against evil.  
Now listen up, villains!  
I am the warrior of justice,  
Kamen Rider Stronger!"

The bandits clearly didn't know what to make of the fighter, but Kan'u and the others were able to put some words with their shock.

"The heavens call…" Kan'u gasped.

"The earth cries out…" Choun gaped.

"The crowds roar?" pondered Koumei.

"What?" wondered Chouhi, confused as to what her friends were talking about.

"That man…" Kan'u spoke softly. "That man…he's claiming that the heavens, earth, and humanity had called out for him. If what he said is true, if he truly is one that has come directly from heaven to assist us…!"

"The Messenger From Heaven," Choun gasped. "He's here…he's really here…I…I heard the tales as a girl…but I never thought…I never dreamed…"

The man charged at the bandits. The bandits, recovering from their shock, charged right back at him. However, though they outnumbered him, Stronger completely outmatched them. He would just need one blow to defeat them all. He just had to make sure not to kill them. As they came at him with their weapons, he struck back, knocking them backwards with a single blow into the lead bandit, knocking him back into his comrades and creating a domino effect with the others since they were so packed together. The few that got close enough to fight found their weapons failing them. Their swords and spears could do nothing against his armor. Stronger scanned the area. The bandits were all around him. Perfect. They were in for the shock of their lives.

"Electric Magnet!" Stronger called out and the bandit's weapons were all ripped away from them and towards Stronger. Before they could reach them, he stopped his magnetic power and the weapons fell at his feet. He'd completely disarmed them and hadn't even touched them. "Now, to finish!" He knelt down and slammed his palms to the ground. "Electro Fire!"

A spider web of lightning lanced out from under him and towards all the bandits. They could not escape in time as they were electrocuted. The amount of electrical energy was only enough to stun them and not kill them, which was what he was hoping for.

As all the bandits fell, Stronger rose to his full height and dusted off his hands. "Bandits. All bark but no bite."

Kan'u and her friends could only gape at the exhibit of power that they had been treated to. After seeing a man disarm at least fifty to seventy-five bandits with just a single gesture and see him knock them all down with but a single punch, they could believe that he was the Messenger. No regular human had the ability to do such amazing things. It had erased all doubt in their minds that he was someone very special.

Stronger looked at the group of women and was relieved to see that they were unhurt. Granted, the older two looked like they would be able to take care of themselves and the girl with short pink hair seemed to be good in a fight with thugs like the ones he took down, but the blonde was anything but fight capable. Maybe it was overkill to transform to fight regular humans, but a mob like this and when four lives were at stake, there was no choice. Nodding to the four stunned ladies, he turned to leave and head back to the village.

"Wait!" four female voices cried out, causing Stronger to turn around to see the four women running towards him.

"What?" asked the electric Kamen Rider.

"Are you the Messenger from Heaven?" asked three of the four girls at once.

"That was so cool!" cried the pink-haired girl with the spear. "Can you teach me to make people drop just by touching the ground too?"

"Messenger of Heaven?" Stronger questioned. "Sorry, but you must be mistaken. I'm nothing special like that."

"But you are!" insisted Koumei. "You came to assist us from the heavens! You said so yourself!"

"Just doing my duty," said Stronger.

"May we know your name?" asked Kan'u.

"Right. You can call me Stronger," said Stronger. In a flash of light he was back in human form. "Or you can call me Shigeru. Shigeru Jo."

"Jo-sama," nodded Kan'u.

"Hey, there's no need to be so formal," said Jo nervously. Fighting the likes of Black Satan and the Delza Army was something he was immensely used to. Stuck in formal situations or with people who wished to speak with him in such a formal way was something more than a little out of his depth.

* * *

Bacho hummed a short tune to herself as she strolled through another town in her journey. Since she learned the truth to her father's death, she didn't hold any malice towards Sousou anymore. Still, she was travelling to make her skills better so that she could be as good as her father was one day. Of course, sometimes it wasn't as easy as some may think it was in order to make their way on a training journey.

-gurgle-

"Man I'm hungry," Bacho sighed, rubbing her stomach. She had run out of money again and was looking for something to fill her wallet again. The last few times she had been lucky with martial arts tournaments or eating contests. Sometimes work was hard to find or she just wasn't suited to it like that made café back when she met Chouhi. Maybe if she was lucky there was something in this town that she could get some money out of. To that end, she began looking for postings or heralds which would announce upcoming events.

She found one with ease and it was announcing a martial arts tournament which was her specialty. Grinning in anticipation of the prize money she'd win, Bacho immediately ran to enter the tournament. She could already imagine all of the good food she could buy with the money she'd win.

* * *

Apparently there were so many people entering they had to split the tournament into two divisions. Bacho was placed in the A division where she was able to make victory after victory and enter the finals after dropping a few of the other competitors. However, her victories weren't getting the amount of applause that she was used to. The audiences for her fights were rather small and most of the people had been checking out the B division fights. She had been hearing that some kind of monster was in the B division and was systematically wiping out the competition, leaving them to be carried away.

"Monster eh?" Bacho wondered as she listened to the crowds for the B division cheering over another victory. "Wait until they see me in action. If he's a monster, then I'm an angel."

-TIME BREAK-

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the finals of our tournament, sponsored by our lord!" a purple-haired girl with glasses announced o the cheering crowds. "The winner of this tournament will receive our luxurious prize and the prestige fit for a champion! Now let's meet out finalists!"

Bacho walked with a confident stride, hefting her naginata over her shoulder with practiced ease. "A travelling martial artist looking to enhance her skills, we have Bacho Moki!" The crowds gave out roars of approval, making Bacho grin. It felt nice to be appreciated by the masses like this.

"And her opponent," the announcer continued. "A strange man from a foreign country, bringing a power none of us have seen, Kazuya Oki, Kamen Rider Super-1!"

"Kamen Rider…Super-1?" Bacho wondered what that title could mean.

Bacho expected to see a huge warrior with rippling muscles, but what she got was an average looking man in his prime in strange clothing. Around his waist was a white belt with a black metallic buckle which seemed very odd. He had bushy black hair and really didn't seem to look anything like a fighter to her. Although the way he walked seemed to hint at many battles fought. Still, he seemed very pleasant for a fighter as he waved at the crowd as he smiled. Many members of the audience supported the man as they cheered out loudly.

"So, you're the winner of Division A," said Kazuya. He gave her a bow and smile. His handsome looks did cause her to blush. She didn't want to, since that was a sign of weakness to some, but she was just so inexperienced with men. Shaking it off, she played tough.

"Where's your weapon?" Bacho asked.

"Haven't you heard? I am a weapon," Kazuya told her.

"Your funeral then," said Bacho. '_He's a monster? Maybe his opponents were just too weak. Then again, I've seen Chouhi tackle opponents twice her size. Maybe he's just someone with monstrous strength_. _Still, he should have at least one weapon_.'

"Fighters' ready!" the announcer called, immediately causing both fighters to take a battle stance. "Begin!"

Bacho raised her spear in preparation to charge, but Kazuya began to do something strange. He took a martial arts stance before he cupped his hands together and held them out together, right over left. "Henshin!" he cried, and then flipped them over.

The belt he wore suddenly split open, revealing a red fan which began to spin. A rainbow of light began to shoot out and illuminate the area, shocking Bacho and the audience, although those who had watched Kazuya's fights before had a better idea of what it was. Kazuya's body was covered in sparkles and light, making for a brilliant show. Bacho watched, mesmerized as the sparkles began to fade and Kazuya reemerged, changed.

He was wearing armor that she had never seen before. It was all black but flexible like fabric. His chest armor did look durable and it was coloured silver. His gloves and boots were also silver and strings hung from his gloves. His helmet concealed his entire head like a mask and crimson eyes like a hornet's shone. To add to the insect-like appearance, the helmet also sported a pair of antennae. Around his neck a red scarf floated with the wind, making for a dramatic effect.

"Kamen Rider Super-1!" the armoured man cried, taking a stance.

Bacho blinked at what she had seen. She wasn't too sure just what she had seen, but it was something grand to be sure. Shaking her head so to get her senses back, she took a battle stance and readied herself for this unknown opponent.

* * *

"La, la, la, la, la," Riri, the daughter of the nigh legendary archer Kouchu Kansho sang as she skipped through the grassy plains near her home. She never wandered very far since she didn't want to get kidnapped again like before with those other bad guys who wanted her mother to kill a nice man who wanted to stop bandits.

Taking the time to look at thee pretty flowers her mother might like, Riri continued her merry little romp through the grass. She also found some weird bugs which looked kind of icky but also really neat. Moving through the slightly taller grass, she decided to see if there was anything neat in the stream nearby. All of the villagers went there to clean their clothes or to go swimming. Sometimes there were even fish that the villagers would catch for food. There was always something interesting to see there.

"Hyah!"

"Oh?" Riri blinked, hearing the loud noise. It was near the river if she was right. Travelling closer to the river, she tried to see what had made such a big noise. It sounded like a tiger to her. Maybe if it was her mother would let her bring it home!

"Hyah!"

Riri scooted to the edge of the trees before it opened up into the river. Glancing curiously, she saw a man standing in the middle of the river. He had a black and red loincloth on with a funny belt that looked like it had a big nose with something running through it. He also had black bracers and a vest on. His hair was untamed and rather wild while his face was etched in concentration. On his left arm was a silver armlet of some kind with a pair of red eyes on it. Riri blinked in confusion and wondered what the funny man was doing in the middle of the river.

The funny man's attention was on the water as he had his arms out to his sides and legs apart. He looked around and then his face brightened. "Hyah!" he cried out as he shot towards the water. There was a huge splash and when the funny man came back up he had a fish in hand. "Three fish!" he said almost childishly as he waited for the fish to stop flopping around before he tossed it onto shore where two more fish he'd caught lay. "Need more fish," he said to himself as he prepared to find more prey.

He heard clapping and looked up to see Riri. "That was amazing!"

"Hmm?" the man blinked, looking at the little girl who was clapping for him. Scratching his head, the man walked to shore. The little girl was still watching. Even more curious, the man walked towards the little girl before kneeling down and examining her like she was a new discovery.

"I'm Riri!" the little one smiled. "What's your name?"

"Amazon is Amazon," the barely-clothed man replied, smiling slightly

"A-ma-zon," Riri nodded, sounding out the word. It sounded funny to her but her mother said that it was bad to say things like that about a person's name. Looking over the newly dubbed Amazon, she voiced her next question. "Are you a bandit?"

"Amazon is not bandit," the man denied. "Amazon is Amazon."

"Okay!" Riri smiled. "I saw you fishing! That was amazing!"

"Amazon get fish like that his whole life," the wild man smiled. "Is easy."

"Can you show me?" Riri asked excitedly. She hadn't seen anyone fish like that before and wanted to see more.

"Okay!" Amazon smiled.

-TIME BREAK-

Amazon and Riri sat by a small camp fire, munching on the cooked fish. It wasn't anything as good as Riri's mother usually made, but sharing with a friend made it very good. Amazon was just happy to have another new friend. He told Riri that he didn't know where he was since a bright light dropped him there. He wanted to go back home to see his friend Masahiko and his big sister who stood by him after so many trials. Riri could vouch for Amazon being lonely since she remembered when she had been kidnapped by bandits and taken away from her mother.

"Urp!" Riri burped after she finished her fish. "All done!"

"Amazon is full," the wild man agreed, rubbing his stomach.

That was when the wild man sensed that they weren't alone. He turned and saw a small mob bandits. They were looking at Riri with evil intent and the girl shivered. Growling slightly, Amazon stood up, shielding Riri from their sight. There wasn't much room for her to run since the path away from the river was being blocked by the bandits and the tall grass would only slow someone of Riri's height down, making her easy picking for the bandits.

"Hand over the brat," one bandit ordered, hefting his sword threateningly.

"No, Amazon won't let bad men take Riri," he responded, his hands clenched in a claw-like position.

"Well, then looks like we'll take her from you," said another bandit. He eyed Amazon's belt and armlet. Foreign objects were always worth a pretty penny to someone and that armlet looked like it was made out of real silver. Heck, the bandit swore he saw rubies embedded in it. "And take that fancy belt and armlet of yours too."

"Amazon-niichan…" whimpered Riri.

"Amazon and Riri are friends, so Amazon will protect Riri," he told her confidently before flashing a smile. He then put on a serious expression as he prepared to show these bandits what he was made of.

"A-MA-ZON!" he cried out, bracing his arms as if he were an animal. His eyes suddenly turned bright red before his body was enveloped in fiery energy. His whole body was engulfed before he seemed to…transform.

He had turned into some sort of lizard man with mixed green and red skin. He had a yellow chest and wore black boots on his legs with black gloves on his arms. The gloves sported claws on the fingertips and three sharp spike-like blades on each glove. His head looked reptilian with a pair of bulbous red eyes and a mouth filled with teeth. On his back was a fin and hanging from his neck was a scarf. Despite his change, his belt and armlet remained the same and were in the same position as before.

"Gi, gi, gi, gi!" Amazon bellowed, growling at the collected bandits, all of whom had frozen in shock and some even wet themselves.

"Wh-what is that?" cried one fat bandit.

"A demon!" cried a short bandit.

"Who cares? Just kill it! We can nab the kid later!" shouted the leader.

"Wow!" Riri gasped, her eyes sparkling. Her friend knew magic!

"Gaoooo!" Amazon snarled at the bandits, making them freeze again. Swiftly picking up little Riri, Amazon jumped into the air, landing on the lead bandit's head. Before gravity could make both of them fall, Amazon leaped again, landing on another bandit's head before leaping again. Using the bandits as stepping stones, Amazon bypassed the mob and landed behind them, the path free once more. Setting Riri down on the ground, Amazon gazed into her eyes.

"Run home to mama!" Amazon spoke. "Amazon will beat bandits!"

"But the bandits…!" Riri cried, fearing her amazing new friend would get hurt.

"Amazon will win!" the reptile Rider insisted. "Amazon has Riri as friend!" he finished the statement by making his two-handed friendship salute. Sniffling, Riri returned the gesture before she started running down the road back to her home where her mother was. She had to get help for her friend!

"Get the brat!" yelled the bandit leader in a panic.

"Gi, gi, gi, gi!" Amazon snarled, taking a stance again. "Monkey Attack!" he launched himself at the bandits and performed a flying tackle that knocked them down. A few swung their swords at him but the Amazon Rider flipped backwards and nailed them in the chin with his heels. Some with spears thrust their weapons at him but Amazon caught the spears in his hands. He then bit the spearheads off before spitting them away. "Gi!" He leapt at the bandits and slashed at them with his claws. Clothes were cut up and blood spilled where his claws touched.

He then began using the martial arts move that he'd seen on TV with Nobuhiko. It was called Capoeira. It looked like dancing but in fact it was a type of martial art. He leapt and performed a spinning kick and then he used a reverse roundhouse on the bandits.

"Amazon Kick!" He performed his signature flying kick attack that knocked the fat bandit backwards and into the rest of the gang. Granted, it was a supposedly lethal move if all the Jujin he used it on were any indication, but he reduced the force of the kick since he only wanted to scare the bandits away, not kill them.

Suddenly, several arrows landed where the bandits and Amazon stood. The bandits screamed and yelped while trying to avoid the lethal lengths of wood while Amazon flipped backwards to avoid the worst of the barrage. The reptilian Rider turned to see where the arrows had come from and found a small group of people approaching with bows and arrows ready to use. The leader of the group was a woman with long flowing hair and impressive robes which showed off her figure. She had an ornate bow in her hands with a very sharp arrow ready to use. Running next to her was Riri, her face in a bright smile as she laid her eyes on Amazon.

"Amazon-niichan!" the tiny girl waved.

"Riri!" Amazon smiled, although one wouldn't be able to tell thanks to his reptilian face at the moment.

"Let's get out of here!" one of the bandits yelled. They picked up their wounded and escaped, leaving behind any thoughts of kidnapping or thievery. A demon was bad enough, but facing the mother of the kid they tried to snatch was something akin to suicide. Amazon looked at the archers who had their aim on him. From his appearance he did look like a demon. He just hoped they didn't treat him as such.

"Mama, that's my friend! His name is Amazon!" said Riri.

Riri's mother used her hand to gesture for the archers to lower their weapons. She then approached this strange being who Riri claimed was protecting her and had fought the bandits to do so. He did look frightening, but she wasn't one to give into first impressions. "Your name is Amazon?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Amazon answered. "Amazon is Amazon. You are Riri's mama?" In a flash he resumed his human form, surprising the woman as well as the archers. Riri smiled, glad to see her friend was alright.

"Yes, I am her mother," the woman confirmed. "My name is Kochu Kansho." She bowed. "Thank you for protecting my daughter Riri, Amazon-dono."

"Riri is Amazon's friend so Amazon protects Riri," he answered simply. It was as simple as that. Amazon's stomach growled and he groaned, "Hungry…" Using his powers always left him hungry as fighting used up a lot of his energy.

"Come with me then. Also, you look like you may need new clothes," said Kochu.

"Amazon thanks you," he said.

* * *

Bacho panted. Her opponent was definitely a monster and a master martial artist from what she managed to gauge. He managed to deflect her attacks with his bare hands and didn't seem all that exhausted. What worried her was that his hands hadn't been cut by the instances where the blade met his gloves. Usually she kept the blades razor sharp but this guy was deflecting them as if they were nothing but dull knives. Just what were his gloves made of?

"Super-1 manages to deflect and evade all of Bacho's attacks! Will she be able to break through his defences and obtain victory?" the bespectacled commentator spoke.

Super-1 struck with a kick that Bacho side-stepped from before she swung her naginata at his back. He ducked and performed a sweep kick which she leapt over before thrusting down with her naginata. He caught the cross-shaped blade between his hands. Bacho gasped. Did he see through her technique?

"And Super-1 surprises us by catching the blade of Bacho's weapon between the palms of his hands! What a magnificent manoeuvre!"

Super-1 released Bacho's weapon and he stepped back. She charged again and struck with a series of forward thrusts that he dodged with ease and grace. He suddenly called out, "Reinetsu (Hot/Cold) Hands!" His gloves glowed and changed, becoming green with strange devices on them. "Hah!" He pointed his left hand down at Bacho's feet and fired a spray that formed ice.

"Wagh!" Bacho cried out as she slipped and fell on her rear. Groaning, she picked herself up. She was going to be feeling that one later. Still, how the heck did he manage to create ice when it was still the middle of the summer season? She wasn't dealing with an ordinary man, that was for sure. Gripping her weapon, she prepared for another attack.

"You're a pretty good fighter," complimented Super-1.

"Thanks, my father taught me," Bacho smiled slightly.

"But it looks like this is where you lose," said Super-1.

"Oh, and why's that?"

FA-SHOOOOOOOOOM!

A tongue of fire flew from Super-1's right hand and Bacho felt the heat as it flew past her. Her eyes widened as she stumbled backwards to avoid the flames. First ice and now fire? Just what kind of magic was she up against?

"Super-1 displays his magical abilities now!" the commentator spoke. "I have never seen anything like it!"

"Because when you play with fire, you're gonna get burnt," Super-1 replied, answering Bacho's previous question. He didn't like having to scare his opponent away, but he really needed that prize money and he'd already come this far. There was no way he was going to give up after coming to this stage.

Of course, neither was Bacho. The flames had freaked her out but she was a warrior. She would not be deterred by some strange magic.

"Bet you can't try that trick again," said Bacho as she charged. Super-1 fired, alternating between flames and ice blasts but she leapt over them. When she got close, she swung down and hit Super-1 in the shoulder. He grunted as the shaft of the naginata came down heavily upon him.

"So, who's gonna lose?" she asked.

"You," he answered. "Power Hands!" His gloves turned red and he grabbed the naginata. "Sorry, but this is where you leave!" He spun around and around and Bacho cried out as she was being taken along for the spin. "Say, bye-bye!" He let go and tossed her away from the stage. Bacho's eyes widened as he let go of her staff, sending her flying through the air, screaming the whole way. Several feet away from the ring, she crashed into the audience. Thankfully, they had all gotten out of the way and she was able to land without major injury.

"Bacho's been knocked out of the ring!" the announcer cried. "To that end she is eliminated! So that means our winner and champion is, Super-1!"

Super-1 listened to the cheers of the crowd, waving to them all as he felt satisfaction in his victory. Bacho might have felt a little ire at having lost the match and thus the prize money, but she was too busy seeing little birds swirling around her head to care.

* * *

**Go Kingdom**

Sonsaku heaved a sigh of relaxation as she lounged in the baths of her palace. She was a very regal woman, which was appropriate considering that she was the queen of the Go Kingdom. She had long pinkish hair which she was keeping tied back so it would not soak in the bath water. Her body easily made her one of the most desired women in the kingdom, but queens had a tendency to be like that. She had been waging a brutal war to unify the country as per her late mother's wishes, but it was difficult with so much resistance and the low morale of her people. Right now, she just wanted to lay back and let the stress leave her body.

Of course, sharing it with someone precious made it all the better.

Leaning against her and pressing close to Sonsaku was her strategist Shuyu. She was a usually very serious woman with long black hair and a mind which was responsible for all of the Go Kingdom's victories. Like her lover, she was also a beauty, but only had eyes for Sonsaku. The pair of them had been lovers for some time and dreamed of retiring from the games of politics and war so they could live out their days in relative peace. However, both of them were committed in making the late queen and Sonsaku's mother's dream come true.

"After dealing with politicians and war for so long, it's nice to simply relax together like this," Sonsaku smiled.

"Yes," Shuyu sighed, holding her lover. "This is far overdue."

"Someone's feeling frisky," Sonsaku teased.

"What can I say? I'm the type of woman who appreciates the finer things in life," Shuyu replied.

Just as they were about to lean in for a kiss, a figure caused a huge splash in the water. "What!" Sonsaku exclaimed.

It was an assassin, clad in black with blades protruding from their gauntlets and wearing a skull mask. The assassin also wore a belt with a skull-shaped buckle.

"DIE!" the assassin lunged.

Shuyu shielded Sonsaku as she stood before her lover, ready to take the blow despite her protests, when all of a sudden something fell right on top of the assassin and caused another splash.

"Another one!" Shuyu yelped. Surprised as she was, she knew professional assassins didn't bungle like this. Her fear grew in leaps and bounds as she pondered the idea of assassins coming from two different factions to assassinate the same target.

The assassin rose from the water along with another figure. He was clad in a grey bodysuit with a red chestplate. Armor in the shape of an 'X' was on his stomach. He sported a belt with a fan in the buckle and a handle of sorts on the right side. He wore black gloves. His head was concealed in a silver helmet with red eyes and a 'V' shaped antenna. His mouth area was covered by a strip of metal.

He was known as X-Rider.

The assassin was understandably upset that his element of surprise was lost now that X-Rider had interrupted. No doubt the guards would come charging in soon. He needed to finish the assassination fast! Raising his gauntlets, the Assassin charged, trying to stab at Shuyu and Sonsaku, but X-Rider's arm wrapped around his neck, throwing the assassin back into the hot waters. Sputtering, the assassin got up as X-Rider took a pose.

"I don't know what's going on!" the new masked man declared. "But I know you're up to no good!"

The assassin lunged and X-Rider drew out the handle from his belt. "Ridol Stick!" The handle was attached to a long shaft and he parried the blades with it. He then pushed forward, sending the assassin staggering back. X-Rider thrust forward with the Ridol Stick. The assassin dodged to the side but was whacked upside the head by the Rider Stick. "This is it!" He thrust the Ridol Stick straight into the assassin's sternum, causing them to cough from the sudden impact.

"X Punch!" X-Rider called as he slammed his fist straight into his opponent's stomach. The assassin doubled over. "X Chop!" A karate chop to the neck was what ended the fight, knocking the assassin out cold as they slumped forward and fell facedown on the water.

"Are you alright?" X-Rider asked as he noted the women but then he covered his eyes when he realised their state of undress. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to!"

The guards came in, hearing the commotion, and instantly thought that X-Rider was the assassin since he was standing and armed, totally overlooking the unconscious assassin floating facedown in the bath water.

"Kill the assassin!" the leader of the guards roared. His compatriots gave a unanimous cry, raising their spears and aiming them at X-Rider.

"Hold!" an imperial female voice shouted, stopping the guards as if they turned to stone. Turning to the source, the saw Sonsaku and Shuyu covering themselves, if minimally, with towels. Sonsaku quickly stepped forward and continued. "Do you not have eyes to see with? Clearly the man in the mask is not an assassin, but the one floating unconscious in my bath is! Take the one garbed in black to the dungeons for interrogation!"

"Yes Your Majesty!" the guards nodded. Dashing to the edge of the bath and clearly trying not to stare at the very feminine forms of their queen and her strategist, they quickly collected the downed and soggy assassin, leaving X-Rider still covering his eyes and both women in the room. However they left two guards stationed outside the door just in case. Sonsaku looked to the strange man who rescued herself and her love with some amusement as he bashfully hid his eyes.

Sonsaku informed X-Rider, "You can look now."

"Oh, my apologies," said X-Rider. "May I please ask a question?"

"Yes, you may."

"Can you please tell me where I am?"

* * *

Bacho was walking down the streets in a state of hunger and depression. Not only had she lost a fight, but she'd lost any chance to get that prize money. She was starving. She needed something to eat, now! Sighing, she just continued to go along, commenting to herself about how her luck just wasn't going her way recently.

When she felt a tap on her shoulder she spun around and she grimaced. It was the man who'd beaten her, Kazuya Oki "What do you want?" she asked bitterly.

"I couldn't help but notice but your stomach was growling," said Kazuya, causing Bacho to flush embarrassedly. Why did her stomach have to be so loud when it was empty? "Do you need something to eat?"

"I don't need any charity!" she snapped at him.

"Hey, I'm just offering a lovely lady to have lunch with me," said Kazuya, holding his hands up defensively. "It's a bit depressing to be eating alone, don't you agree?"

Bacho blushed at being called a 'lovely lady' by her former opponent, but she was hungry. "Alright, you can buy me lunch but that's it."

"Thanks!" said Kazuya, smiling.

Bacho couldn't help but smile back. Maybe she could ask him about his abilities and how he'd gotten them.

It didn't take them too long to find a place to eat. The cooks were more than happy to serve them since Kazuya had the money to pay for it. Apparently they had been having a rash of people eat and then run, leaving their meals unpaid for. When Kazuya revealed he had the money, they were more than happy to serve him. Payment in advance of course.

"Mmmm!" Bacho smiled, digging ravenously into a meat bun. It had been so long since she had been able to eat! "So…Kazuya, is it?"

"Yes," Kazuya nodded, chewing his noodles.

"How are you able to do what you can do? How did you get the name Super-1?" she asked bluntly.

"Uhh…" Kazuya shifted uncomfortably. "Well, the name Super-1 was given to me by the people who helped me become what I am now. It's because of them that I was able to do what I did during our fight."

"Wow! They must be powerful sorcerers to be able to do that!" Bacho gasped. "Who were they?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Kazuya sighed. "They're dead now."

"Dead?" Bacho blinked.

"An evil group calling themselves the Dogma Kingdom killed them all," Kazuya sighed. "Apparently the mission that the 'sorcerers' wanted me to go on interfered with their plans. So they destroyed our base. I was the only one who survived thanks to the enhancements which I was given."

Bacho shivered at Kazuya's dark tone. It was a rather gruesome tale and unfortunately one which was all too common in these troubling times. The Dogma Kingdom was also rather fearsome of their name was anything to go by. "What happened to the Dogma Kingdom?"

"I destroyed them," Kazuya answered. It was a blunt and simple answer, "After what they did and what they planned to do, it was the only thing I could do. I couldn't allow them to terrorize anymore innocent people. I lost a lot of good friends that day, but now they can rest in peace knowing I avenged them."

"I know how you feel," said Bacho. She'd felt the bitterness of vengeance before, but unlike Kazuya it'd been over a misunderstanding and rumors. At least Kazuya's reasons for vengeance were genuine. She'd nearly killed someone simply out of not knowing all the facts. Then again, she wouldn't have believed her father had died from falling off a horse while drunk. To her he'd always been a great martial artist. Such a death was dishonourable. Sousou honored his reputation by silently taking the blame, even if it meant certain ramifications.

"I actually entered the tournament for traveling expenses. I'm actually looking for some friends of mine. We got separated," he told her. "I just stopped here to get some money, fill my belly, and then move on." He then asked, "Have you heard any stories of masked men like me?"

"Sorry, but I haven't," said Bacho. "Sorry."

"That's fine. Well, I should set off soon," said Kazuya.

"Want some company?" she offered. "I'm looking to join up some friends too."

"Company from a lovely lady with your skill? I think I'd like that," he said.

Bacho blushed in response to that.

* * *

Ensho sighed with annoyance as she tracked the mountain side with her two advisors, Bunshu and Ganryo. She asked, irritably, "How many more miles will it be until we arrive to our destination?"

"It's just a few more miles Reiha-sama," Ganryo stated shyly as she, Ensho and Bunsho were heading towards an area where reports of a mysterious flying man being sighted were heard. Since Ensho was feeling rather bored at time, she decided to hold an expedition to find this 'flying man'. Ganryo and Bunsho, as usual, were dragged along for the ride as well.

"Are you sure this info is accurate Toshi? It seems fishy to me." Bunsho asked. Ganryo stopped as she turned to look at her friend and fellow advisor.

"Are you questioning my intelligence, Lishe?" remarked Ganryo.

"No, I'm just questioning the validity of these rumors you heard," retorted Banshi. "It's all sounds farfetched if you ask me. If men were meant to fly they'd be born with wings."

"Oh well that's alright then," Ganryo said calmly. She was very serious when it came to her IQ which was 34 and not any lower!

Ensho sighed. As much as she wanted to continue this little expedition, she was tired and her feet were sore. She was half tempted to tell them to go back home when all of a sudden she saw a blur flying across the sky. This also caught Ganryo and Bunsho's attention.

"It's him! It's him!" Ganryo shouted. They immediately ran, not wanting to lose this figure. Was it the flying man in the rumors? They were in luck as the man landed on the ground. He was in a green bodysuit, sporting a red chestplate and sleeves. He also wore black gloves and boots and his belt sported a fan in the centre with switches on the side. His helmet was green with red eyes and a silver faceplate resembling an insect's mandibles. His antennae also completed the insect look. Finally, he wore a red scarf that hung from his neck.

The figure sighed to himself as he muttered, "Well, wherever I am, I'm sure that I'm no longer in Japan," before changing back to human form.

"Holy shit!" Ensho cried with her eyes widening. Right before her eyes the mysterious, flying, insect-like man had changed into a rather attractive young man. The man heard the noise and turned his head to see the three women looking at him.

"Umm... Hello?" The man said, sweating a little.

Ganryo immediately fell on her knees and bowed. Bansho cried out, "Toshi, what are you doing!-?"

"He's a god! We have to show our respect! Reiha-sama, you too!" Ganryo shouted.

(So chrome, which girl do you want, ichigo, nigo and ZX to meet?)

Totaku smiled happily while she was walking down the streets in disguise. She was visiting her subjects incognito to see how they were doing. Despite how she was in history as a cruel tyrant, in truth she was a kind, sweet, timid and innocent girl who wanted to help her country and the people no matter what the circumstances.

She was unaware of a black clothed figure tailing her from behind until it was too late. He grabbed her from behind, putting a hand on her mouth before dragging her backwards into an alley.

"Well well looks like our information about the ruler of the Dong empire was correct. You're the kind of idiot that leaves the safety of the palace to mingle with commoners." The owner of the voice cackled as he brought out a long knife, making Totaku eyes widen in fear. "Nothing personal, but I have a job to do." He was about to plunge the knife into the little girl when his wrist was grabbed in a vice-like grip.

The assassin was then punched so hard that he was sent flying backwards, releasing Totaku in the process. The girl collapsed to her knees, her legs paralysed in fear as she trembled and sweated. "Hey, are you alright?" her savior asked and Totaku gazed up at him.

"Hey, bastard! How dare you get in my way!" the assassin shouted as he recovered. He then lunged at him as Totaku cried out.

"Henshin... V3!" the man shouted as a light was released from his belt buckle. Both Totaku and the assassin covered their eyes from the bright flash. When the light died down, the man was now clad in a green bodysuit with a high upturned collar, white gloves, red boots, a silver chestplate with a red segment going down the middel and a red helmet that had a wide and white strip going down the middle with green eyes. Both Totaku and the assassin gawked but the assassin recovered quickly. He had a job to do and would not allow some magician to get in his way. He thrust forward to stab at V3 but the knife broke when it came into contact with V3's chest. V3 looked down at the assassin and shoved him backwards, tossing him out of the alleyway and into a cart.

'He's so strong…' Totaku thought in surprise. The assassin decided that he would need to retreat and think of a new plan. He got up to run but a net shot at him and pinned him to the ground.

"You're late, Joji," V3 said.

"Sorry about that, Shiro," V3's partner said as he appeared. Totaku saw him. He was a man in similar armor as V3 except that his helmet didn't cover his while face and left everything from the nose to the chin exposed. His right forearm was in a big and bulky looking gauntlet with a hook attachment. His suit was black with red armor on the chest. He also sported silver boots and on his non-gauntlet covered arm was a silver glove as well. Hanging from his neck was a yellow scarf. "Anyway, I saw how you saved the little lady from distress."

Shiro grunted as the two reverted back to normal. They were going to leave when Totaku said, "Wait please." Both Riders turned their heads to her, "Please allow me to repay you."

"Hey, it's fine," said Joji Yuki, "There's no need to repay us, really."

"No, I insist. I owe you for saving my life," said Totaku firmly.

* * *

Sousou, though annoyed, was sitting on her throne calmly. After finally dealing with issues concerning her empire for the day, she sighed in relief and went to greet her cousins. They had just returned from a trip and wanted to spend some time with her. She spotted them and saw that walking alongside Kakoton and Kakoen was a man in strange clothing and a serious air around him.

"Ah, Karin-sama! Hello!" Kakoen greeted Sousou.

"Hello, Shuran, it's nice to see that you are well," said Sousou, "You too, Shunran." She then looked to the man, "And who is this here?"

The man bowed respectfully and answered, "Sousou-san, my name is Ryo Murasame. I am sorry for intruding but your cousins were the ones who brought me here."

"Oh, did they?" Sousou asked, curious, "And why is that, Ryo-san?"

Kakoen answered, "Well, it's because we saw him in action, Sousou-sama!" Sousou looked to her to elaborate as she continued, "Well, while we were out we were just admiring the countryside when we saw Go and To soldiers getting ready to fight."

"Go and To?" asked Sousou, frowning. What were they doing so close to her country?

"Yeah, I think that they must have been scouts, but that isn't the point. These two factions were ready to kill each other when suddenly this guy appears and was able to stop both factions. He broke their weapons with ease," Kakoten said happily though frowned sheepishly "Although, we kind of, accidentally distracted him long enough for them to run away when we came to greet him and ask what was going on."

Sousou frowned and regarded Ryo, "I see. And how did he overpower them exactly? I see no weapons on him."

"Well, you see, when he was fighting them he wore this magical suit of armor which vanished as soon as the soldiers fled," Kakoen said, still not believing it herself when she saw Ryo's armor just disappear like that. Ryo said nothing but was smiling, impressed with how well Kakoen was handling the situation.

Sousou seemed confused when she heard this but then shrugged. While the story sounded ridiculous, there were far stranger things happening in this world.

"Ryo-san, you must be hungry," said Sousou. "How would you like to have dinner with me and my advisers?"

* * *

Gien growled angrily as she was surrounded by three men in black robes and wearing skull masks. The apparent leader's mask sported a horn as he commanded, "Give up, Gien! We obviously have you outmatched!"

"Bastards!" she shot back, "There's no way I'll ever surrender to a bunch of cowards in costume!" She reached for her sword. The leader growled and ordered his men to take Gien, dead or alive. Her body could still prove useful for their master's plan. It was too bad that she wanted an early grave. She was rather attractive.

They rushed at Gien who drew her sword, ready to take these men down for assaulting her. Suddenly, there was a loud that stopped everyone

Suddenly there was a loud shout that stopped everyone in the fight as two armored figures slammed their feer into two of the three assailants. The two new fighters were men in a black bodysuits with reinforced green chest armor. Their helmets were a greenish color with red eyes and bug antennae. Hanging from their necks were blood red scarves. The two looked identical, with the only difference being that one wore silver gloves and boots while the other wore red gloves and boots.

"That the-!-?" the leader roared, wondering where these two costumed jokers had come from. Gien was curious about them too and while she was grateful for the help, her pride wouldn't let her admit this.

"Sorry, but this fight is over," said the one with silver gloves.

"Yeah, and didn't your mother ever teach you not to gang up on people?" the one with the red gloves added.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you will regret trying to stop us," the man sneered as the two assassin got back on their feet with murder in their mind and in their eyes. They lunged forward to get revenge on the ones that had defeated them. However, with machine-like precision, the two Riders countered and knocked the two out cold with powerful punches.

The leader of the skull-masked trio growled in agitation but he knew better than to fight while he was outnumbered. He then tossed a smoke bomb, which exploded, allowing him to escape as the smoke provided him cover. When the smoke cleared as Gien coughed, the man was gone, leaving his two comrades lying on the ground.

"He got away," the red-gloved Kamen Rider Nigo said as he and Ichigo turned back to human form. Gien raised an eyebrow at the transformation.

"Hey, you two," said Gien, "Thanks but who are you two and how did you know I was in trouble?"

Both men looked to Gien and one of them answered, "Well, my name is Takeshi Hongo, and this is my partner Hayato Ichimonji."

"And to answer your second question," Ichimonji added, "We were just passing through. We actually have no clue you were in danger until we heard what was going on."

"Oh, are you both lost?" Gien questioned.

"Well…you might say that," said Ichimonji. "We're not from around here, you see."

Gien raised an eyebrow before shrugging. She figured that these two were tourists from a foreign country. That might explain the odd clothing and their 'magic'.

"Well, I still owe you. Come on, there's a town nearby and you both look like you need a rest," said Gien.

"That is most kind of you," Hongo said.

"Think nothing of it. This is my way of paying you back," Gien said as all three began to walk towards the town.

* * *

A/N: This was just something me and 10-Faced Paladin wanted to see would make a good fic. However, we couldn't think of anything beyond this. So, if anyone out there is interested in picking up this idea, be my guess. Oh, and I'd like to thank everybody from my forum for their help and assistance. This couldn't have been done without them.


	136. The Visitor

**You may accuse me of being a Brony. I've seen My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and I have to say the series isn't bad. Not bad at all. I think the themes, characters and writing is very creative and not overly cutesy like the original. It's not lame, in fact it's the opposite of lame. So, here's my experiment. Oh, and try to guess what the series I am crossing this over with.**

**MLP: THE VISITOR**

His ship entered the planet's atmosphere, silently, not making a sound as it pierced through the air. The night's sky proved to be excellent cover. He really didn't want anyone spotting him and he was careful not to make a flashy entrance. By nature, he was tempted, but the locals may not be too thrilled at his arrival. Spotting a large forest area, he landed his ship. The main body was a sleek, sword-like shape with a pair of shiny, steel wings which were curved forward in the shape of a U. Gently landing in a clearing, he killed the engine after his decent.

"Alright, now that I'm here I might as well scan for local life forms so I can blend in. Better make it a wide scan and find the most dominant life form. Don't wanna draw too much attending to myself," the pilot said as he tapped his keyboard. From the roof of his ship a rod with a satellite dish attached dish came out. A beam of yellow light was projected from the dish as it spun around, scanning for all and any local life forms within a designated range. He wanted to know what his options were and made the range quite wide.

"Life forms detected and DNA scanned," the computer spoke as his screen displayed the list of life forms. The most dominant life forms were equine creatures. He didn't know what they were nor had he seen anything like them, but they were the most dominant life form on this planet and they generally came in three different types: one type had wings while another type sported horns, while the last sported needed accessories.

"Hm, I think I'll choose this one," he said to himself as he made his selection.

* * *

A door in the side of the ship opened up and swung down to create a ramp as the pilot walked out of his vehicle. However, his appearance had changed. "OK, I can definitely blend in like this. Gonna take some getting used to with these wings and four legs. Thank goodness the academy prepped me for this kind of thing. Now, let's see…one leg forward, and another one…woah…woah…WOAH!" He fell flat on the ground. "Maybe I should practice," he said sheepishly. He looked up at the sky. "Hm…it's dark. I guess it's nighttime. Then that means nobody's awake. I better get some rest myself before I do some more exploring."

* * *

The next morning he walked out of the forest. It had been quite the maze to navigate but fortunately he found a path that led him towards the exit. He wasn't afraid that his ship would be found. The cloaking system would hide it so nobody but he would know it was there. "OK, now to find some civilization. The computer did say there was a small town or something nearby. I guess I should go there."

* * *

"Ah, so now I get why this is the most dominant species," he mused to himself as he arrived in town. He had passed a sign which said "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE" and went into the town to see ponies everywhere. They were in all different colors and just like in the images his computer had scanned. He decided to look around and maybe even talk to the locals.

* * *

Pinkie Pie was skipping along the road when she suddenly bumped into someone. "Oh! Ow! Sorry!" she exclaimed. The pink pony looked and saw herself looking at a very handsome looking male pony.

The male pony's fur was midnight blue with eyes the color of sapphires. She saw the wings, which marked him as a Pegasus pony. His mane was also black. He also had an off cutie mark on his flank which resembled a wolf's face with fangs and whiskers. "It's no problem," he said.

Suddenly, Pinke Pie squealed, "Hey, hey, are you new in town? You must be new because I've never seen you before! I mean of course I've never seen you before because you're new! Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?" She was hopping around him, shooting questions, and he was almost dizzy.

"Oh, you can call me Mach Kicker," he answered.

"Mach Kicker, huh? Well, Kicker, welcome to Ponyville!" She gasped. "OH MY GOSH! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" She then dashed off.

"She must've been in a hurry," observed Mach Kicker. "Now, let's see what else is here."

* * *

Mach Kicker entered the local library and saw a purple pony reading diligently from a book. Other books were floating around her, enveloped in a violet aura. Nearby, he could see a baby dragon with light purple scales stacking up books. "Um…excuse me? This is the library, right?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the purple pony apologized as she put down the books. He saw she had a horn, marking her as a unicorn pony. "Welcome to the Ponyville Library."

"Hi, I'm Mach Kicker, and I'm new in town," he said.

"Oh, Pinkie Pie told me a new pony was in town. Welcome to Ponyville, Mach Kicker."

"Please, call me Kicker," he smiled. "And you are?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is my assistant, Spike."

"Nice to meet your acquaintance!" Spike greeted, smiling.

'_The__creatures__here__are__very__friendly_,' Mach Kicker analyzed. While the pink one had been excited she had been quite friendly and welcomed him warmly. "Is it alright if I look around?" Mach Kicker asked.

"Oh, you may," Twilight Sparkle allowed. "Be my guess."

"Thank you, Ms. Twilight," Mach Kicker politely answered before he went to look for a book to read. He was curious. How did the ponies here get things done with only hooves and not their hands? He would need to do some research.

* * *

Mach Kicker hadn't been in town for even a day and already a 'Welcoming Party' was thrown in his honor. He discovered from Twilight Sparkle that the mastermind of this party was Pinkie Pie. He was also introduced to the rest of their friends. There was Rarity a beautiful white unicorn with a violet mane, Applejack an orange earth pony with a blonde mane, Fluttershy was a shy yellow Pegasus with pink hair and Rainbow Dash who was a blue Pegasus with rainbow-colored mane. She was actually asking if he could fly fast with his wings.

* * *

"**Mach Kicker: Maximize!"**

Mack Kicker's body, much to the ponies' surprise, went through what looked like a painful transformation as his joins moves in impossible ways as parts of his body shifted. Fluttershy fainted when she saw this and as soon as the change was complete, Mach Kicker stood in his new form.

He was a robot, with a humanoid appearance, sporting a crimson and black color scheme. His pony hind legs had formed into a pair of human-like legs with red feet that folded out so he could stand. His pony rear was attached to his left shoulder with his tail hanging from it and his entire right arm was made up of his pony neck and head. Finally, on his back, hanging like a cape were his pony wings. He also sported hair similar to his mane on his head and he had yellow eyes. His 'cutie mark' was on his metal chest.

"Alright, you Mad Monster! Mach Kicker has now arrived! It's go time!"


	137. The Unlucky

"**THE UNLUCKY #13"**

Louise had become upset after the Springtime Summoning Ritual. When it finally came to her turn she had performed the ritual correctly. However, what she got instead of the beautiful, majestic and powerful Familiar she had expected, she ended up with a commoner. Oh, he wasn't too bad to look at with his handsome features and dark blue hair which was parted in the centre but still he was just a commoner, dressed in black. However, it was his behavior which had unnerved her slightly. It wasn't that he was disobedient. Oh no, on the contrary he had followed her orders to the letter, never complaining or questioning. The problem was that he didn't seem to show any emotion. His face was always blank of any expression save for constant neutral state and whenever he spoke it was in a leveled monotone which betrayed no emotion. Even his eyes didn't show emotion. It was all just too unnerving for her.

She would've expected some protests during breakfast when she had him served only water and bread, and made him sit in the floor, but he didn't even react to that and simply ate. Of course at some point he had requested to explore the castle and the surrounding area. Considering he had done everything she had asked, she didn't think it was too big a request to allow him to be more familiar with the place he had been summoned to.

Her Familiar, whom had introduced himself simply as Kuro Juusan (an odd name in her opinion) had arrived clad in a black coat, with matching pants, boots and gloves. Etched on his back was a gold bird in flight and on his coat's collar was XIII in blood red.

Now, something had happened. She had heard that her Familiar had been challenged to a duel by Guiche and he had accepted. Oh, now the Familiar was overstepping his place and so she decided to tell him to stop this nonsense. She had told him to not fight Guiche, a simple order, and he said that he would not fight Guiche. However, he still did not back down from the duel. He only said he would not fight back.

Then Guiche had summoned a Bronze Valkyrie golem and ordered the feminine looking construct to strike at Kuro. The punch slammed into his face and sent him tumbling, causing the maid to shriek out and Louise to cry out in horror. When Kuro rolled to a stop, Guiche had claimed the duel was over…until Kuro got back up. Instantly, Guiche commanded his Bronze Valkyrie to assault Kuro again. Kuro received a blow to his stomach that would've caused any normal man to double over, and yet he still remained standing. Another blow to the face caused him to stumble but despite the force behind the punch he had not fallen. Guiche commanded his Bronze Valkyrie to attack, again and again, with enough force to break bone.

And yet, despite all the punishment, Louise's Familiar could still stand. Even if he was knocked off his feet and sent crashing to the grassy floor he still got back up, with no apparent evidence of injury on him. He didn't even receive any bruising and he stood straight, advancing without even a limp.

Guiche was starting to sweat nervously. His Bronze Valkyrie should've fell the commoner with just one blow and yet after receiving several painful blows he could still stand. It was his eyes that Guiche noticed. They showed no emotion. Guiche, desperate, commanded his Bronze Golem to finish Kuro off and it dashed towards the black-clad Familiar loyally, spear pointed at his heart. It was at this moment that Louise gave the command, "KURO! FIGHT BACK!"

All of a sudden, red beams of light riddled the bronze golem with holes and it soon collapsed in a heap. Kuro stood over the scrap metal which had been a suit of animated armor with the fingertips of his right hand glowing slightly and smoking.

"What…what…what are you?" Guiche trembled. Instantly, Kuro looked up at Guiche and in his desperation he started to wave his wand.

**CRACK!**

"ARGH!" Guiche screamed as his wrist was broken and he saw that a black-clad hand was wrapped around his now broken wrist, applying pressure. Looking up, he stared into the dark orbs of the Familiar's eyes. How had he crossed the distance so quickly? It just didn't make sense! Louise had summoned a commoner! It was impossible!

Guiche's wand had fallen from his grip and the Familiar released Guiche before grabbing his hair. Guiche screamed as he was hauled up as he tried to pry the Familiar's hand off his brilliant golden hair. He then put Guiche down but he kept his grip before dragging him over towards Siesta. Students parted, giving him a clear path towards the maid before tossing Guiche to her feet.

"Apologize," commanded Kuro at Guiche. Earlier, Siesta had found a bottle of perfume and then of course Montmorency claimed it was something she had given to Guiche. However, it was then that a first year named Katie claimed that Guiche had given her the perfume. Kuro had confirmed since he had observed them earlier and then Guiche had issued the challenge, expecting to wind.

Despite a broken wrist, Guiche had his pride and he refused. "No-ARGH!" He screamed as Kuro's foot pressed down on the hand connected to his broken wrist.

"Apologize," Kuro repeated, grinding his foot into the back of Guiche's injured hand, aggravating his injury further.

"I'm…I'm…" Guiche began. "I'm sorry."

"Now kiss her feet," added Kuro.

"WHAT!-?" Guiche demanded but then Kuro's eyes bore into his and he trembled. "Alright! Alright!"

"Familiar, stop," Louise ordered.

"As you wish," Kuro obeyed, taking his foot off Guiche's hand. "You should have that wrist treated as soon as possible. It might get worse," he advised.

* * *

"Why did you choose that sword?" Louise asked Kuro as they walked through town with Derflinger, their purchase from a shop that sold swords. The shopkeeper had tried to swindle them but Kuro had noted that the sword he'd tried to sell them was inappropriate for battle. Instead, Kuro had chosen a rusty and sentient sword instead, which had not burnt a hole into her wallet.

"It was unique," he answered simply.

"Hey, Partner has a good eye for quality!" Derflinger spoke.

* * *

Foquet had attacked the school, attempting to steal something. However, Louise's Familiar had reacted instantly and had fought against the golem. The golem had brought a fist down to crush him but he had caught the fist with his bare hand and stopped it without difficulty or effort, and not showing signs of exertion. She doubted he would. He had never displayed any emotion since his summoning but to see him hold off a golem without any sort of enchantment or weapon clearly made her wonder what she had summoned.

* * *

The Reconquista forces were inbound and hovering over Tarbes. They were going to attack Tristain and even with Henrietta leading the army, they would not stand much of a chance against the enemy forces. Having a real advantage would be too much of an asset for the Reconquista and would let them all but dominate the battle. It was going to become a one-sided slaughter.

However, Louise's Familiar had other ideas. Again he revealed another ability of his as he actually flew into the air with flames shooting out of his feet and wings made of energy manifesting upon his back. The Dragon Knights had tried to take him down. Wardes, whom Kuro had killed after the traitor had murdered Wales, would not be leading the Dragon Knights. That in itself was an advantage since his tactical military mind who knew much about the battle patterns of the Griffon Knights would not be able to be used for the enemy.

The dragons tried to shoot him down with flames but he was faster as he gunned them down with his finger guns, the lasers piercing through their scaly hides. The Dragon Knights of Albion were hailed as some of the greatest knights in the continent, but they were being cut down like flies by Kuro's power. His eyes glowed as well and he fired lethal energy beams from them which took down more of the Dragon Knights. The ships, however, were reinforced with magic and would require a lot of power to take down.

Power that Kuro had access to.

He floated backwards, his two wings splitting apart to become twelve smaller wings, with the thirteenth wing extending from his spine. Particles seemed to be absorbed into the energy wings as he pointed his fingers forward. A ball of red light began to appear between his hands. The enemy forces prepare to fire on him but yet again they did not realize that this one being before them was something they couldn't match in a million years.

"**Lucifer ****Cannon.**"

* * *

The sky was bathed in crimson light as Louise's Familiar unleashed a burst of energy from his hands. Not only that, beams of light lanced out from his wings in all directions, taking down the remaining Dragon Knights and the rest of the fleet.

The soldiers for Tristain couldn't help but gape at what was once considered a nigh unstoppable force being cut down by just a single man. The Dragon Knights were cut down, the warship now not much more than splinters and wreckage, the invasion force had been decimated. Tarbes was now free from Reconquista's assault and it was all thanks to Louise's Familiar.

Louise was of two minds as she viewed the carnage. On one hand, she was proud that her Familiar, HER Familiar, had managed to turn the tide against the invasion force and destroy them, sending a message against further attempts against the country she loved. On the other hand, seeing how much power her Familiar wielded terrified her and made her fear what would happen should he turn that incredible might against them.

As if he wasn't scary enough already.

* * *

**KR CHROME: A what-if Familiar of Zero story with Kuro Juusan as the summoned Familiar. It's not much, just a short little oneshot to be used for any aspiring writer to write a full story. Simple some of the basics. Hope you like this, guys. It's a gift to you all for supporting Familiar of ZerOOO.**

**Anyway, there's a reason I may not be able to continue this. Well, there is the fact that Kuro has the emotions and personality of a rock. He is just a living weapon, lacking free will and emotions (mostly). Then there's the harem and romance elements of FoZ which may not be accomplished since he is, as I've referred before, emotionless. He understands loyalty and camaraderie though which are both good qualities so you'll know he can be trusted. He can also be offended if anyone tries to harm Louise due to him being loyal to her. Now, this idea's future is quite ambiguous so I'll leave it to your imagination.**

**Now, if you wanna pick up this story, be my guess. I'm just the idea maker. You guys can develop it further.**


	138. RISE OF KAMEN RIDER

-THE RISE OF KAMEN RIDER-

"SHINICHI!-!-!" Rena screamed as the Yamainu soldiers gunned the blue. The bullets pierced his body, sending blood flying everywhere as he stood with arms spread out to shield his friends. Bullet holes riddled his body before Takano gave them the order to stop. Shinichi then collapsed onto the forest floor, dead.

"YOU MONSTER!" Rena shouted at Takano. "YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED HIM!"

Takano only laughed as she said, "Oh, but you all will be joining him soon."

Takano had the Hinamizawa Gaming Club cornered. The group had come to protect Rika from whatever Takano had planned. Rika now knew the face of the enemy, and that Takano sought to kill her. Why, she didn't know, but in most of the timelines it had been Takano who'd killed her via evisceration, leaving her behind the coin box of the Furude Shrine.

It was also Takano who had caused the Hinamizawa Disaster, killing everyone in Hinamizawa.

Even if Rika gave herself up now, her friends would be killed for knowing too much. Mion, Shion, Keiichi, Rena, and Satoko would just be sacrifices for Takano's twisted plan.

This timeline was slightly different from the others since it included a new character. Shinichi Sanban had appeared from out of nowhere. Rika had learnt that the young man had been found by Rena, injured and starving and so she and her father had taken him in. He had no memories or identification and had only given them his name. At first Rika had watched him closely but learnt to trust him as she did her friends since he had become close to Rena.

And now Shinichi was the first casualty of the night which would mark the end of Hinamizawa.

Mion's fists clenched as she tried to fight the tears. "Shin-chan…" she murmured. She tried to look away from the corpse which had once been their friend. In the short time they had known him he'd been cheerful, so full of life, always making jokes, and even becoming good friends with Keiichi as the brunette had no male friends his age in the village.

Rena's grip on her cleaver also tightened as her eyes narrowed, tears streaming from them. Shinichi had been important to her too and tonight he'd proven that he cared for them all. She always thought that those twin strands of hair on his head that bobbed up and down like antennae had been cute but now they were dead. He was gone. "Shin-kun…" she murmured.

For Satoko, Shinichi had been like another older brother, just like Keiichi. Of course unlike Keiichi Shinichi always knew when she had set up traps and Keiichi always end up caught in them. He would always stick up for Satoko and cared for her. Sometimes she would tease him about being a lolicon for how he cared for her and Rika.

Shion hadn't known Shinichi all that well. Sometimes she just got annoyed with him whenever he came to Angel Mort to take pictures of her. He had simply told her that the only reason he did that was because he admired how well the uniform looked on her.

Keiichi's grip on his baseball bat was so tight that his knuckles had turned white. His teeth were gritted, with rage blazing in his eyes. Shinichi had been his best friend in Hinamizawa. The only other guy his age in this entire place. They would joke around, hang out at Angel Mort, and even share plans with each other whenever they decided to force the girls to pay a penalty during club activities.

And now he was gone.

"Kill the others," Takano ordered, "But bring me Rika-chan alive."

The Yamainu had their guns trained on the group, ready to execute them, when all of a sudden the clearing was bathed in light. Everyone looked towards Shinichi's body, which was glowing, the sight both mesmerizing and shocking.

"Shin-kun's…glowing…" Rena admired.

"What…what is this…?" Takano questioned, now starting to show fear as she was startled by this development.

Back in the Furude Shrine's Saiguden, the heart of Oyashiro-sama's statue glowed before three beams of light burst out. The beams were colored, green, red and blue, respectively and they had shot up into the sky before streaking through the air.

"What are you waiting for, you idiots!-?" Takano shouted to the soldiers. "Shoot them! Shoot them!" She didn't care what the unknown light coming from Shinichi was, but she wasn't about to let something seemingly supernatural stop her plans.

Then she got really freaked out as Shinichi's glowing body started to float in midair. At the same time the three beams of light shot down from the sky and struck his body, embedding themselves into his chest at the same time. The light became mixed with green, red and blue.

The Yamainu fired but an invisible force caused the bullets to just drop without hitting their target. Takano started to tremble in both rage and fear. Just what was going on?

And suddenly the light exploded, as a familiar voice shouted, "CHOU HENSHIN!"

Everyone cried out as the light momentarily blinded them and slowly the light started to fade.

And now a new figure joined them.

He wore a black bodysuit with armor. The armor of his torso was black with a red chestplate that had black tiger stripes. The spaulders were colored the same as were the gauntlets. Blue boots with matching kneepads were adorned on his legs. Finally, he wore a black helmet with a green faceplate and blue eyes, as well as a pair of gold horns set on his brow shaped like the letter 'U'. It looked similar to a samurai's helmet.

"Na-na-nani!-?" shouted out Takano. "Shoot it! Shoot it!"

The Yamainu fired again but the armored figure waves his hands and a wall of flames sprung up to shield them from the bullets. The bullets melted from the intense heat. The Yamainu continued to fire but the bullets weren't doing anything before they were forced to stop shooting in order to reload.

The armored figured dropped the wall of flames and glanced at the Hinamizawa Gaming Club. "Run," he said, "I'll hold these guys off. Get Rika-chan to safety."

"Shin-kun, is that you?" Rena questioned, relieved that he was alive but stunned by the change.

"Yeah, it's me," he confirmed, nodding. "Now go, I'll hold them off."

"What about you?" Rena asked once recovering from her shock.

"Like they can actually do anything to me now," said Shinichi, smirking confidently.

The soldiers had reloaded and were taking aim as Shinichi suddenly vanished. "Where did he go!-?" Takano shouted but then her men cried out as they were being struck down by green, red and blue blur. She then yelled as she was pinned against a tree by his forearm pressing against throat. Her eyes widened at the blue eyes of Shinichi's helmet. She looked scared, but then the fear melted away and was replaced by fury.

"Damn you!" She drew her gun and fired but the bullet couldn't penetrate his armor.

"That won't work," he said. "Face it, Takano-san, you've lost."

"What are you?" she demanded. This just didn't make sense. What was she looking at? He had died but not only had he revived but now he was clad in a suit of armor she had never seen before.

"I can't remember," he said honestly. "Remember?" He had amnesia, so he couldn't really explain what was happening to him. What he did understand was that he needed to protect his friends. He removed his forearm from his throat. "I don't know what you had planned for Rika-chan or the village but you tried to have my friends killed. Let me give you one, single warning and it will only be your last warning. Never, ever come back to this village. If you come back I will know and when I do I won't be as merciful." He turned and began stepping away. "Oh, and tell your bosses that Hinamizawa has a new guardian now." He vanished into the forest, leaving a shellshocked Takano.

The woman needed a new plan now. The operation was now obviously a failure. Still, she had to do this! TOKYO was backing her up for this and if she failed to produce results then all she had done would mean nothing. However, what could she do against Shinichi Sanban and his new power? He claimed that he would not show her any mercy but he'd left the Yamainu alive along with her. Maybe he was just all talk.

Still, even if his eyes had been concealed, she could sense their intensity. He was dead serious about his threat.

She took out her walkie-talkie and called, "Okonogi, we've got a problem."

* * *

When Shinichi caught up to Miyo Takano, something was wrong. As she stood, she trembled, but a dark aura was coming off her body in waves. Even her eyes had changed color and when she spoke a demonic voice came out, "**You insolent fool. How dare you get in the way of my plan?**"

"What are you?" Shinichi asked as he clenched his armored fists. This wasn't Miyo Takano. It was something else.

"**What am I? Can't you guess?**"

Shinichi remembered the village's myths which his friends had told him and answered, "You're a demon. You're a demon that has possessed Miyo Takano."

"That's right!" the demon confirmed.

"Why possess her?" Shinichi asked, though he knew the answer already.

"**Why not? You see this woman has a lot of darkness in her heart and she was obsessed with proving her grandfather's theory on the Hinamizawa Syndrome and didn't care what she had to do**," the demon explained. "**I found her interesting and so I infected her and have been influencing her actions since she first arrived in this village**."

So, Miyo Takano wasn't completely at fault. But still if she had a stronger will then maybe a demon wouldn't have taken over her body.

**"The plan was simple: kill Rika Furude, the Queen Carrier, then have all the villagers killed so that the Hinamizawa Syndrome would not spread,"** the demon added, **"It would've gone smoothly if you hadn't interfered."**

"You were planning to kill my friends. I had to," Shinichi retorted.

"**Well, before I kill them! I'll kill you!**" the demon roared. Miyo Takano tossed her head back as black energy burst from her eyes and mouth and into the night sky. When all the darkness left her, Miyo Takano collapsed, unconscious. Shinichi looked up and watched as the darkness swirled around before taking shape. It formed into a giant demonic creature which was connected to the ground from the waist up. Its arms were long with sharp claws and it had bat wings. It also had long and sharp horns to complete the demonic look with red eyes.

* * *

Shinichi rode on 13 wings made of green light which fanned out from his shoulder blades. His friends gazed up at him in awe as he stared the demon down intensely.

"Is that…Shin-chan?" Mion asked.

"He looks like an angel," said Satoko.

"Shinichi…" uttered Rena

"**I was so close**," the demon growled. "**So close…**"

"I'll destroy you right here and now," swore Shinichi as he raised his hand into the air. "Power of the Three Clans, to me!"

A beam of light shot from the Saiguden while two more beams shot from the Sonozaki Estate and the Kimiyoshi Estate before entering Shinichi's belt as his body glowed with light. The demon had to shield its eyes from the painful light. It was so bright and burning. It could not stand it.

"**WHAT ARE YOU DOING!-?**" the demon demanded.

"Erasing your existence," said Shinichi.

"**But all that power…you won't get off either!**" the demon shot back.

"I know that, but there's no other way," said Shinichi resolutely. "Even if this kills me…"

Rena, hearing this shouted, "Shinichi!"

Shinichi looked down at Rena and apologized, "I'm sorry, Rena."

Her eyes widened in horrified realization.

"Demon," said Shinichi, "You've caused so much suffering already. I'm going to erase you from this world."

"**LIKE I'LL LET YOU!**" the demon roared as he lunged forward.

"LUCIFER CANNON!" Shinichi roared as he threw his fist and fired an intense blast of energy that blasted a hole right through the demon's torso, flying out through the exit wound as an explosion of light completely enveloped the village.

* * *

The Gaming Club couldn't find Shinichi after that. It was like he just disappeared.

A/N: Another alternate scenario I wanted to explore.


	139. THE TRAVELER

Date: 24th December

Year: 2248 AD

The city was a bustling metropolis and at night lights lit up the darkness so that from an aerial view one would think they were looking at stars. Humans inhabited the city, either alone or together, looking for some form of entertainment. Couple went out on dates, visiting the local entertainment centers, and having some tasteful adult fun. Well, for the most part. It may seem prosperous but even in this day and age the homeless and penniless still made dark alleys their home without anything to their name except for the clothes on their backs.

On an empty street corner, an odd sight would soon visit the planet.

VROOMP!

VROOMP!

VROOMP!

That odd sound was heard but what exactly was making that sound? Slowly, a tall rectangular object was beginning to materialize on an empty street corner. It blinked in and out of existence before finally materializing fully into a solid form.

It was a phone booth to be precise; a 20th century, red telephone box, which was commonly seen in the UK. The windows were blackened, preventing anyone on the outside from looking in. Now, what would it be doing here? More importantly, how did it suddenly appear?

The door swung open and two men stepped out onto the sidewalk. One of them sported short silver hair and purple eyes. He wore a black, short-sleeved, buttoned shirt with a green neck tie which depicted a symbol resembling a lantern, a green vest and finally blue jeans with black and green trainers. The other wore his short blue hair with a centre-parting, the bangs hanging above his eyes as twin strands stuck out the top like antennae. His clothing comprised of a deep, blue, double-breasted jacket with long coat tails, and golden buttons. He wore black gloves. He also wore black pants with matching boots. Their names were Alan Smith and Shinichi Banabara, and while they did not share an obvious resemblance, the two were brothers.

"Are you sure this isn't Earth?" Shinichi asked.

"Well, according to the TARDIS' computer, no. This is one of Earth's colony planets," Alan informed his brother. "And look, it's Christmas time."

Alan was right. The city was decorated for the holidays. "Guess Christmas still exists even in the 23rd century."

"Well, let's check it out," said Shinichi as he patted his brother on the shoulder.

"One second." Alan took out a key and pressed a button on it to lock up the phone box. "Like a car."

"Yeah, hopefully nobody tries to carry it off," Shinichi remarked.

"Hey, they'd have to be as strong as me to carry it. It's got a Gravity Lock too so it's not going _anywhere_," said Alan confidently. "Now, come on!"

"Do we even have the currency for this era?" Shinichi asked as he followed.

"Oh, just use that universal credit card I gave you. It'll work anywhere!"

* * *

Despite being Christmas, the weather wasn't very cold. Granted, this was a different planet so that was probably the reason. Alan said that by the late 22nd century Earth had become so polluted that it had become uninhabitable. As a result, humanity all moved to colony worlds while work was being done to make the Earth habitable again.

Shinichi peered at the shop window that sold pastries and smiled at the assorted Christmas cakes. Girls were wearing sexy Santa costumes in an attempt to sell and one of them smiled at Shinichi and went to persuade him to come and buy one. She was cute, with curly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. There was nothing wrong with buying a cake, right?

Alan, meanwhile, was looking at the toy stores. Since it was Christmas Eve people were doing some last minute shopping to get gifts for their loved ones. At this time toy companies made a fortune from all the merchandise that would leave the shelves. "Hm…I wonder if the kids would like some future toys." He looked around for Shinichi and spotted him exiting a cake store with four boxes of cake. Shaking his head as his brother approached he asked, "What happened?"

"I couldn't refuse a cute girl when she recommended these cakes," said Shinichi. "I sure hope the TARDIS' fridge has space."

"It's bigger on the inside," Alan deadpanned. "It _always_ has space."

"So, what do you think of this place?" Shinichi asked.

"Well, it's cold but not too cold," Alan answered.

"Not a problem for you though," Bazel added.

"It's like any other city, with the usual problems like homeless people living in alleys. Technology may have advanced but humans still remain the same," Alan finished.

"So, if it's the same that means…" Shinichi grinned. He grabbed Alan's wrist. "Let's go! I got a map that shows us the best places to hang out!"

"Do these places involve scantily clad girls dancing and bouncing for our entertainment?" Alan asked dryly.

"And lap dances! Don't forget the lap dances!" Shinichi added, grinning from ear-to-ear.

As Shinichi dragged his brother along, they did not notice a group of Santas watching them. The Santas were playing instruments, playing Christmas carols, and were wearing masks.

* * *

"The Pink Pussycat!" Shinichi grinned as he looked up at the Strip Club which had a neon sign depicting a sexy catgirl's outline. "Come on, let's go in!" They went up to the door where a bouncer stood in their way.

"ID," the bouncer asked.

Alan took out what looked like a green, leather travel card case and flipped it open as he said, "We're old enough, thank you." The large bouncer inspected the item and let both Alan and Shinichi in.

"Good old psychic paper," Shinichi grinned as they walked along a dark corridor which was lit up by pink lights along the ceiling.

"Well, it'd be embarrassing if we got kicked out before we got in," Alan shrugged.

They exited as they pushed past curtains and Shinichi grinned, declaring, "HELLO LADIES!"

It was what one would expect of a Strip Club, with a bar that sold drinks but Shinichi wasn't interested in the drinks. He was more interested in the ladies. The dancers were all entertaining the clientele, clad in bikinis and lingerie that left little to the imagination. Loud music played in the place and there was a disco ball above the stage where the main show was being performed. Men paid for table dances or lap dances, just admiring the beautiful bodies of all the girls. They were all kinds, different skin-tones, hair color, and ethnicity. Of course there was an apparent theme as the girls all wore fake cat ears atop their heads. The waitresses also wore black vests with nothing underneath, collars with bells on them, short leather skirts, fishnet stockings, and wore high heels. They were wearing the cat ears as well as they served the clients their drinks.

Both Shinichi and Alan went to the bar. "So, what will you be having?" the bartender asked.

"What do you recommend?" Shinichi asked.

"For you, handsome, anything," the bartender winked at Shinichi before whipping up a cocktail. Shinichi's eyes widened and he looked to his brother.

"Did he just…?"

"Yes," Alan confirmed. "Yes, he did."

"Two Pussycat Specials for the handsome gentlemen," the bartender served. "Enjoy!" The drinks were served in crystal glasses and were glowing bright pink. The two took their glasses and toasted before downing them.

"Wow!" Shinichi let out in amazement. "Strong stuff!"

"_Very_ strong stuff," Alan agreed. He had strong tolerance for alcohol due to his physiology. "Let's just enjoy the entertainment."

A spotlight shone on stage as a loud voice from the speakers was heard, "AND NOT, WHAT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR, OUR BEST GIRLS IN THE HOUSE! THE LOVELY ANGELS! KEI AND YURI!"

The cheers from the patrons were deafening, overpowering the music itself as it played and the Lovely Angels came onto the stage to perform their dance for their fans. The one identified as Kei was a voluptuous girl in her late teens, sporting spiky, red hair with bleached blonde bangs. Her skin was a lovely tanned color and she was wearing crimson lingerie, with black stockings held up by a garter belt. Her partner, Yuri, had beauty and a body rivaling her partner, dressed in a blue bikini with thigh-high boots. She had long violet hair and an innocent look but that just made her desirable. As the music played, the girls danced in perfect synchronization, making all the men drool as their curves were being stared at hungrily. Every bounce was followed and when the girls went to the poles, the girls showed their skills that really got the crowd roaring for more.

"And they haven't even taken their clothes off," Alan said.

Shinichi commented, "I'd like to see them do _that_."

The girls had yet to remove even one strand of fabric from their bodies and when the music ended, the crowd applauded and cheered, whistling loudly at the Lovely Angels.

"Hey, what's the deal with these girls?" Shinichi asked the bartender.

The bartended answered, "Oh, Kei and Yuri? They joined the club a month ago and have been really good for business. Their only condition was that they wouldn't appear naked to anyone and nobody seems to mind at all. Those girls don't have to strip to have the guys coming. Did you see their dance? I could sense the fire and passion from over here!"

"Do they do private dances?" Shinichi asked.

"You'll get your chance, coz here they come," the bartender pointed.

* * *

Alan was dragging Shinichi out of the strip club by his ear as the bluenette struggled in vain. "Ow! Alan! Ow! You're gonna pull it off!" Alan wore a blush and a scowl as he released Shinichi and rounded up on him. "What was that for?"

"You tried to pay for lap dances for the both of us," Alan reminded, crossed. "I can tolerate going into a strip club, but only the women I love get to give me a lap dance."

"Well, sorry," Shinichi muttered, rolling his eyes. "So, wanna go get some grub?" Shinichi suggested.

* * *

Kei and Yuri exited the club together, the tanned girl groaning, "Man…I'm exhausted." They were dressed modestly now with Kei sporting a black tank top, red jacket and red short while Yuri wore a blue turtleneck and a white pleated skirt.

"And still nowhere near our goal," sighed Yuri. She then grinned as she flashed her friend several small sheets of paper, "But I got phone numbers!"

"Yuri, now's not the time for dates. Besides, I bet those guys are only interested in your body," Kei remarked. Yuri frowned but kept the numbers anyway. If they had paid attention, they would've noticed a black van was following them.

* * *

Alan and Shinichi were standing in front of the red phone box as Alan opened the door. "Come on, it's time we go."

"Right…" Shinichi sighed. "This is my fault, isn't it? Because of the strip club?"

Alan didn't answer but his hearing picked up something. He shut the phone box's door. "Come on!" Alan shouted as he ran. Shinichi, not questioning his brother's action, followed. They came across a scene as men in black suits had grabbed two girls, two familiar girls. They were the dancers from the Pink Pussycat, the Lovely Angels Kei and Yuri. Acting quickly, Alan jumped and kick one of the men hard in the head, prompting him to release Kei and dropping him to the ground. Shinichi attacked as well and punched the guy holding Yuri in the face, knocking him out.

"Are you two OK?" Alan asked the girls.

"We're fine," Yuri smiled. "Thank you."

Kei knelt down and put high tech handcuffs on both goons.

"You're not really exotic dancers, are you?" Shinichi asked. "Some kind of law enforcement group, right?"

"We're with the 3WA," Yuri admitted. She admired the two young men standing in front of her. They were really cute and she wouldn't mind dating either of them.

"Yuri, we're supposed to be undercover!" snapped Kei.

"Undercover?" Alan repeated. Kei slapped herself in the forehead.

* * *

The girls, Kei and Yuri went to a diner to discuss things. The two girls were agents of the 3WA, which stood for Worlds Works and Welfare Agency, a law enforcement agency that would solve crimes and mysteries. The two girls explained their mission to both Alan and Shinichi. They didn't know why but they felt like they could trust them.

"So, girls from strip clubs have been disappearing and you girls went undercover to find out why," said Alan.

"Yeah, that's right," confirmed Kei. "Those goons would've taken us to their HQ."

"And then what?" Alan asked. Kei took out her gun and showed it to him.

"Whaddya think?"

"So, go in, shoot the bad guys, save the day," Shinichi listed. "That's a normal day for you?" He liked this girl.

"Pretty much," sighed Yuri, "And Kei's here very trigger happy."

"My brother's the same," commented Alan.

Kei cocked an eyebrow incredulously and pointed back and forth between Alan and Shinichi, "You're both brothers? For real?"

"He takes after his mother," Alan answered. "So, you girls got any leads, besides getting kidnapped?"

"Well, we have a suspect. Some local crime boss called Augustus Cornelius. He owns several businesses in the city and is loaded. We can't arrest him until we find proof," said Kei.

"Know where he lives?" Alan asked.

"Just some skyscraper. Lives on the top floor," Kei answered.

Alan and Shinichi shared knowing looks and smiled.

* * *

A van pulled up in front of the tall skyscraper building owned by Cornelius Augustus. The door opened and two men dressed in black suits walked out. They opened the back and carried Yuri and Kei out, draping them over the shoulders.

"We got the girls the boss wants," one of them said to the guard at the door who let them in. The two carried Yuri and Kei into the elevator and the door closed. Yuri and Kei woke up and stood up as Alan and Shinichi pressed the buttons on their watches to resume their normal appearance.

"You gotta love holographic disguises," grinned Shinichi.

"Now, let's pay Mr. Cornelius a visit." They turned their disguises back on.

They came to a stop at the top floor and the door opened. They walked with Kei and Yuri towards the only door at the end of the hallway and knocked.

"Come in," the person on the other side answered and Alan pushed the door open.

Cornelius was dressed in a robe with a belt around his waist to keep it closed and slippers. He had a glass of wine in hand. He also had a belly, had no head of hair, and was at least in his 50's.

"Ah, the new girls," smiled Cornelius as he smiled, licking his gold teeth like a hungry animal. "And they look so delicious." He dismissed the men in black. "You may go now."

"I don't think so," said Kei as she took out her gun and aimed at Cornelius, "In the name of 3WA you're under arrest!"

"Trouble consultants?" Cornelius uttered in shock and betrayal as he stared at his two men only for them to reveal that they weren't his men, but strangers in disguise once the holograms shut off. "Now, what am being arrested for?"

"For kidnapping," Kei accused as she and Yuri approached Cornelius to arrest him. Alan noticed something and was alarmed.

"Girls, stop!" Alan shouted, halting the Lovely Angel's advance.

"What's the big deal?" Kei demanded hotly.

"Count the shadows," Alan instructed them.

"What?" the girls repeated in confusion but Shinichi understood the words and looked down.

The four of them each had two shadows.

"What?" Yuri gaped.

"Don't move!" Alan moved. "Move, and they'll kill you!"

"What will kill us?" Kei demanded. "They're just shadows!"

"The Shadows that Melt the Flesh," corrected Alan. "Also known as…Vashta Nerada." Vashta Nerada were carnivorous microscopic organisms that attacked in swarms. A lone Vashta Nerada was harmless, but a whole swarm of them was incredibly dangerous.

Augustus Cornelius complimented, grinning with his mouth of gold teeth, "So you know what they are." He too had two shadows but he didn't seem all too concerned.

"How are you controlling the Vashta Nerada?" questioned Shinichi.

"Oh, I've paid a few scientists to make this little device here," said Augustus Cornelius, pointing at his earring. "It lets me control their simple little minds so they'll do anything I say."

"Your own invisible bodyguards," Alan concluded. "Anyone that gets close to you gets eaten."

"EATEN!-?" Kei and Yuri shrieked.

"They're called the Piranhas of the Air for a reason," Alan informed the 3WA agents. "They can strip the flesh right off the bone in seconds."

Augustus Cornelius explained, "When I first came across them, they were being held in a lab for study. I mean I couldn't believe my eyes. The speed and ferocity was unlike anything I've ever seen. They were better than attack dogs. I had to have them but I also needed them to be completely docile. But, they're only docile as long as I keep them fed."

"Feed them? With what?" Yuri asked, but she dreaded the answer.

"People, he's fed the Vashta Nerada with people," Alan answered.

"Anyone who has ever tried to go up against me has been killed by my little pets," said Cornelius. "Oh, and it's supper time, meaning my little friends are hungry." He ordered, "Start with the men. I'll let you have the girls after I've had them." He leered lecherously as Yuri and Kei, licking his lips, imagining the perverse things he would do to them like he'd done to so many girls. Then when he would sell them and make a profit from them. They looked so young and sexy that any man would pay a fortune to have them as sex slaves.

"Cornelius, listen to me!" Alan shouted, "The Vashta Nerada are dangerous! One day they will turn on you!"

"Well, thankfully it's not today," Cornelius retorted.

"You still have a chance, you know," said Shinichi, reigning in his anger at this man who did horrible things to women for his twisted pleasure and profit. "Just give yourself up and you can walk out of here safely."

Cornelius laughed, "You're in no position to be making demands! You're about to become food for my little pets!"

"Then I'm sorry for this," said Alan as he took out his Sonic Screwdriver and pointed it at Cornelius. He pressed a button and the crime boss' earring sparked, causing him to cry out in pain.

At the same time, the additional shadows vanished from Alan, Yuri, Kei and Shinichi's feet.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!-?" Cornelius shouted in horror. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!-?"

"You've done horrible things, Augustus Cornelius," said Alan coldly, "It's time you suffer the consequences." He took Kei's hand as Shinichi took Yuri's, leading them out of Cornelius' office and shutting the door behind them. The man screamed were suddenly silent as Alan and Shinichi hung their heads.

"What happened?" Yuri asked.

"It's over," Alan concluded. He opened the door and peered inside. He sighed. "They really do live up to their name." Kei pushed past him and was frozen in horror at what she saw. Cornelius' clothes were ripped to shreds. As for the crime boss, he'd been reduced to bones. Yuri also looked inside and gasped. Alan walked over and put a hand on Kei's shoulder.

"That's what happens when you mess with the Vashta Nerada," Alan said.

* * *

The Lovely Angels, aka the Dirty Pair, walked out of the building with both Shinichi and Alan.

"I've called HQ and they'll be sending people over," said Kei. "They won't find much except for what's left of Cornelius. Those Vashta Nanada are nasty."

"Vashta Nerada," Alan corrected, "And you're right."

"But they're on the loose now," said Yuri. "Shouldn't we be worried?"

"The Vashta Nerada are at home in the forest so they'll likely migrate and find a new home for themselves. You might wanna avoid camping and hiking," Shinichi said.

"But if it's a forest, they have plenty to eat," Alan added, "And will leave people alone, hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Kei repeated incredulously.

"Just remember to count the shadows," warned Alan. "Come on, Shinichi."

As the two mem turned to leave, Yuri asked, "So, who exactly are you two?"

The two brothers stopped and looked over their shoulders to answer, "Just a couple of strangers passing through."

* * *

They entered the red phone box and it was a fantastic sight to behold. The walls were metallic grey and the floor was covered in tatami. In the centre was a circular console with buttons, dials, knobs, levels and screens attached surrounding a glass column that touched the ceiling. The interior had to be many, many, many times larger than its exterior would suggest.

This was Alan's TARDIS. T-A-R-D-I-S: Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. It was a vehicle capable of travelling through time and space and an invention of Time Lord science. Alan had made his TARDIS from scratch and this was currently the Mark 4 model which he'd built. Unlike regular TARDIS, this one was capable of traveling across dimensions, and not just through time and space. They could travel to any place and at any time period in the Multiverse.

"With luck the 3WA will find incriminating evidence about Cornelius' company, arrest his accomplices, and find those missing girls. Then they'll help those girls recover from the trauma," Alan said.

"Couldn't we have stayed?" Shinichi asked. "It's Christmas."

"I know," Alan nodded, "But we've already overstayed our welcome. Come on, it's time we go."

"So, where do we go next?" Shinichi asked, crossing his arm as he leaned against the wall.

"The Multiverse is a huge place, and we have all of space and time to travel," Alan answered. "But first let's pick up the girls from the resort planet."

"Right, the girls," nodded Shinichi.

"Well…Allons-y!" Alan shouted as he activated the TARDIS' engine.

"Ikuze!" added Shinichi.

* * *

**KAMENR RIDER CHROME: SINCE SHADOW ELEMENT 13 AND I ARE DOCTOR WHO FANS, I WROTE THIS LITTLE "CHRISTMAS PRESENT" JUST FOR HIM. IT'S PRETTY MUCH A TEASER FOR A NEW SERIES OF STORIES INVOLVING ADVENTURE, TIME, SPACE AND THE MULTIVERSE.**


	140. ZKD: Fatal Frame

**-ZKD: FATAL FRAME-**

**NIGHT ONE  
**

"What did you call us in here for?" Takada asked impatiently as he, Ryuki, and Tazuka entered Ichijyo's office. Their friend/boss was looking at some files on his desk.

"A mission," Ichijyo answered as he closed the file. "Tell me, do any of you believe in ghosts?"

"Hai," Ryuki nodded.

"Yes," Tazuka nodded

"No," Takada denied.

"Well, I might get three positive answers before the mission is through," Ichijyo chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a nineteenth century era photograph. However in the photo was a woman in a bloody kimono and her neck slashed open. However, the scenery behind her was actually visible. They could see through her. "Tell me what you see."

"Kami," Ryuki gasped.

"At first glance, a dead woman," Tazuka grimaced.

"A good photo trick," Takada shrugged.

"That photo was taken by a special device called the Camera Obscura," Ichijyo explained. "It's a very rare device since there are only four known in the world. Believe it or not, the Camera Obscura is capable of taking clear, defined, and undeniable pictures of ghosts and apparitions."

"Sugoi!" Ryuki gasped. "But…where did such a camera come from?"

"It was made in the nineteenth century," Ichijyo explained as he pushed the file forward. "The inventor was a man named Kunihiko Aso. He was an occultist who dabbled in western technology. Through some experimentation, he managed to create the Camera Obscura, a camera which was able to physically contact the spirit world by taking photos of things that lived there."

"Incredible," Tazuka gaped. "You mean he scientifically proved ghosts exist?"

"Dude, he's my new best friend," Takada gaped as he looked over more photos the Camera Obscura took and pictures of the object itself. "Did he create anything else?"

"A Spirit Stone Radio," Ichijyo answered as he gestured to some filed further behind the camera. "Kunihiko managed to discover that spirits could energize certain crystals or minerals with energy. That radio could sense the energy those stones gave off and play the energy as audio, usually getting words. The radio actually permitted people to hear the spirit world."

"Damn," Takada blinked in shock. He never thought of something like this before! "Please tell me there's more!"

"The last major invention was a film projector," Ichijyo spoke, referring to more of the file. "At first glance it doesn't look too special. But it's the mechanics. This projector was actually able to see the movement of spirits and ghosts that regular lenses can't. Really, this man was either a certifiable genius, or an authentic lunatic. Either way his work cannot be denied."

"I am going to offer a blessing to him next time I pass a temple," Takada practically drooled over the new science. "So, what about these cameras you seem so interested about?"

"Like I said, four of them were made," Ichijyo explained. "However, I may have gotten a lead on one."

"Really?" Ryuki gaped. "That's great! But…why do you need us to go in and get it?"

"None of Aso's inventions have pleasant history," Ichijyo explained. "After he died, his works were sold off to collectors. They were people who either were drawn to their function or because of their artistic appearance. However, most of the collectors ended up dead some time after obtaining one of the devices. Some were dead by strange circumstances and others by suicide."

"What…do you think happened?" asked Ryuki with fear.

"My best guess?" Ichijyo sighed. "They saw too much in the camera lens…or they used the other devices too much and they prodded something that didn't like to be bothered."

"So basically, these devices attract spirits?" asked Tazuka.

"Probably not," Ichijyo commented. "More like the devices are drawn towards places with turbulent spiritual activity. Many of the people who died were in old or abandoned places where ghosts have been said to collect. They probably wanted to use the devices to see if they worked. As for the ones who committed suicide, they probably were simple collectors who couldn't take what they were shown."

"So that's why you want us to get the Camera Obscura," Takada frowned. "We're more experienced with this sort of thing than the average operative or civilian."

"Exactly. The one I've tracked down can be found at the Himuro Mansion," Ichijyo answered.

"Lemme guess, it's a supernatural hotbed," Takada frowned.

"Extremely hot," Ichijyo replied. "The Himuro family was an extremely secretive and closed family. Rarely did anyone go to meet them. However, when they were all alive, three children would vanish from time to time. Locals would blame it on demons. Female screams were heard coming from that place from time to time when one would be brave enough to get close. Further research only mentioned something about a 'Rope Shrine Maiden'. What that is, I don't know."

"What happened to this family?" asked Ryuki with a shiver.

"Slaughtered," Ichijyo answered. "The lord of the manor went insane and slaughtered everyone in the house before killing himself. The grounds went abandoned after that."

"No one tried to buy it?" asked Tazuka.

"One man did. A folklorist," Ichijyo replied. "He and his family moved in. My research tells me that he had the camera when he went in. However, his wife hung herself after moving in and his daughter was sent away to live with relatives. The man himself vanished. As to my knowledge, the Camera Obscura is still there. The house has been abandoned ever since."

"Damn," Takada frowned. "Something tells me we're really stepping into it this time."

"We are Takada," Tazuka sighed. "We are."

"Well you won't be going in alone," Ichijyo added. "I'm also going in with you. I want this camera and with its history, you might be running into ghosts or…something worse."

"Arigatou," Ryuki nodded.

* * *

The journey out to Hirumo Mansion was not pleasant. After Takada learned where it was, in the middle of nowhere, he complained and started packing everything technological he thought might come in handy. Of course that filled the trunk space that had and left little space for Ryuki, Ichijyo, and Tazuka to put their things.

"Do you…need this stuff Takada-san?" asked Ryuki as they drove down the road.

"Hey, we're heading into unknown territory for something that is most likely cursed," Takada retorted. "We need to be prepared for anything."

"Good words Mutt," Ichijyo commented from the driver's side. "However, not much of that junk is going to help us against ghosts."

"I don't believe in ghosts Scaleface," Takada shot back. "I refuse to believe that your whacked out camera actually caught a ghost on film. I'll admit that it caught something, but unless I see the thing in action then I refuse to believe it."

"You'll get your proof," Tazuka frowned from his passenger seat.

"A vision nii-san?" asked Ryuki.

"…" Tazuka didn't answer.

-VISION-

_The boys were standing in a ruined room with a rafter hanging in the middle and a hole in the floorboards that was seeping a green gas. Stairs led to a landing above. It looked like a Japanese home of the past to be sure, but it was very old._

_-FLASH-_

_Ryuki was holding an antique camera and was looking at it curiously. Ichijyo was walking around in the hallway they found it in. Takada was making faces in a mirror at the end of the hall while Tazuka himself was looking up at where ropes hung from the ceiling._

_-FLASH-_

_The boys were in some kind of ritual room where large Buddha statues were standing. Each one had a bloody ring around its neck. However, the boys were dodging something. It was blurry, but it looked like a man in priest robes holding a sword and wearing a demon mask. Ryuki was holding the camera he found to his face and was flashing pictures. Something which seemed to cause the spirit pain._

_-FLASH-_

_The boys were being overrun by a source of incredible darkness and evil. It looked like a shrine maiden, but her hair was covering her face and the mass of evil behind her was reaching out with numerous arms, gabbing at the boys, hoping to destroy them like it did the others._

-END VISION-

"We'll find it," was all Tazuka said.

Ichijyo frowned as he looked over at Tazuka. Tazuka no doubt saw something incredibly unpleasant.

* * *

The village near the mansion was as far as the boys could take their car. There weren't any roads to get to the mansion. Only a dirt path. It took all of Ichijyo's negotiation skills just to get that out of the people. Apparently they weren't the only ones heading there either. A novelist, his editor, and a man from a magazine apparently wanted information headed up there. They had been gone for a while. Then a boy their age, if not older, came asking about the novelist before he headed after the group.

"It seems we may not be the only living people heading there then," Tazuka commented as he heard the news. "Some company may help."

"That was days ago though," Ichijyo argued. "Either there's another road leaving the mansion which the locals don't know about, or those people are still up there."

"Think something's keeping them there?" asked Ryuki with a frown.

"We'll find out," Ichijyo shrugged. "Now grab your packs. We have to walk from here."

"Jeez," Takada sighed. "I hate the boonies."

(boonies = middle of nowhere)

"Quit complaining," Ichijyo sighed as he yanked his pack out of the car. "You need the exercise anyway."

"Yeah, sure," Takada grunted.

The boys got their packs on and headed into the forested hills surrounding the area. The path to the mansion was easily found, but it didn't look used too often. That didn't deter the boys, but it was a long walk. The sun had set and the moon had long since risen by the time they reached the mansion.

"Woah," Takada gasped as they finally came across the building.

The Hirumo mansion was a huge building with large outer walls and gates to keep people out. Inside was a gentle river with a small bridge and stone stairs that led up to the main house. The moon and darkness hid the age of the house, but it looked like an amazing place.

"It looks beautiful, in a scary sort of way," said Tazuka.

"I guess," Ryuki agreed. It still gave him the creeps.

"It must have been something back in the day," Ichiyo commented.

"Well, let's just go in and find this weird camera of yours," Takada sighed. "The sooner the better."

Just before they were going to set foot onto the grounds, they heard a snapping sound. Turning quickly, they saw that they weren't along. In this case, it proved to be a girl their age with red/brown hair who was wearing a white shirt over a red halter top, a denim skirt, and knee high boots.

"Um," she blinked at seeing the boys.

"And who are you?" asked Ichijyo with a frown.

"Miku," the girl answered. "Miku Hinasaki."

"Well hi Miku-chan," Takada grinned. "My name's Yoshiyuki Takada. What's a girl like you doing all the way out here?"

Takada was stopped in mid-flirt when Ichijyo tugged his ear, "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"He has a point," Ichijyo sighed as he looked to the nervous Miku. "Just what are you doing here?"

"Um…my brother, Mafuyu," Miku replied. "He…he said he was coming here, looking for someone. He hasn't been seen since."

"The boy the locals said was coming up here," Tazuka frowned. "Did he say who they were?"

"Um…Junsei Takamine," Miku answered. "He and his assistants Tomoe Hirasaka and Koji Ogata came with him. No one has heard from them since they got here."

"Oh no," Ryuki frowned, looking back at the mansion. He then looked back to Miku. "Are you going in?"

"I have to," Miku frowned. "But, why are all of you here?"

"There's something in the house we're looking for," Tazuka answered. "We believe its there anyway. Now, since you introduced yourself, my name is Tazuka Mizuki."

"Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa."

"Ryuki Leonard Hasuma."

"Hello," Miku bowed. "So, we are heading in together?"

"I think it would be safer," Ichiyo nodded. "I would prefer you stay out while we search, but it doesn't seem that you'll listen will you?"

"No," Miku denied. "I came here to find my brother and that's what I'll do."

"Then well help!" Ryuki nodded.

"Thank you," Miku smiled.

The four boys and one girl turned back to the house and made their way towards it. Walking up the stone steps and past the overgrown foliage, all five of them reached the front door. It was understandably unlocked, which allowed them all entrance inside. They shuffled inside before Ryuki shut the heavy wooden door behind them. As the sound echoed in the room, Ichijyo felt his senses spike to a height he rarely felt. Oh yes, this place was definitely haunted.

A bell jingled.

"Huh?" Ryuki blinked as he and the others turned to see what made the noise. They didn't see anything, but Miku could have sworn she saw a young girl in a kimono with long black hair.

"Did anyone see something?" asked Tazuka.

"No," Ichijyo frowned. '_I did sense a presence though._'

Tauka looked forward and saw that the room was exactly as his vision foretold. Looking around, he spotted some doors. On the wall was a mounted demon mask of some kind. All in all, exactly the kind of place where ghosts would hang out.

"If we're searching, then let's search," Takada grumbled. "We'll find the kid and the camera in no time."

"Camera?" asked Miku in confusion.

"Hai," Ryuki nodded. "There's supposed to be a special camera here. It can see ghosts and catch them on film."

"It…can?" Miku asked in surprise.

"We have photos from the thing to prove it," Ichijyo nodded. "I don't expect to find it easily though."

Stepping onto the wooden floor which creaked tiredly, the five youths walked around the fallen support beam and spied a door. Ryuki reached it first and opened it with a slow creak.

'_The ropes…there are more ropes now…_'

"Huh?" Miku gasped, turning to the source of the sudden noise. She and the boys turned quickly and thought they saw someone standing behind a partition. He was dressed in green with black hair and a vest. However, he was there for a moment before he faded out of sight.

"We're starting to see things," Takada sighed. "Let's just keep going."

"R-right," Ryuki gulped.

Ichijyo whispered to Takada, "Do you still have that Psychokinetic Energy Sensor that R&D gave us?"

"Yup, hold on," said Takada as he reached into his jacket and pulled out something resembling a PDA. "I don't know what we're looking for here. Could be nothing."

"Just keep your eyes open," advised Ichijyo.

The teens walked into a hallway with ropes hanging down from the rafters. Tazuka frowned at the sight. Takada looked forward and noticed a mirror at the end of the hall, "Hey, didn't know they had mirrors in a place this old."

"You'd be surprised," Ichijyo sighed.

"Hmm?" Ryuki blinked as he looked at the end of the hall. Curious, he stepped forward and in front of the mirror. Reaching down, Ryuki found that he was looking at an antique camera.

"Ichijyo-san," Ryuki spoke up as he picked up the camera and the notebook underneath it "Doesn't the Camera Obscura have signs carved into the rim of the lens and is colored gold?"

"Yes, why?"

"I found it," Ryuki answered, holding the camera up. "Miku-san, you said your brother's name is Mafuyu. I think I found his notebook."

"And my mother's camera!" Miku gasped as she trotted over to Ryuki. Taking the notebook, she opened its pages.

_Himuro__ Mansion__ Investigation_

_Himuro mansion was once the home of a large landowner that owned vast areas of land. They also say that the site had some special significance that had to do with the Shinto rituals in the region (I couldn't find any detailed books about these rituals, though)_

_The last master of the Himuro family line massacred his entire household. Later another family tried to live there but disappeared. Because of incidents like these, no one tries to visit the mansion and it lies in ruins._

_Maybe that's why there aren't any accounts of the Shinto rituals and why the exact place isn't recorded anywhere._

_September 24th_

_I've had a bad feeling ever since I came to this mansion. I'm leaving notes in this notebook in case anything happens to me. I've got to find Mr. Takamine and the others fast…before I'm too late!_

"Judging by how the notebook and his camera are here, I'd say something did happen to him," Ichijyo frowned.

"Mafuyu," Miku frowned sadly.

"Um…Miku-san?" asked Ryuki. "You said this camera belonged to you mother. Do you wish to hold it?"

"It's okay," Miku replied with a shake of her head. "It seems like you were looking for that camera. You can call it your reward if you can help me find my brother. It gave me the creeps sometimes."

"If you're sure," Ryuki frowned.

Suddenly, another bell rang. The group turned to the source and spotted a girl in a kimono and long black hair in the mirror for a moment before she vanished again.

"Who…was that?" Takada asked. The PKE Sensor had spiked when the bell rang.

"I think that would be obvious," Ichijyo frowned. "A ghost."

'_Yaminekoryu?_' Ryuki asked his demon within.

'_I wouldn't be concerned with that one, Aibou,_' Yaminekoryu answered. '_She doesn't seem to be malevolent here. However…I'd be wary if you see more anywhere. There's a lot of evil in this place and I don't think it will stay sated on the girl's brother and his friends for long._'

Ryuki nodded. He never doubted his inner demon. While Ryuki himself didn't have the ability to sense spirits, having a demon sealed within him compensated.

"OK, I'm not saying I believe in ghosts now, but there's definitely something abnormal here," spoke Takada, "And I don't like it." Takada was a rationale person and hated things he couldn't explain. Heck, trying to discover more of Ichijyo's 'magic' still gave him a migraine.

"Well, as long as we stay together in a group, we'll be safe," said Ichijyo. '_I hope_…'

Tazuka examined the mirror for a second. It was a risky chance, but maybe he could get a vision if he touched it. It could be an important clue. Items in places like this tend to absorb psychic energy around them and judging by the looks of things the mirror was saturated with it.

His hand touched the surface and he let out a gasp as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

_-VISION-_

_Tazuka was looking down a hallway from the perspective of the mirror. Three people were walking. One was an older gentleman while another was a younger man…like the spirit they saw in the entrance room. The third was a woman in red._

_The weren't alone_

_At the opposite end of the hall was a young woman in a priestess outfit with messy black hair that covered her eyes. Pale arms grasped at the air around her. Her gaze was locked on the trio_

_-FLASH_

_Tazuka could see down the hall again. This time though it was a horrifying scene. Pale arms were reaching through the walls trying to grab a parson who was running through them. It was a young man who was wearing a black shirt with a white button up shirt over it. He had dark jeans and black boot on. His hair was brown and he seemed to bear a resemblance to Miku. Looking past his shoulder, the same girl with the arms and messy hair was visible._

_"Miku," the boy gasped before the arms grabbed him._

-END VISION-

"Nii-san!" Ryuki cried as Tazuka was pulled back from the glass. "Daijoubu?"

"Yes," Tazuka gasped, getting his breath back.

"A vision?" asked Ichijyo.

"Visions?" Miku gasped.

"Yeah. Tazuka can see things when he touches objects, but only when there's enough spiritual energy in the air," Takada explained. "This place fits the bill."

"So I'm not the only one," Miku spoke softly, she then gasped. "Tazuka, did you see Mafuyu? Is he okay?"

"I saw three adults being stalked by a dark force," Tazuka reported. "I also saw a young man getting grabbed by the same force. I assume that's him. I don't know what happened to him though."

Miku nodded, taking solace in the fact that her brother was there. If he was still alive or if he had joined the spirits was another matter.

"We should keep moving," Ichijyo spoke up. "We know Mafuyu went this way. We had better keep moving."

"Right," the other teens nodded.

Turning right at the mirror, they found a small door. Opening it, they entered a small storage-like room. It wasn't much. It had a few antiques with some suits of samurai armor in the corner.

"Hmm?" Ryuki blinked as he looked at an ornate lion mask. "Hey I found some herbal medicine."

"Keep it," Ichijyo replied. "It could come in handy. It preserves really well too." He was examining some drawers before he produced a black notebook. Curious, he opened it, "What's this?"

_Plot of my next work –Junsei Takamine_

_A series of murders in a country village. Dead bodies turn up one after another. Murders that resemble cruel Shinto rituals of legend in the area. The acts of a man sworn to revenge, and the strange correlation between those acts and folklore._

_The man is gradually more and more influenced by the legends. The story will be about the man, proceeding in parallel with the tales of the local lore. Records of past discovered after an earthquake. The story gradually blurs between the present and the past._

_June 24th – About Himuro Mansion, Himuro Mansion is known as the home of a large landowner that controlled the region. But they say it was originally built for performing a certain Shinto ritual, passed down through the generations_

_But the people of that time kept the ritual a deep dark secret. They were even forbidden from speaking its name out loud. Today, almost no accounts of the ritual exists, besides a smattering in local folklore._

"Interesting," Ichijyo frowned as he looked over the notes. "It sounded like it would have been a good book too. A shame." Pocketing the book, he noticed an old newspaper clipping that was under the book.

_The earthquake the other day destroyed all five mirrors (the Holy Mirrors) which were artifacts kept for centuries in five shrines. Those five mirrors represent the five gods which protect this region._

_Most commonly known for the 'Five Gods Festival' held every 10 years when all five mirrors are gathered in one shrine. The priests of the shrine hope this isn't a bad omen._

"Might be a clue to the current situation," Ichijyo commented as he pocketed the article with the book.

"Look what I found," Takada spoke as he came out form a nearby doorway. He was holding an old packet of film. "It says Type-14 on it. It looks like it was made for the Camera Obscura."

"Keep it then," Ichijyo replied. "Who knows what we might see."

"Hmm," Ryuki pondered as he lifted the camera to his eyes. He looked through the viewfinder at the stairs ahead of them. What wasn't there before suddenly appeared a boy their age wearing a white shirt and jeans with brown hair.

"Woah!" Ryuki gasped, accidentally hitting the shutter button, making the camera flash.

"Ryuki," Ichijyo frowned. "Film for that camera is hard to come by and we can't afford to let it go to waste."

"But...I…I saw something!" Ryuki tried to defend himself.

"Did you, Otouto?" asked Tazuka.

Before Ryuki could answer, the camera spat out a small picture. Holding it up, the group saw it appear before their eyes. Everyone was surprised to see the boy Ryuki spotted ascending the stairs in the frame.

"But he wasn't there when the picture was taken!" Takada cried out.

"Mafuyu!" Miku gasped.

"We didn't see him but the camera did," Ichijyo frowned. He looked to Miku. "I don't think I need to tell you what that most likely means."

"My brother is alive," Miku retorted. "I know that much for sure."

"Your decision," Takada shrugged before he threw the film to Ryuki. "Reload that baby and let's keep going. Maybe if we follow Mafuyu's ghost here we'll see what happened to him."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded. He knew how to work a camera, even old models like this. He was a member of the photography club for a while.

"Be careful with that thing, Otouto," advised Tazuka. "You don't know what else it's capable of."

"It's a paranormal item," added Ichijyo. "That means it's unpredictable."

Ryuki nodded. He would keep the Camera Obscura safe. It was important to their mission. However, a groaning noise captured their attention from the floor above. Warily, the group traveled up the stairs and fanned out. Miku reached a door and tried the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. Even stranger, she could hear something moving on the other side.

"This one's locked," she reported to the boys. "I can't open it."

"I found more of that herbal medicine," Tazuka reported from a doorway. "Looks like the stairs down here are ruined though."

"Then we'll head back down the stairs we came up on," Ichijyo nodded. "Perhaps we left a clue behind downstairs somewhere.

It wasn't much, but there were more things down the wooden steps than there were upstairs. The four boys and lone girl walked out onto the slightly groaning floor with few ideas as to what to do next.

Then a bell rang.

Ichijyo perked up and looked to near a small fire pit that was situated in the room. Tazuka and the others slowly followed his gaze. Sure enough, the young girl from the mirror was standing just outside the radius of light that Miku's flashlight afforded them. Both sides just seemed to stare each other down.

"Konnichiawa," Ryuji bowed politely to the little girl. "We apologize for just barging in, but it couldn't be helped."

"You're being polite to a ghost?" asked Ichijyo.

"She was here first," Ryuki argued.

The girl remained silent. Instead, she started walking towards the group. Miku flinched while Takada was about to pull something. However, the girl just stopped before the flashlight could illuminate her face. She then pointed at Ryuki, or more specifically, the Camera Obscura in his hands. After a moment, she then started pointing at a divider that was leaning against the wall, almost hidden by the stairs.

"Does she…want you to take a picture?" Miku asked softly.

"Maybe," Ryuki shrugged as he turned to see the girl again. However, she had already vanished again.

"In my experiences, when spirits have something to say, you had best listen," Ichijyo commented. "Ryuki, try to see if taking a picture of this divider will do something."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he held the camera up to his face. He then noticed something odd. "There's a blue light at the top of the viewfinder when I point it at this divider."

"That might mean it senses spiritual energy," Ichijyo replied. "Take a picture and see what happens."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded before he hit the shutter button. A bright flash went off, capturing the divider on film. The Camera Obscura made some noises as the people got their eyes readjusted. Ryuki caught the photo as it slid out of the machine and held it up. At first there was just a picture of the divider, but suddenly the divider faded away to reveal a door.

"Um…I think there's a door behind that divider, minna-san," Ryuki replied. He was pointing at the divider he had just taken a picture of.

"Then let's find out," Tazuka commented as he reached to move it. "I might need some help with this."

"I'm in," volunteered Takada. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get out of this creepy place."

Ryuki looked towards Miku who looked fearful. "It's alright, Miku-san," he said. "We'll help you find your brother."

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

A scraping sound was heard as Tazuka and Takada got the divider moved completely. Sure enough, there was a wooden door that had been hidden behind the divider.

"Whew," Takada whistled. "Whoever that little kid is she sure knows her stuff. That camera too. Man I'd love to take it apart to see how it works."

"Best to avoid that right now," Ichijyo replied. "Let's continue.

The group of five entered into a long hallway. It didn't look terribly special and there were some dimly lit lanterns in the corners. Logically, that meant that someone had come in before them and lit them for light. However, logic didn't always apply when it came to spirits.

'_I can't find the key…where is it?_'

"Did…anyone else hear that?" asked Miku.

"Yes," Ichijyo frowned. "Takada, Tazuka, you two check the end of the hallway. Ryuki, Miku, and I will check things out on this end.

"Right," the two boys nodded as they started walking.

All of them turned a corner and saw a pair of doors at the end of the hallway and another door to the side. Directly to their left was another wooden door. Tazuka and Takada stepped forward while Ichijyo looked around the room, as if trying to see through the walls.

"I think…that we're alone in here," Miku commented.

"For the moment," Ichijyo agreed. He looked to see his two teammates were already coming back. "What's the verdict?"

"The sliding door is sealed by some force," Tazuka explained. "I couldn't bring myself to open it."

"The other door was nailed shut. None of us are getting through it tonight," Takada sighed. "So it's either try this door or back the way we came."

A spiritually sealed door was nothing new to Ichijyo, but he didn't want to force it open here. Not when he didn't know exactly how many ghosts he was dealing with or how powerful they were. No, they would play the ghost's games for now. However, once Ichijyo knew the situation, they were going to begin playing by his rules.

"Through this door it is then," Ichiyo sighed. "Come on."

Softly opening the door with a creak, Ichijyo walked through with his friends and the girl close behind. Entering, it seemed that they had entered someone's bedroom. Motioning for silence, the group continued walking along the floorboards and onto some tatami mats. Tazuka noticed a chest of drawers at the opposite end of the room. Knowing that information was key in a situation like this, he began to search. His quest bore fruit when he came across an old news article.

_Late yesterday, a human body with no limbs was located at Hirumo Mountain, located at the southern region of the prefecture. The body's head, hands, and feet were torn off. The police are investigating this as both an accident and a murder_

_The body has not been identified but believed to be a man around the age of 30. The police are also taking into consideration that a body was found in a similar condition in the same region 15 years ago._

"Think it's connected?" asked Ichijyo.

"Might be, might not be," Tazuka replied. "We'll have to see what further information we can get."

The team leader nodded as he looked around the room. For a second, Ichijyo saw a man in green and brown walk towards the closet.

"Something useful might be here," Ichijyo commented. Miku's shiver only seemed to enforce that decision.

The young men and woman walked across the room towards the only closet. Ichijyo slid the door open slowly. Nothing threatening popped out, however, Miku noticed a tape recorder on the shelf.

"Here's something," she spoke as she reached out to get it.

As her fingers were about to touch the surface, there was a thump and a body dropped next to the recorder. The face was etched with terror and the skin had gone pale gray.

"AHHH!" four of he five teens cried out. Ichijyo flinched for a fraction of a second before the dead body faded from sight.

"I hate it when they do that," Tazuka sighed.

"Right," Miku sighed. She reached out to take the tape recorder which had somehow turned on. It was playing an odd warped voice in a loop. Hitting the stop switch, she let the voices stop. "It's covered in dust, but it should still be useful. There's a white labeled tape with a number 1 inside too."

"Then listen to it while the rest of us explore the room," Ichijyo replied. "Leave no stone unturned."

"_The mansion was nowhere to be seen on a map. So we finally had to as the locals how to find it. They told us that Himuro Mansion had been empty for several decades now. The same ones who told us where it was also warned us not to come here, which was quite disconcerting._"

"The locals tried to give me the same stonewall treatment when I was asking about it," Ichijyo frowned. "Obviously they knew a lot more about the history of the place than they let on."

"That or they're terrified of what's supposedly in this place," Takada sighed. "Well, let's get searching."

As the boys were about to start walking, a soft sliding noise stopped them. Looking over, they saw that a door had opened on its own. Ichijyo ordered his group to ignore it unless something came through. Miku decided to keep her eye on the door as she rewound the tape and hit the play button, hoping to hear more.

Ryuki, meanwhile, was looking through viewfinder of the Camera Obscura, hoping to find a hidden clue. Takada made a comment, "This feels like a detective game or something."

"Except this is real," added Tazuka. "So, does this make you a believer?"

"I'm not saying there are ghosts here," Takada spoke, "But there's definitely something off about this place and I don't like it."

Ichijyo let his senses scan the room. This whole mansion was saturated with spiritual energy so it was difficult to focus. Something horrible had definitely happened here. The dead body confirmed it.

"Found more of that film," Takada reported. "But this one is called Type-37. I think it's a stronger brand."

"What did I say about film?" asked Ichijyo.

"Save it," Takada nodded. He tossed the case to Ryuki. "Here you go. You're the one with the camera."

"Arigatou," Ryuki nodded.

"Is there nothing else?" asked Ichijyo.

"No," Tazuka replied.

"Then we move on," the team leader nodded.

The group then moved into the next room of the house. This one seemed to be a kimono fitting room from how the old kimonos were hung. Walking past a row of the formal clothing, Ryuki noticed another bottle of herbal medicine. Never one to turn down something useful, he picked it up and pocketed it. Following his friends, they got to the main part of the room.

"An old mirror stand," Tazuka observed. "It looks like the mirror has long since gone missing."

"Hmm," Ichijyo pondered. Something felt odd about this room.

Miku and Ryuki walked over to a nearby window, having noticed something odd. Upon close inspection, it was a white labeled tape with the number 2 written on it. Curious, Miku leaned down and picked it up.

"This might come in handy," Miku smiled.

"Let's hope so," Ryuki nodded.

'_Aibou! Behind you!_' Yaminekoryu cried out.

Ryuki's eyes widened as he twirled around. His face then paled as he saw…something… struggling to walk towards him and Miku. The young woman turned to see what Ryuki was looking at and nearly screamed at the sight.

The being stumbling towards them looked like a man in modern clothes, but he looked twisted and warped. His eyes were pure white and his skin was a deathly gray. There was possibly a rope around his neck and he looked deranged.

'_Aibou! This one isn't like the girl! He's become warped by this place! You have to fight him or else you'll join him!_' Yaminekoryu barked at his partner.

"Otouto!" Tazuka cried, seeing the ghost lumbering towards the pair.

"Huh?" Takada blinked as he looked up. "Oh no way!"

"Ryuki! The camera!" shouted Ichijyo.

"R-right!" Ryuki gulped as he brought up the camera.

He could see the ghost through the camera lens, but it kept shifting in and out of sight as it moved. As he kept the lens trained on the ghost, small kanji were lining up on the bottom of the viewfinder. The ghost then seemed to about to lunge and the circle in the viewfinder suddenly turned yellow. Acting on instinct, Ryuki hit the shutter button. The flash went off without a hitch.

"EEEEEYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!" the ghost screamed, stumbling back as if struck by something. Red energy rose from its spectral body as was pulled into the camera. The ghost clutched his head as he stumbled backwards. The area around him began to glow blue and warp before being compressed and changed into a small blue sphere. The sphere then seemed to break apart.

"Did you get him?" Miku asked with a gasping breath. Her heart was beating furiously.

"Maybe," Ryuki answered with a shudder. The camera made noises and another photo fell out of the mechanism. Ryuki caught it and held it up. A perfect shot of the ghost they had just fought.

"Did you see that?" Takada gaped as he and the others ran to their friends. "He looked like he just got shot just because of the picture."

"He probably felt like he did too. The Camera Obscura isn't your average piece of equipment," Ichijyo commented. "Apparently it pulled energy from the ghost with the picture. It's most likely what powers it. It's possible that's how the camera manages to gets ghost images onto the film too."

"So what happened to the ghost then?" asked Tazuka.

"Ran away," Ichijyo replied. "Whatever happened to that man, he probably wasn't used to what the camera was doing."

"He looks kind of young to be a ghost in this house though," Miku commented as she looked at the photo the camera had produced. "I don't think I recognize him."

"Unfortunately, I do," Tazuka said darkly. He was examining the photo like everyone else. "He's one of the people your brother came in here after."

"Oh no!" Miku gasped. "Then that means…"

"Whatever's haunting this place got him," Ichijyo frowned. He then turned to Takada. "Believe in ghosts now?"

"Getting there," Takada sighed. "Did you two find something before our creepy friend decided to try and make a pass at you both?"

"Another tape," Miku replied as she held up the item she and Ryuki discovered. "I was going to play it when that…man came at us."

"Don't let us stop you then," Tazuka gestured. "I think we should all hear this."

"Right," Miku nodded. Bringing out the tape recorder, she switched out the tape before inserting the new one and pressing play.

"_It seemed dangerous to walk through the mountain at night. So we decided to spend the night here and continue our way in the morning. I have been through several rooms already. Unlike the exterior, the interior is still in quite good shape. A little earlier, I thought I saw a white shadowy figure of a woman in the hallway near the entrance. I'll keep track of such sightings and publish them in a writer's account._"

"I don't think he will," Tazuka sighed. "Miku, did your brother tell you why Takamine and his two assistants were here?"

"Well, he said that Takamine was going to publish a new book and was here for research," Miku recalled. "Umm, Tomoe was his assistant so she'd go with him. I think the other man was an editor to a future supernatural magazine."

"Looks like his article got the jump on him," Takada frowned. "Now he's become part of it."

"Yeah," Ryuki nodded. "But…how did this happen?"

"Despite appearances, ghosts and spirits can be extremely powerful," Ichijyo warned. "Obviously this one has become powerful enough to kill. That's rare since it takes the right environment and circumstances for it to happen."

"Considering the history of this place, I think this qualifies," Takada sighed.

"I would say so too," Ryuki nodded as he raised the camera again to look for more possible clues. "Hm?"

"What is it?" asked Miku.

"That mirror stand in the corner," Ryuki commented. "It's making the blue light in my viewfinder light up."

"It is?" Ichijyo blinked. He looked to the mirror-less stand and stepped closer. As he did, he began to feel spiritual energy coming from it. "Well I'll be. The editor's spirit must have been drowning out the feeling."

"Let me take a picture," Ryuki called as he stepped forward. Getting the stand in sight, he snapped another picture. The photo took a minute to develop and pop out. Picking the scrap of paper up, Ryuki's eyes widened to see the photo begin to change. It started as a photo of the mirror stand and it turned into a photo of a lion mask sitting on a chest of drawers near a fireplace. "Sugoi."

"Hey, you didn't take a photo of that did you?" asked Takada.

"No," Ryuki denied. "I just took a picture of the stand and it turned into this."

"It might be a clue then," Tazuka suggested. "Whatever spiritual presence is connected to this stand obviously made contact with that mask too."

"Then we know where we need to go," Ichijyo nodded "Thankfully its not far."

"Yeah," Takada agreed. "We just have to find that mask."

"Otouto, looks like you're that camera's keeper. Keep it safe and it'll keep us safe," advised Tazuka.

"Hai, Nii-san." Ryuki obeyed.

Exiting the kimono room back into the previous room, Miku decided to try to talk to Ryuki, "You and your brother must be really close."

"Yes, even if we're not related by blood."

"Huh?" Miku wasn't sure what that meant. "So, you're adopted?"

"Well…actually I adopted him as my older brother."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I never grew up with an older brother. All I had was an older twin sister and…we don't get along all that well. I don't know why. When we met Tazuka, he treated me like a younger brother. I grew to like the attention and ever since then I've been calling him 'Nii-san'."

Miku nodded, understanding the situation. It was like a very deep friendship that turned into brotherhood.

"Ryuki-san, do you think my brother turned into something like…that man?" Miku asked.

Ryuki answered, "Honestly, I can't be sure, but we'll help you find him."

"Why do you care so much? We've only just met."

"Why not? It's the right thing to do, isn't it?"

"Well, I suppose so," Miku nodded. "You just don't see many people risk themselves like this all the time."

"People do it all the time," Ryuki replied. "We just don't hear about it as much as we should."

The group came out into the hallway with lanterns. Ichijyo was in the lead with Takada following. Miku and Ryuki were talking softly with Tazuka taking up the rear. The eldest boy was glad that even with this world of terror they stepped into, Ryuki could still relax. As they turned the corner though, Tazuka spied something moving through the wall and lunging at Miku!

"Look out!" Tazuka cried, pushing Miku forward just as the ghost wrapped his arms around Tazuka.

"GAAAAAHH!"

-VISION-

_Tazuka was closely following a man he recognized. It was the same man whose ghost they had just met. He was running in fear of something he had seen. Running through a door in the lantern hall, he ended up in the joined room. Panting, he discovered the closet and quickly dove inside. He shut it as quickly as possible, leaving only a crack for him to see through. After desperately trying to get his heavy breathing silenced, he spied the source of fear._

_It was a white clad woman who had long dark hair. She was partially engulfed in a mass of darkness and had pale arms. The editor held his breath, hoping that the monster would move on, leaving him alone. It seemed to stray for a moment before passing on._

_"Whew," he sighed._

_That was when the eye of the women rose from the bottom and peered inside the closet. The man screamed in fear as numerous arms grabbed him, cutting off his screams_

_-END VISION-_

FLASH!

"RAAGH!" the ghost cried as it dropped Tazuka and stumbled backwards.

"Keep your hands off my nii-san!" Ryuki cried as another charge flew through the camera. He hit the shutter again, hitting the ghost a second time.

"AHHHHHH!" the ghost moaned as more power was drained out of it. Stumbling further back it warped and twisted into a blue orb before vanishing.

"Tazuka-san!" Miku cried as she ran to the downed boy. "Are you okay?"

"Feels like I was frozen and electrified at the same time," Tazuka groaned. "I might need, medical attention."

"Try some of these medicines we've been picking up," Takada offered. Tazuka jerkily took the wooden vial and swallowed the herbal remedy. Immediately the freezing electrified feeling began to go away and he was able to get to his feet.

"Holistic medicine is a wonderful thing," Tazuka sighed. "Did he get anyone else?"

"No," Ichijyo replied. "Just you." Now ichijyo was cursing his foolishness. This place was hounding his senses so badly, he couldn't sense when a ghost was coming. Weakened as it was from the first bout, the residual energy probably hid it.

"I thought that thing would take longer to come at us though," Takada frowned. "We don't even get one hundred steps and it comes back! Why?"

"He noticed us," Ichijyo answered. "I've seen him wandering here or there but didn't think too much unless he became a threat. Now he is. When ghosts notice something they want, they go after it. Apparently this one thinks we have something. My question is where he latched onto us."

"That closet we found the recorder in," Tazuka answered. "That was where whatever the source of this evil is found him and killed him."

"How do you know that?" asked Miku.

"Because when he touched me I got a vision," Tazuka answered with a sigh. "One I'm not eager to relive. The terror that man was feeling was incredible."

"Nii-san, are you alright?" Ryuki asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. It's just a little draining that's all. The vision…was horrifying."

"Just don't strain yourself, nii-san," Ryuki advised.

"I don't know if I even have a choice, otouto," Tazuka answered.

"Still," Ichijyo sighed as he scooped up the two pictures that the camera made of the ghost. "We have to get going. Ryuki, how many shots do you have in that camera?"

"Ten," Ryuki answered. "Then we'll need to get the film that Takada found."

"Okay," Ichijyo nodded. "Let's get that mask and see what the spirits find so damn interesting about it.

Everyone nodded in agreement and finally managed to get to the end of the hall. Exiting through the door, they were back in the room where the lion mask was placed. Takada made a straight beeline for the mask and inspected it. After a moment, he got results.

"There's a mirror hidden behind this thing," he reported, producing a red hand mirror. "Looks to be the same shape as the indent in that kimono room."

"Then we found our clue," Ryuki nodded. "We'd better head back and see where this takes us."

"Agreed," Tazuka nodded.

The group made swift tracks back to the kimono room where the mirror was supposed to go. Miku just turned the corner in the lantern hall and gasped in fight.

"What?" asked Ryuki as he got the camera ready.

It turned out that the doors Tazuka couldn't open before was a closet in which the ghost of the editor was crouching inside. He was staring at them with his white orbs. The situation tensed for a moment before the door shut itself.

"Should we-?" asked Ryuki.

"No, let him stay where he is," Ichiyo answered. "It's where he feels safe."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded.

The five teens reentered the kimono room and stood up to the mirror table. Takada produced the red mirror in question and set it inside the indent. The item fit perfectly and there was a small clicking noise. Miku looked down and saw that a drawer had moved slightly. Grabbing the handles, she pulled the drawer open to reveal a rusted bronze key and a photo.

"It's the editor!" she gasped as she picked up the photo. "When he was still…alive?"

The photo looked fine at first with the editor standing somewhere in the house. Suddenly though, ropes appeared wrapped around his neck, ankles, and wrists.

"Kami," Ryuki gasped. "How did-?"

"I'm not sure," Tazuka frowned. He picked up the bronze key. "But ropes seem to be becoming a theme here. First that hallway, and now this man. At least now we might be able to get deeper into this place and find Mafuyu."

"_Help me…the ropes…help…the ropes…the rope…THE ROPES!"_

The four teens turned and saw their ghostly friend had returned for round three. He was reaching out for them with open hands. He was still moaning about ropes and help.

"I got it!" Ryuki called as he stood in front of his friends and charged a shot. He was about to hit the shutter when the ghostly editor rippled out of sight. "Huh?"

"Left!" cried Miku.

Ryuki turned immediately to his left and saw the ghost ready to lunge. Swiftly turning, he hit the shutter button, bringing a flash. The man screamed in agony, but Ryuki wasn't done. Getting another shot charged, he unleashed a second blast, pushing the ghost farther back. He then got a third shot and hit him again. The ghost screamed in agony as he twisted into a blue sphere again. This time though, it seemed to linger before being sucked into the camera.

"Woah!" Takada cried. "I think you finally got him!"

"It appears so," Ichijyo pondered. "Enough exposure and the spirit itself will be drawn in and sealed in the film. Not a good way to enjoy the afterlife."

The Camera Obscure spat out three photos, all of the same subject. However the third was much clearer than the other two. Ryuki captured all three photos and slipped them into his pocket.

"Alright, I guess we've sealed one spirit. Who knows how many others there are in this house," said Ryuki.

"Still, it's a good thing we have you holding the camera," said Tazuka thankfully. "You're the best shot we've got."

Blushing, Ryuki answered, "I'm not that good, nii-san."

"Don't be so modest, otouto. You've got amazing reflexes. It's a good thing we had you hold onto the Camera Obscura."

"Keep it up and you'll get a pay raise," stated Ichijyo.

"Yatta," Ryuki grinned.

"So, where does this key go anyway?" asked Takada, referring to the key that was clutched in Tazuka's hand.

"I think I might know," Miku answered. "Remember when we first entered that dragon mask room and we went upstairs? There was one locked door and I remember that the lock was made of brass like this key."

"So we backtrack again," Ichijyo nodded. "And we don't have the editor here to harass us anymore. Hopefully his two comrades and the boy haven't suffered a similar fate but…"

"You never were an optimistic one," Tazuka sighed.

The group made tracks back to the room where Miku supposedly saw the brass lock. Travelling through the lantern hall they reached the room where their target was. As they entered the room though, they heard the padding of feet running up the stairs next to them. All five teens turned to see what it was, but found nothing.

"I think our tiny friend is telling us we're on the right track," Tazuka spoke as he headed for the stairs.

"I like her," Ryuki smiled. A bell jingled in the darkness.

"I think she likes you too," Takada laughed. "C'mon, let's see where this takes us."

The group travelled up the stairs and ended up at the door where Miku said was the owner of the key. Sure enough, there was a big grass lock. Bringing out the key, Tazuka inserted it and the lock was undone.

"Here we go," Tazuka steeled himself as he pushed the door open.

Slowly entering, the group found a large room with a sturdy oak table. In the left corner was an urn on a shelf. Obviously this was a place where meetings would be held in the presence of ancestors. All five slowly stepped into the room and fanned out.

Takada was looking over the urn to see who it was when he spied a book underneath it. It was green and written in charcoal ink. Picking it up, he discovered that he might have found some research notes from the editor before he…kicked the bucket.

_Secret Rituals of the Himuro Family_

_Any customs and rituals have been passed down through generations of the Himuro Family. Most of them are lost. The only things we have left are some documents which record these rituals as legends._

_Hardly any of the oral history remains. This is because all members of the Himuro family are dead, and all those close to the family have kept quiet about the ritual._

_One ritual in particular, performed on December 13th, is shrouded in mystery. People who lived near the mansion stayed inside that day, and even now it is considered bad luck to leave your windows open that day._

_I can only assume this is because of the cruel nature of the ritual. But, the truth is unknown._

"Woah, bad mojo," Takada grimaced. Something big was going down in this place and it might be the reason why all this freaky stuff was happening.

In the meantime, Ryuki had spotted something on the table. It looked to be a rock, but it was so finely polished it actually reflected. He could see himself in it. There were protective symbols carved into the back of it. Considering it useful, he pickedit up and tucked it in his pocket. Considering the nature of this godforsaken place, they needed any edge they could find to counter this unholy threat.

'_Sensing anything, Yaminekoryu?_' asked Ryuki.

'_Besides the malice, evil, and growing bloodlust in the air?_' asked Yaminekoryu. '_I think you may have caught the attention of the source of this problem, but it's like it doesn't care. Something else is holding its attention._'

'_Is that good for us?_' asked Ryuki.

'_Maybe if you don't get in anymore fights with ghosts, but I'm not holding my breath in a blood-drenched place like this_,' Yaminiekoryu snorted. '_Just keep that camera loaded or else bad things might happen._'

"Otouto," Tazuka called, "We're moving on."

"Oh, coming," Ryuki nodded, following his friends behind a divider. Miku was already opening a pair of sliding doors. "Anything interesting?"

"Just some hints at some bad mojo and Miku-chan found some medicine," Takada shrugged. "Nothing major."

Miku slipped the doors open and the group continued on. Of course, that stopped quickly when they found themselves on a balcony overlooking the courtyard. There was another building there and path even farther back. A scraggly and dead tree looked over the dirt and stone path.

"Hmm," Ichijyo frowned as he looked around. His eyes landed on a paper window next to them. However, he could see the shadow of someone inside. It lasted for only a moment before the shadow faded out of sight. "I know where to go next."

"You do?" asked Tazuka.

"Either our short friend or another spirit showed us the way," Ichijyo replied as he headed back inside. The group followed in confusion. Ichijyo didn't hesitate as he turned to the right. However, there weren't anymore doors on the right save for the boarded up doorway and a solid wood door next to it. However, there was a door on the left. Ichijyo didn't stop as they reached the next room

Inside was a decorative room with dolls and a trunk on the ground. Directly in front of the group was a camera with a glowing blue lens. Stepping forward warily, Ichijyo examined the machine.

"Ichijyo, you shouldn't go so fast," Tazuka sighed. "We can't afford to get separated."

"True," Ichijyo nodded as he drew back from the old camera. He was holding five packets of Type-14 film. "However, this was for the upkeep of our only weapon."

"Hey nice job, snakeface," Takada grinned. "More film means more shots to snap up ghosts."

"Correct," Ichijyo nodded as he handed the film over to Ryuki, who pocketed the cases of film. "Now we continue moving. Look for whatever might be useful."

"Right!" the teens nodded. Despite not being part of the team, even Miku was getting used to having Ichijyo in charge. He was good at the role. Filling her part, Miku examined some of the trunks, what she found was another case of Type-14 film and a red notebook. She gave the film to Ryuki, but she opened the notebook to read to the others.

_August 20th_

_It seems that a folklorist named Ryozo Munakata was studying about the rituals passed down in the Himuro Mansion. He supposedly left a book about his research, but I can't find it anywhere. I wonder if there's a copy in the library somewhere?_

_August 30th_

_I still can't find the book. I'll have Koji Ogata in the editing department do a search for it. I doubt he'll be able to find it, though._

"This must have been left by one of the researchers who came here," Ryuki muttered. "I hope nothing happened to this one."

"They left something else too," Ichijyo answered as he retrieved something from the dolls on the chest of drawers. "Some audio notes as well."

He tossed the tape over to Miku. The tape had a red label on it, marking it as different from the white tapes that they had found so far. Miku quickly retrieved the recorder and replaced the white tape with the red one.

"_We discovered some disturbing photos in a chest of drawers. Could these be the folklorist's children mentioned in Koji' notes? The photo is quite old and shows some kids playing tag. In the bottom corner of the photo there's a faint image of a girl in a white kimono. Her finger is pointed in this direction and her eyes are as if she is making some kind of silent accusation._"

"So our little friend has appeared before," Ichiyo pondered. "Well, we had better get moving. I still wish to explore that side of the room where I saw something."

"You sure you saw something?" asked Takada. "Then why'd you turn left?"

"Because something was there," Ichijyo answered. "The room where I saw it was burnt out and rotten. However, I did see a normal door that looked like it would still work. I just didn't lead over there in case another ghost decided to attach itself to us."

"So you mean to let it move away before we risk going near there," Tazuka nodded.

"Exactly. It could be malevolent and even with the Camera Obscura we can't take any unnecessary risks," answered Ichijyo.

"Us being here is already a huge risk," remarked Takada. "The PKE Sensor is getting some pretty high readings here." He then cursed, "Oh, crap!" The PKE Sensor was sparking and spewing smoke. Alarmed, Takada dropped it.

"So much for the PKE Sensor," said Ryuki, frowning.

"Damn thing must've gotten overloaded with all the bad mojo in this place," said Takada. "Don't know if I can fix it."

"Don't waste time that we don't have." Ichijyo knew what had happened. Obviously the machine was unable to take the strain of all the psychokinetic energy in the mansion. Machines had limits. Smart Brain tech was no different. "Let's go."

The five teens traveled across the room and through a narrow corridor. They passed a shredded paper door that revealed an empty and destroyed room. Ichijyo kept his eyes on the wooden door. Grabbing the handle, he swung it open. It was a plain hallway, but there was a closet to their left.

"Might as well examine all things here," Ryuki commented as he held the camera up while reaching to the closet handles. Pulling the handles, he opened the doors. Inside was pretty much bare with only a pack of film. It was the Type-37 kind. That suited Ryuki just fine.

"Let's go then," Ichijyo commented. He led the group down the hall towards a second large mirror. As they got closer to it, they started hearing voices.

'_There are rope marks on my body…just like Koji…_'

"Again with ropes," Tazuka frowned.

"We'll figure it out," Ryuki assured his brother as he brought up the camera.

Miku was about to keep moving when she heard something crinkle from underneath her boot. Looking down, she found it was pages from a book. From the handwriting and the designs on the paper, it was from the red book she found before. Picking them up, she began to read.

_August 27th_

_The more I find out about the Himuro Mansion, the creepier it gets. I'm sure it's the perfect subject matter for Mr. Takamine's next book but, to be perfectly honest, I don't like this assignment one bit. It gives me a bad feeling…_

_There's no way I want to go to that mansion. But it's my job, right? I guess I'll have to go. And I wouldn't want to waste the chance to work with Mr. Takamine just because of a little uneasiness._

_It doesn't help that I have a sixth sense for the supernatural, either. There is such a thing as knowing TOO much, sometimes…_

"That sounded ominous," Tazuka frowned.

"Apparently this place was giving her signs before she got here and she still came," Ichijyo sighed. "Still, we have to keep going if we're going to determine their fates."

The group continued on and continued on forwards. There was a short trip of stairs downward which wasn't too hard to navigate. As they got off the stairs, Miku spotted someone walking around the corner to their left. "Mafuyu!"

"Huh?" Takada blinked as Miku headed for the corner. "You saw him?"

Miku's elation was stopped short when she heard someone coming towards them. Ryuki had the camera ready as he went to retrieve Miku. As he got to her, their new guest found them.

He looked like a regular villager from ancient Japan. He wore villager clothes, but his hair hung down on his head. His skin was pale gray and his eyes were white. However what was odd was that his arms were much longer than the average span and he was hunched over.

"What…is that?" Takada gaped at the deformed ghost.

"_Give back…give…back…give back!_" the ghost moaned as he began to reach for the pair.

"An evil spirit!" Tazuka shouted, alarmed. "Otouto, shoot it now!"

Ryuki reacted quickly and held up the Camera Obscura. The markings along the bottom of the screen lit up quickly and Ryuki had his finger on the shutter button. However, before he could press it, the ghost shifted to the side and out of the viewfinder.

"Kuso!" Ryuki cursed under his breath as he and Miku started backing away. He kept trying to put the ghost in sight, but it kept swerving and shifting to invisibility.

"_Give…back!_" the ghost moaned as he suddenly lunged at the pair.

"Say cheese!" Ryuki grinned as he aimed the lens at the lunging ghost.

FLASH

"URAAAHH!" the long-armed ghost bellowed, stumbling back while clutching his face. Ryuki kept the pressure on as the sigils lit up again. The ghost began to swerve again to avoid the attack. However, Ryuki was prepared. He followed the pattern by swerving his head and tapping the shutter button.

The ghost roared again as it stumbled in its tracks. Ryuki could tell that he was getting close. Getting the charge as high as he could in a short amount of time, Ryuki hit the stunned ghost again.

"GYAAAHHHHHH!" the long-armed ghost roared before he warped into a small blue orb before vanishing.

"Whew," Ryuki sighed as he let the camera down. The device whirled and spat out three pictures of the long-armed ghost. Miku recovered them and examined them.

"Just what the heck kind of freak was that?" Takada gaped.

"Obviously either someone who crossed the Himuro family or someone who served them," Ichiyo frowned. "I haven't heard of one like that though."

"Give back," Tazuka frowned. "What did he mean by give back?

"Obviously it's what's keeping him from crossing over aside from the force calling the shots here," Ichijyo frowned. "Something was taken from that…man and he wants it back. Desperately so it seems."

"For a moment I felt bad about him," said Ryuki sadly.

"He tried to rip off you to shreds and you feel bad for him?" asked Takada incredulously.

"Lay off him, Takada. Otouto can't help but be sympathetic for some of the spirits trapped here," said Tazuka in Ryuki's defence.

"Fine. Still, the kid's too nice for his own good," said Takada.

"Which just proves he's more human than you and I could ever be," quoted Ichijyo.

"Miku-san, are you alright?" asked Tazuka in concern. Blushing, Miku nodded. "Thank goodness. It's a good thing you have Otouto here to protect you."

"Ah ha ha ha," Ryuki chuckled modestly. "You all would have done the same."

"Now that the victory part is over, let's get moving," Ichijyo sighed as he headed to a nearby door on the right. "Shall we?"

"Ikuzo," Ryuki nodded.

The group shuffled into the room, which seemed to be some kind of basement storeroom or something. No one could be sure. Takada was scanning the room when he saw some papers blowing in a slight breeze. Walking over to them, he snatched them up.

"These look like the ones Miku is collecting in the red book," Takada observed. "If you would do the honors Miku-chan?"

Miku rolled her eyes and took the pages. Scanning them over, she found that they were indeed from the red book. Finding the first of the two pages, she began to read.

_September 10th_

_I clearly saw the image of a woman, In front of the mirror near the entrance. She had long hair and a white kimono. There were ropes tied to her arms and legs, and she dragged them around when she walked. I think I heard Koji talk about something like that, too._

_There is something VERY wrong about this mansion._

"It seems like it was beginning to dawn on her," Tazuka observed. "I only hope that she listened to her instincts."

"But we still have to be sure," Ichijyo replied. "So let's keep going."

Tazuka agreed and headed to the pair of sliding doors that were down in the room. Oddly enough, there was another pair of sliding doors. Tazuka passed through them to open up to a third pair of doors. Finally he found himself looking at paper doors that were torn up with an entry gap. Tazuka peeked around the entryway and spotted something on the ground along with a door.

"There's something wrapped on the door," Tazuka spoke as he looked at the door. "I can't open it. There's something else though. It says its sacred water." He walked back to the entry way with what looked like a small glass bottle with a paper attached to it.

"That will come in handy if it's real," Ichijyo told his friend/ally. "In both healing wounds and other things."

"Good to know," Takada nodded as he ducked into the broken hallway on the opposite end. "But I think I got more research into this bad mojo now." He returned holding charcoal ink pages. Flattening them, he began to read.

_The Mystery of the Rope Maiden_

_Among the few documents found on the ritual, mention of the "Rope Shrine Maiden" is made many times. Her arms legs and neck are bound by five ropes. However, no documents discuss the role she plays in the ritual._

_One theory is that she was a sacrificial lamb, but I find it hard to believe that such a cruel ritual was ever practiced._

"Hmm, this offers a little more insight," Ichijyo frowned. "The red book mentioned a girl with ropes tied around her arms and legs. The picture of the editor also had ropes on his arms and legs."

"Do you think whatever happened here has to do with this Rope Shrine Maiden?" asked Ryuki.

"With all the mention of ropes, I'd bet a fair sum that it does," Ichijyo pondered. "The question is who was this Rope Shrine Maiden, what was her role in these rituals, and what happened to her?"

"Maybe our little friend can shed some light on the subject," said Tazuka.

"If she can stick around long enough to give us a decent answer, that is," scoffed Takada.

"I think she might already be," Miku added. "I mean, she's been pointing us in several directions and we've been finding all sorts of information along the way. I think if we keep going in the direction we've been going, we'll find the answers."

"And your brother," Ryuki added, making Miku smile.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Takada as he filed the pages into his green book. "Let's keep going."

The group got their motion again and began heading for the exit but that was when Ichijyo felt a weak spike in the spiritual energy. Looking around, he saw something that looked like a heat mirage coming at them, "Move!"

Everyone ducked, Tazuka keeping his arm over Miku as the entity flew overhead with a low moan. Ryuki rolled over and held the camera to his eye. He managed to get a brief glimpse of a sunken face with a skinny body with ropes tied around him and his arms hanging down. However, only two symbols turned blue before the ghost turned invisible again.

"He's fast! We have to keep moving!" Ryuki warned his friends as he got to his feet.

All five of them made their way for the exit with Ryuki keeping an eye out for their speedy assailant. Looking out, Ryuki suddenly felt like an electrical and freezing sensation barrel into his chest, "AUGH!"

"Otouto!" Tazuka cried as they saw the spirit taking form again, having completed an attack.

Gritting his teeth, Ryuki pointed the camera at the skin and bones head of the ghost that had grabbed his chest before hitting the shutter button. The camera flashed, making the ghost reel back in pain. Panting, Ryuki kept the camera trained on the recovering spirit before unleashing a second blast, making the spirit screech in agony as the camera drew more energy. The floating spirit writhed as it coiled into a bright blue ball before vanishing.

"Ryuki!" Takada called to the shivering young man as they ran to his side. "Hey, you okay kid?"

"A little pain," Ryuki grimaced. "It's fading though."

"I'd feel better if you'd use some of the medicine," Tazuka sighed as he produced some of the herbal pills from the wooden vial. Ryuki nodded and swallowed a few. He sighed as the numbing pain in his torso faded away.

"That thing didn't even look human," Takada grimaced as he plucked up the photos of the ghost fell out of the camera. "Yeesh. I was right."

"My best guess is that it was drawn here from all the spiritual power here," Ichijyo replied. "Or perhaps the blood spilled here."

"Either way we'll be seeing it again knowing our luck here," Tazuka frowned. "We had better keep moving before it decides to come back. Otouto, are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Hai, nii-san," Ryuki nodded. "Let's keep moving."

The group went back into the hallway and took a collective breath to try and get the adrenaline out of their system for the moment. Miku was shivering slightly, but Tazuka tried to comfort her, which seemed to be effective.

Walking through the hallway to the right of the door they came out of, they began to catalogue where the doors were. Takada noticed that the first door they passed had some kind of puzzle lock mechanism but chose to ignore it. They passed by an open window where the night light was leaking into the area. They passed by a second door and as they were walking, Miku noticed a crevice in the wall. There was a piece of paper sticking out of it.

"I think I found something," Miku called as she cautiously picked up the paper. "It's an old news article."

_On the night of the 3rd, the police received a report that four children failed to return home after 9pm. There is an old superstition in the surrounding villages about children being snatched away by ghosts, and some villagers indeed suspect this is what happened to the four children._

"Great," Takada frowned, "More bad mojo. We're getting pretty close to the deep end for this."

"I think we've only scratched the surface," Ichijyo commented. "The worst is definitely yet to come."

"Then we'd better try to explore a little more," Tazuka spoke. "We need to find out where Mafuyu and the others went. The ghosts are getting more numerous and more violent."

"Right," Miku nodded. Looking around, she spied a door. Walking over to it she opened it with the boys close behind. Walking through, they were met with a divider before heading to their immediate left. Ryuki took the lead since it was a new room and there might be a ghost somewhere. As he reached end of the divider, there was a small table with red box and a scroll on it. Curious, he picked it up and opened it.

_Strangling ritual_

_On the **13**th day of the **12**th month, a maiden, cut off from the world for **3669** long days, shall be torn apart to provide power for the rope._

"Kami," Ryuki gaped. "Is…is this real? Did people do this?"

"Maybe," Ichijyo replied. "It might just mean symbolism though. Lots of rituals use symbolism rather than actual actions described in their scrolls."

"3665 days," Takada read. "That's a little over ten years. Ten years of no contact with the outside world."

"It might explain why the grounds are so big," Tazuka frowned. "This house can become one's whole world for ten years."

"Why are the numbers written differently?" asked Miku. "They're written in red ink."

"It might be a clue for a later puzzle," Ichijyo answered. "We had better take it with us."

Ryuuki nodded and rolled up the scroll before sticking it in his pack. The group walked into the main section of the room and found dozens of ornamental candles sitting on a cloth-covered shelf that looked like it hadn't been disturbed in ages. Miku gazed at the candles before she noticed something between two of them. "Hey more red book pages!"

Snatching up the pieces of paper, she read them aloud.

_September 11th_

_I saw that woman in the white kimono again. She's trying to tell me something. She knows I have this special sense for ghostly things…the woman's name is Kirie. So, that's Kirie, huh?_

_I shouldn't get any closer than this. I don't want to get any closer…I'm scared._

"So we now have a name to the face," Takada pondered. "Well, that's good I guess. It might help make learning about this place easier."

"Hey, I found something," Tazuka called out. Everyone turned to him as he revealed a glass orb that looked like it could start glowing at any minute.

"A spirit stone," Ichijyo answered. "Sometimes common in the mystic world. Basically it's like a spirit energy battery. It might come in handy sooner or later."

"Do you think the Camera Obscura can use it?" asked Ryuki. "It might boost its power."

"We'll have to check sometime," Ichijyo replied as he stepped towards the exit of the door. There was a paper talisman on the door. As Ichijyo reached out to grab the handle he felt a presence pushing him back with equal force. He couldn't reach it much less open it. "We've hit a wall it seems."

"You can't open it?" asked Ryuki. He walked forward to the door but found he couldn't get any farther than Ichijyo. "Hmm. I have an idea." Raising the camera, he took a picture of the talisman planted on the door. He didn't fail to notice the glowing filament above the viewfinder.

A picture slid out to reveal the photo Ryuki had taken. It looked like the door and the talisman on it. However, the photo then began to change. It looked like some storage dressers behind a ladder with a white patch which looked somewhat like a face.

"I think this might be what's keeping the door shut," Ryuki spoke as he revealed the changed photo.

"Well that's just great," Takada frowned. "We've never seen that place before."

"We might have, but not at that angle," Tazuka commented. "What do you think Miku?"

"Um," Miku flushed slightly. "Well, it doesn't look familiar to me."

"Well, there's at least another door out of here," Ichijyo commented.

With mumbles of agreement, the group headed to the door that was next to the doll tables. Ryuki took the lead and grasped the handle before slowly opening the door. The five teens entered a dark room filed with ruined wood structures. Takada saw an old camera to the side. Heading over to it, he noticed that there was a wood canister of herbal medicine and several packets of Type-14 film.

"Hey kid," Takada called before he tossed the film to Ryuki. "Some more ammunition for you."

"Arigatou," Ryuki nodded as he pocketed the film. Checking the film, he saw that he had about three shots left. Taking one of the packets of film, he loaded it into his camera, turning the film counter up to 13.

Tazuka walked around the rubble on the floor and saw a door. It was a double door but had what looked like a round plate in the centre of it. However, the plate looked cracked old. He could make out the Himuro family crest, but whatever the plate was for, it wouldn't be able to get the job done now. What he did find though was a scroll on the floor in front of the door. Picking up the scroll, he opened it.

_Five Stones Document_

_Give thanks to the five gods' protection_

_Place the stones, representing the five mirrors, in the correct location._

"Odd," Tazuka frowned. "I think we're missing something here."

"Perhaps we are," Ichiyo nodded as he leaned down and picked up some pieces of paper. The pages were styled after the papers in the black notebook that Ichiyo had picked up earlier. "More information."

_September 13th_

_We found Ogata's body. His head, hands, and feet were strangled off…what happened to his body is just like the strange deaths that occurred here long ago. There was a photo of Ogata near him. In it, there was something that looked like ropes on his neck, arms, and legs._

_I wonder if it has anything to do with the Rope Shrine Maidens in the legends around here, the girls had ropes tied to their necks, arms, and legs too…?_

_Tomoe is acting strangely. She had been mumbling nonsense all morning. Something about ropes…and mirrors…I can't blame her for going to pieces, though, after seeing what happened to Ogata._

"So we weren't the first ones to see that picture we found in the kimono room," Ryuki frowned as he heard the words.

"Strangled off?" Miku gasped. "That's horrible! And this happened to the Rope Shrine Maidens we heard about too?"

"We know that's how Ogata died," Ichijyo frowned as he placed the papers in the book he found. "We still don't know if that's what happened to the girls here. We just know that Rope Shrine Maidens got tied up in a similar way. Maybe it was a ritual that went too far. I don't know. We don't know enough."

"True," Ryuki nodded.

"There's not much else here," Tazuka frowned. "I think we had better backtrack to the hallway again. I'm sure there were some doors there that we hadn't gone through yet."

"Agreed," Ichijyo nodded. "We might find the place in the photo so we could continue on our way."

"Or some more valuable clues," added Ryuki.

The teens backtracked through the doll room and back into the hallway. Recalling a door, Takada led the way down the wooden walkway. Passing by the spot where the moonlight snuck through an open window, Takada revealed the door he had spied while they were traveling to the end of the hall.

"I noticed this the first time around," Takada explained as he revealed the door. "It looks like a lock, but there's no spot for a key hole or anything like that."

"I'm not surprised," Ichijyo pondered. "See the symbols that circle around the centre? They're numbers. They start at zero and circle around from the left counting up from one to nine."

"Then it's an old combination lock," Tazuka realized. "But…the four wooden circles below it indicate that there are four numbers to the combination. With ten numbers to choose from, we have countless combinations to choose from."

"Ummm," Ryuki spoke up. An idea came to him. "We've seen that rituals and such are important here, right? Why not try the date of the rope ritual? December 13th?"

"You know…that's a good idea," Takada nodded. "Okay, let's give it a shot."

Reaching to the stone circles, Takada pressed the symbol for one, making a stone sliding sound. He then moved on pressing number 3, then one, then number two. When the button finished sliding back into place, a loud click was heard from within the door.

"Hey, we did it!" Takada grinned.

"Good job Otouto," Tazuka smiled.

"That was very smart Ryuki-san," Miku nodded.

"Arigatou," Ryuki grinned.

Ryuki stepped in forward with the camera at the ready in case a spirit decided to play rough. The room itself was filled with trunks and boxes, obviously a storage room. As the group came in, a bell rang. The attention of the five teens snapped forward to see their tiny ghost friend, assumedly named Kirie, appear. She was pointing to the left at something. She was there for a moment before she vanished again.

"I think Kirie is showing us the way," Tazuka spoke.

"Arigatou, Kirie-san," Ryuki smiled.

"Everyone else fan out," Ichijyo ordered. "Ryuki, see what Kirie wanted us to see. She hasn't steered us wrong just yet."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded. He walked forward and stood where Kirie was a moment ago. Looking to where the small ghost was pointing, he noticed a wooden ladder and a red trunk behind it. Pulling out a photo he took, he realized that it was the same place as where photo he took of the talisman revealed.

"It's here," Ryuki gasped to himself.

Ryuki stepped forward and positioned himself like in the photo.

'_There's something here alright,_' Yaminekoryu agreed. '_It's strong too. Not as powerful as some of the ghosts you've seen already, but it is powerful enough._'

"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he raised the camera. The blue filament was lighting up again, indicating that there was indeed something there. Placing a finger on the shutter, he pressed it and took a picture. The photo itself slid out of the camera and Ryuki caught it, seeing it as a perfect copy of the previous photo, but this time a true face was visible. It was the picture of a beautiful woman's face.

"I got it!" Ryuki called. "It's the same place as when I took the photo of that talisman!"

"Hmm?" Ichijyo pondered as he walked to the area. He felt a lingering spiritual presence, but it was rapidly fading. "So it might have affected that talisman now?"

"I'm sure it did," Ryuki nodded.

"Found another spirit stone!" Takada called from the second floor.

"I just found some medicine," Miku called, showing a wooden bottle of medicine.

'_You know, this is starting to look like a scavenger hunt, except with more things at stake,_' said Yaminekoryu.

'_And a lot of questions that need answering,_' Ryuki agreed.

"So that force blocking the door in the candle room might be gone now?" asked Tazuka while Takada climbed down the ladder.

"Well, there was a spirit in the spot," Ichijyo answered while pointing at the area Ryuki had photographed. "The Camera Obscura might have managed to seal it."

"Well, there's no harm in looking is there?" asked Miku.

"No there is not," Ichijyo agreed. "Let's get moving."

"Hai!" the group nodded.

* * *

The group had gotten into the candle room without incident. No ghosts had attempted to stop them along the way. Now would be the acid test to see if they were capable of getting through the door that blocked them before. Ichijyo took point and was the first to reach the door. The spiritual presence was gone, which allowed him to at least touch the door. Looking for the talisman, he found the ashen remains of it stuck to the door.

"Looks like that ghost in the storeroom was keeping this door shut," Ichijyo replied. "Then we can continue on."

The group was met with the cool night air as they stepped out. Of course, there gazes weren't immediately trained on the scenery.

"There's blood on the floor!" Miku cried out.

"Huh?" Takada blinked before he looked down. He paled at the sight. "Whoa. You're right. Someone sure didn't stand still for it."

Walking forward, there was a divider keeping a door and a pathway in the courtyard. Ichiyo motioned for Ryuki and Tazuka to go to the door while he, Takada, and Miku followed the blood. The brothers came up to the blue door, but they weren't able to touch it. Another talisman was stuck to the front.

"You know what to do Otouto," Tazuka whispered.

"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he held up the camera and snapped a quick picture. The photo quickly fell out. Like the one before, this one changed into a picture of a waterwheel. Obviously whatever was holding the door closed could be located there. Turning around, they made their way back to the group which was following the blood.

That group didn't have much luck either. They found the end of the trail, but it stopped just before the stairs in a small pool that was soaking into the wood. It was still fresh, but there was no sign that it had ended in a death.

'_What are you trying to say?_'

"I hate ghostly voices like that," Takada shivered as he heard the female voice.

"Get used to it," Ichijyo frowned as he saw Tazuka and Ryuki approaching. "How was the door?"

"Sealed like the last one," Tazuka answered. "The source is assumingly coming from a waterwheel somewhere on the land."

"Wonderful. The blood trail wasn't fruitful either," Ichijyo frowned as he looked at the pool. He then raised his hand to reveal some pages with blood staining the edges. "But not entirely fruitless. More of Takamine's notes."

"Let's hear them then," Takada said impatiently. "This is creeping me out."

_September 13th_

_Tomoe's condition is getting worse and worse. She can't stop shaking, and she's mumbling the same words over and over. I don't know if what's happening is supernatural or not. But in case, I think we'd better leave as soon as possible._

_Tomoe is in such bad shape, she can't even move. I guess I'll have to look for a way out myself. Even if we waited for help, I doubt that anyone would come looking for us…_

"That Tomoe woman did have a sixth sense," Ichijyo sighed. "This place must have been getting to her. If she was muttering through, she might have gotten a clue as to her surroundings though."

"But with everything else it was overwhelming her," Tazuka sighed. "And when Takamine had to look for a way out alone…"

"You don't think something happened to her?" asked Miku.

"Her odds didn't look good," Ichijyo frowned. "Being alone and with a sixth sense might have turned her into a beacon for whatever is controlling things here."

"Or driven her insane," added Tazuka.

"Well, we still have to find her," Takada sighed. "So let's just check out that next door before we see the courtyard, okay?"

"Let's do it," Ryuki nodded as he headed for the door. However, the group tried to follow when they saw him use the camera. Looking to his friends, he sighed. "This one is sealed too."

Plucking up the developed photo, they saw that it changed from a door into a picture of several dolls lined up on a white cloth-covered shelf.

"Think those ghosts have gotten wise to us?" asked Tazuka.

"Possibly," Ichijyo frowned. "I am starting to become concerned. We've met three ghosts who can cause bodily harm, know there's one with the capacity to kill, and several which can hold doors shut with their will. This is much bigger than even I expected."

"So…are we in over our heads?" asked Takada.

"That depends on how many more surprises are waiting for us," Ichijyo sighed.

"But we've been through tough jams before," reminded Ryuki. "And we've always come up on top."

"Yes, Otouto, but how long can our luck last?" Tazuka asked. "That camera is probably one of our only lines if defense against the things here."

"We'll get out!" Ryuki insisted. "That's a promise!"

"Same old Ryuki," Ichijyo sighed, but Miku seemed to take heart in his words. "Okay, we'll have to cut through the courtyard. Keep your eyes open for anything odd."

Walking back to the stairs, the group stepped onto the stone walkway in the courtyard. The ground was bare of any grass and stone monuments were on the ground with a torri gate or two. At the side was a smaller building. Stepping over to it, Tazuka noticed that there was a Himuro family seal on the door that was cracked and broken. At the bottom of the stairs was something of interest.

"Another tape," Miku observed as she picked up the item. "It's a red one too. It might be from Tomoe."

"Let's hear it," Takada nodded. Miku agreed and slipped the new cassette into the player before she hit the play button.

_"We looked all over the mansion, but we still couldn't find Koji. While true that this mansion is huge, I'm certain we would have found him by now. Could he have already left? He's been saying something about those ropes, since we took some photos yesterday."_

"Was it just me or did I hear something aside from the lady's voice coming from that tape?"asked Takada. He was referring to the faint whispers which were part of the background noise on the tape.

"Probably not," Ichijyo frowned. "Judging by the content, this tape was made before they found the remains of their friend, but he had already gone missing. This might mean that the spirits were already targeting her."

"Her odds suddenly started going even further down," Tazuka grimaced. "We had best move on if we hope to find a clue."

"Right," Ryuki nodded.

The group then moved to the back of the courtyard to a door which led even further back. Tazuka grasped the thin wood and pushed, allowing the door to open. The group stepped forward and into the moistening air. Entering the threshold of the room, they found themselves at the edge of a body of water. Several stone lanterns were littering the area and it looked like there was what used to be a bridge leading out to a small island in the water. A creaking noise caught their attention and they turned to see a waterwheel spinning with the current beneath it.

"Found our waterwheel," Ryuki sighed as he began prepping the camera.

"Found another tape!" Miku gasped as she walked over to the wheel to grab a red tape which was at the base of the wheel itself. As she laid her fingers on the tape, she suddenly started seeing things.

-VISION-

_Miku could see Tomoe standing next to the waterwheel in the room she and her friends were standing in. She was holding her neck and it looked like she was struggling to breathe. As she was struggling, rope burns began to appear around her wrists and neck. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and stiffened. Slowly turning around, her gaze landed on what appeared behind her. A woman with dark hair in priestess garb with ropes around her arms, neck, and legs._

_"No!" Tomoe gasped as arms reached out of the darkness for her._

_Things faded for a moment, but quickly returned. Tomoe was on the ground, obviously dead. T the entrance to the room, Takamine was gaping at what he was looking at. The female spirit was next to his deceased assistant._

_"Oh," he gasped. "Kirie,_"

-END VISION-

When she came to, Miku blushed when she realized Tazuka was holding her.

"Miku-san, are you alright?" Tazuka asked.

"I'm…fine," she told him.

"What did you see?" questioned Ichijyo.

Tazuka spoke sternly, "Let the girl recover for a minute before you start grilling her."

"I'm okay," Miku insisted as she got to her feet. Tazuka helped her steady herself as she took a breath. "Tomoe…Tomoe is dead. She died right here. There were rope burns on her wrists and neck. Takamine saw it happen…but I think that a ghost named Kirie did it."

"Kirie?" asked Ryuki. "As in the girl who helped us?"

"No…this girl was older," Miku answered. "She was dressed like a priestess and had all these arms floating around her."

"The same woman who grabbed Mafuyu," Tazuka frowned. "Now we know what happened to two of them. Takamine and Mafuyu are unaccounted for though."

"I still have the tape," Miku spoke as she procured the red tape. "I think we should listen. It's always helpful."

"Agreed," Ichijyo nodded Miku nodded as she slipped the tape into the player.

"_I found Koji. His death was just like the one in the mountain village. His head and limbs were severed. I can't believe what's happening!"_

"This was probably her last tape," Takada sighed.

"Yes," Ryuki nodded. He held up the Camera Obscura. "Could everyone please move? I need to take a photo of the wheel."

The group moved to allow Ryuki his space. As he placed the camera to his face, Ryuki spied an image of a woman who was phasing in and out of the wheel. She wasn't moving, but there was a dark look in her eyes. Ryuki didn't hesitate as he hit the shutter button. The camera flashed and the woman vanished. The camera spat out a photo of he woman. It was clearer, and the woman's clothes looked like they were dragged into something. Her cause of death might be obvious.

"Looks like the photo was right," Ichijyo frowned as he felt a spiritual presence fade. "That door you and Tazuka found might be unlocked now."

"The light isn't fading," Ryuki reported as he began viewing the scenery of the area they were in. As the viewfinder landed on one of the lanterns, the circle in the viewfinder lit up. He then snapped another picture. As the photo slid out of the camera, the photo changed. Unlike the lanterns which were dark, the one he photographed was lit.

"Interesting," Ichijyo frowned as he eyed the photo.

"Should we try lighting it?" asked Ryuki.

"By all means," Ichijyo shrugged. "The camera seems to have not led us wrong yet. Besides, whatever happens next may be off use to us."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded. Walking to the lantern, he made sure that Miku couldn't see what he was about to do. He snapped his fingers, bringing a small flame into existence with his pyromancy. He held the flame over the wick of the candle and allowed it to light up. As the lantern began to shine, a deep mechanical noise could be heard. Suddenly, the top section of the lantern slide off. Inside was a small wooden tile which had a marking on it.

"What is that?" asked Takada as Ryuki took the item.

"I'm not sure, but we had better keep it," Ryuki shrugged as he pocketed the tile. "We may need it."

"Good idea," Ichijyo nodded. "However, we should get going. We have a new room to explore if the ghost Ryuki photographed was the one keeping one of the doors shut.

Traveling through the exit, the small group walked back through the courtyard. They made sure that they kept an eye on their surroundings though. None of them wanted to get caught off guard by another rogue spirit of some kind. Ryuki and Tazuka especially didn't want to go through the experience of being touched by a ghost again.

"_The children…where have all the children gone?_"

The group stop and froze when they looked to the source of the ghostly voice. Their eyes widened when they saw a woman hanging by a rope from the tree. Miku shrieked in shock when she lay eyes on it. However, the woman suddenly vanished, leaving no trace of her presence.

"I hate it when they do that," Ichijyo sighed.

"Oh kami," Miku gasped. Takada held her shoulder to get her calmed down. Ryuki had been abut to try capturing her on film but she was gone before he could try. Shaking off the shock, Takada moved forward.

"So, which door was it again?" he asked as they reached the house.

"The blue one on the right," Tazuka answered.

"Oh, let's get going then," Takada nodded.

The group of five traveled to the right, Ichijyo noticing that the blood which they had found upon entering the area had vanished. As they got closer to the door, the air suddenly was filled with the echoes of a baby crying. Miku gasped while Ryuki brought up the Camera Obscure should another spirit attack. The cries continued for a moment before they faded away again.

"Oh please don't tell me," Takada gulped.

"Madmen and true monsters rarely care who they kill," Ichijyo sighed. "I suspect that the child we just heard died a long time ago. We should keep going."

"Yes," Miku nodded, brushing past the boys. She stopped in front of the door as she reached for the handle. "The talisman is gone. I can open it."

"We're ready," Ryuki nodded as he raised the Camera Obscura.

Miku gave a short not before she pressed the latch and opened the door. Slowly opening, she entered with the four boys following close behind. Inside proved to be what looked like an ornate playroom for children. The only flaw was the hole which seemed to be made in the floorboards near the centre of the room.

_Kirie…Kirie…_

"She was here," Ichijyo pondered, hearing the ghostly voice. "The woman. She must have been trying to find out about this Kirie girl."

"But which one? The little girl or the one who seems to be manipulating this place?" asked Ryuki.

"That is the million Yen question," Ichijyo sighed. "Okay, everyone look around."

Ryuki first took notice of the doll which had long black hair and in a white kimono. It was roped off from everything else almost as if in reverence. Still, it fit with the theme of ropes that they had been discovering thus far. Ropes were becoming part of everything.

Miku slightly pushed aside a divider to reveal a small sleeping space, and more pages from the red book which they now knew came from Tomoe.

_September 12th_

_My sixth sense tells me that some children are playing here. I can't see them, but they keep calling to me. Are they playing tag? Or hide-and-seek, maybe? They might be the children in that photo._

_There were human heads in that room…so many of them! They were cut off by the Himuro family's master…They were all trying to tell me something._

_I never should have come here. I should have trusted that sixth sense of mine._

"A room full of severed heads?" Takada asked with a pale face. "All of them were cut off by the Himuro family's master?"

"Remember how I told you that the man went insane and killed everyone?" asked Ichijyo. "Apparently this is one of the things that he did. Still, the question is what were those victims trying to tell her?"

"Well, we could try finding that room she wrote about," Ryuki offered. "You and Nii-san are capable of seeing and hearing spirits. Maybe you could decipher what they were trying to say."

"Provided they weren't silenced by the force that rules this place," Tazuka commented.

Ryuki was examining the tables filled with ornate dolls on red cloth when he saw something sparkle. On further examination, he discovered another one of the spirit stones. He recalled how Ichijyo explained that they held a battery of spirit power. Deciding to keep it, he kept it clutched in his hand. Looking down the rows of dolls, he suddenly gasped in realization.

"Hey, there's a ghost here which is keeping the other door shut!" he gasped while raising the Camera Obscura. To no surprise, he spotted a child ghost hiding behind the self, watching them all curiously. Ryuki didn't hesitate in snapping a picture, causing the ghost to fade away.

Ichijyo perked up when he felt a spiritual presence suddenly fade away, "So the other locked door you found should be open by now. Good. Has anyone found anything else?"

Denies were meeting him when a sudden spike it spiritual energy assaulted his senses. Looking over to a previously hidden sliding door, he caught a glimpse of something red sliding across the floor. It was heading for Takada.

"Mutt! Look out!" Ichijyo cried out.

"Huh?" Takada blinked before he looked down. His eyes widened when he saw himself looking at a little girl in an oversized red kimono smiling creepily up at him.

"_Play… play…let's play…play…play,_" the child ghost whispered as it reached out for Takada's leg.

"Woah!" Takada cried as he leaped to avoid the ghost's touch. "Kid! I'd use that camera right now!"

"Hai!" Ryuki nodded as he brought the Camera Obscura up to his sight. As he did, the spirit stone in his hand flashed and energy leaped from the glass orb into the camera. Ryuki gasped, but the sigh tin the camera suddenly changed. Normally when he viewed through it, things in the distance got fuzzier, giving him a range of only a few feet. Suddenly though, the wall of fuzzy view suddenly got further away as the orb vanished.

"Ryuki!" Ichijyo snapped.

Ryuki went into action. He spotted the ghost child creeping across the floor, trying to see which one of them to try and grab onto next. Her giggles were echoing through the air. She managed to hold still for a moment, allowing Ryuki to get a picture of her. The child thrashed with a scream of pain, but Ryuki didn't relent. He tried to get the charge of the camera up for another shot, but that was when the child herself turned invisible.

"Where'd she go?" Ryuki blinked, trying to get her in the viewfinder again.

"Ryuki! Look out!" Miku cried out, pointing at the floor. Ryuki looked down to see the ghostly child smiling up at him.

"Woah!" Ryuki cried as he snapped another picture. It made the child thrash in pain and gave him time to get away. Sharging up another photo, he got her in the crosshairs again. This time he managed to get off another shot.

"_Waaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!_" the little girl cried as she slowly warped into a blue sphere than vanished into the air.

"The little tyke has an impressive set of lungs," Takada sighed as he rubbed his ears. "Think she's gone?"

"For the moment," Ichijyo sighed. He looked over to Ryuki who was examining the camera. "What happened to you? You froze."

"Oh, I found one of those spirit stones," Ryuki explained as he opened his hand, only to find white dust. "The camera absorbed the energy. The range of the camera got farther. I can take pictures of things from a greater distance."

"Interesting," Tazuka pondered. "So the camera used the energy from the stone to perhaps repair itself to a better working condition?"

"Or an upgrade," Takada added.

"Wow," Miku admired. "I had no idea that my mother's old camera could do something like that."

"Very rarely do people with occult items discover what they have," Ichijyo explained. "I can name several instances where people who have possessed such items have caused disasters because they didn't know how to use them properly."

"Wow," Miku shivered.

"Well, at least the Camera Obscura seems to be functioning in our favor," Tazuka nodded. "In any case, shall we continue on?"

"Glady," Takada shivered. "That kid creeped the heck out of me."

The five teens exited the doll room, finding nothing left in there to find. They traveled through the hall and reached the walkway next to the courtyard. As they reached it however, they heard footsteps on the roof above them. They were only there for a moment before to their horror, a body dropped from the roof before stiffening with a sickening crack, much like a hangman's noose. It was a woman who was facing them, but her head was gone, actually leaning behind her thanks to her broken neck.

"Oh god!" Takada gagged.

The woman's body was still for a moment before it suddenly twisted around. Her eyes were staring at the group while her mouth hung open. Gasping for breath, she reached out with her reverse hands towards them.

"Stay back!" Ryuki cried, quickly snapping a picture of the broken-neck woman. She cried in pain and swung backwards as if struck. Then amazingly, she swung to the side as she attempted to reach for them again.

"_It hurts…IT HURTS!_" she moaned as she made a grab for Ichijyo.

FLASH!

"_Eyaaahhhh!_" the broken-neck woman cried out, swinging backwards again. Her body quickly warped before changing into a small blue sphere. The sphere then vanished in a haze of blue light.

"Nice shot," Ichijyo nodded to Ryuki, who had used the goth's shoulder to keep the camera steady.

"Thanks," Ryuki smiled.

Meanwhile, Miku was trembling slightly from seeing that ghost appear. It had frightened her something fierce. Tauka was trying his best to comfort her, which was something he was good at doing. Still, Miku needed a moment to catch her breath and calm herself down. Takada meanwhile looked a little green at seeing the angle of the woman's neck as she tried to attack them.

"So not only murders, but suicides as well," Ichijyo grimaced. "It seems that some of my notes were confirmed."

"Who cares if it was in your notes?" Takada cried out. "Did you see her neck? I thought I was going to barf!"

"Oh, get a grip!" Ichijyo hissed. "It's not like we would've let you get killed anyway!"

Takada scowled.

Seeing the start of another argument, Ryuki said, "Please, now's not the time to argue."

"Ryuki-kun's right. We all have a job to do here," added Tazuka.

Ichijyo and Takada turned away from each other, crossing their arms. "Fine, they muttered."

"We better look for more clues," said Ichijyo. "Maybe the mutt can sniff them out."

Takada growled at Ichijyo in response.

"No arguing," Ryuki reaffirmed.

Rolling their eyes at each other, Ichijyo and Takada let the issue drop. With the latest specter defeated for the time being, the group headed to the door at the other end of the walkway. Nothing horrible happened and they managed to reach the door in question. Tazuka eyed it and found the ashen remains of a talisman on the front.

"Here we go," he sighed as he opened the door and stepped through. For a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of an older gentleman standing in front of a mirror for a moment before he vanished.

"_Kirie…Rope…Maiden…_"

"So we have a position to put with one of our two ghostly girls," Ichijyo frowned as he entered the room. He obviously heard the voice. Stepping over to the mirror, he found two items on the floor. One was a lighter with the name J. Takamine stamped on it, while the other was pages from the black notebook. "And what do Takamine's thoughts tell us now?"

_September14th_

_The woman that Tomoe called "Kirie" looks just like the descriptions of the Rope Shrine Maidens in legends. And there's a strong resemblance too, between the way Tomoe and Ogata died and the manner of the deaths in folklore._

_So that woman is the Rope Shrine Maiden is she?_

Ichijyo frowned slightly as he read over the notes. Obviously this Kirie was the one spoke of about Rope Shrine Maidens. However, it still did not explain what the maiden's role was in the family rituals nor did it fully describe just what the heck happened in this place to cause such chaos and death.

"So which way?" asked Miku. "Up or down the hall?"

"Up," Ichiyo answered."If it turns out to be a dead end, we'll return here and go down the hallway instead."

"Sounds like a plan," Takada nodded as he hit the single plank stairs with the rest of his friends in tow. The group traveled to the top where there was a small wall and the rest of the second floor. Cautiously stepping forward, Ryuki traveled to the right with Tazuka right behind him. Both met a dead end, but there was a cutout from a local newspaper on the floor.

"What's this?" Ryuki blinked as he picked it up.

_The girl, who has been found after three days of mysterious disappearance, has been adopted. Mr. Hinasaki, a close friend of Mr. Ryozo Munakata (also missing) will adopt the girl._

_The girl's parents were missing, even after she was returned so the police were looking for a foster family. The girl does not remember anything from the disappearance, and three other children are still missing._

"Hinasaki?" asked Ryuki. "Isn't that Miku-san's last name?"

"It is," Tazuka nodded. "However, it might just mean someone she's related to. It might also mean that it may not have been chance that led her and her brother to this place after all."

"Not everything is up to chance," said Ichijyo. "All things are connected. A friend of my father's once told him that."

"So, you suspect someone is pulling the strings?" Ryuki asked.

"But I don't know anyone by either of those names," Miku frowned as she tried to recall if those two names meant anything to her. In honesty, she was drawing a blank on both of the names.

"Doesn't mean that Mafuyu might know, or perhaps someone in your family," Ichijyo replied. "We should keep going."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded as he pocketed the clipping.

Traveling back down the small hallway and past the stairs they came up on, the group ascended a short flight of more stairs. They didn't get too far before they found another door. However, this one was nailed shut with several boards. Whoever did it wanted to make sure that nothing was going to get through the door. Takada pointed his flashlight along the ground until he spotted some pages from the green book he discovered.

"More research," he grinned. "Come to papa." Swiping up the pieces of paper, he began to read the words.

_The Legend of the Five Holy Mirrors_

_The Holy Mirrors, held in five shrines in this region, are most commonly known as "the Mirrors of the Five Gods." The legend tells that the five gods, before leaving this land, created these mirrors as a means of protecting the village._

_Some legends mention another mirror. The story is that all five mirrors were used in a ritual to fend off a disaster. (Whether this was the Calamity or not is not known.)_

_It is not known whether the ritual is related in any way to the ones performed by the Himuro family, but there is a correlation to the mirrors._

_However, the actual existence of the legendary Holy Mirror, one complete mirror, has not been confirmed, and it is not known what the legend is based on._

"Well, that makes things a little more ominous," Ichijyo frowned. Seeing confused glances, he pulled out a newspaper clipping of his own. "It says here that the five mirrors, most likely the ones these notes are talking about, were all destroyed in an earthquake."

"That can't be good," Takada blinked. He glared at the pages he had found. "All I get from these things are more bad mojo. I'll bet you anything that these supposed five mirrors were what was keeping the…whatever is controlling this place, contained. Now that those mirrors aren't there, it's free to do what it wants."

"A surprisingly good guess," Tazuka nodded, knowing how reluctant Takada was in admitting supernatural happenings. "However, we cannot be sure if the events are related."

"Everything's connected," Ichijyo reminded his friends.

"Well, we can't be sure either way right now," Miku argued. "What we can be sure of is that something bad is here and we still have to find Mr. Takamine and Mafuyu. I don't want to be too late."

"We won't be," Ryuki comforted the girl. "Now, Ikuzo."

With nothing more to find, the group relocated to the ground floor. There was only one more way of moving forward and that was through the side hall. Moving past the large pane of glass which made the mirror in the corner, the group traveled in the hall. Miku was third in their line and as they stepped past the first corner, she heard the crinkle of paper as she stepped on something, "Hmm?"

Looking down, she found a scrap of paper. The designs on it indicated that it had come from the red book, but it was only a piece and the writing looked like it was written in a panic.

_The mirror is breaking…smash! A broken mirror…people on the floor, all over the mansion. So many people. All those people! What are they running from? And at the end, with such desperate looks on their faces…!_

_Something's coming this way! From deep within the mansion…a coldness…It's colder than anything I've ever felt! I don't know anymore if this is real or a dream…_

"So a breaking mirror might play a role in this," Tazuka frowned as he heard Miku read. "But it only mentions one mirror. Perhaps it is the one holy mirror that the research notes Takada found had described?"

"The Himuro were a reclusive bunch," Ichijyo nodded. "Just by walking through here I've been seeing antiques which many collectors would give almost anything for. I wouldn't be surprised if they did have this supposed Holy Mirror, but by the sounds of things, someone broke it. From what these notes describe, it may have been the trigger for this spiritual infestation in the first place."

"So, this Holy Mirror was ghost repellant?" Takada guessed.

"More like a seal that warded the spirits off, but that's a good comparison," said Tazuka.

"So, what should we do? Find the mirror and fix it?" Ryuki asked.

"It might be a good plan, but we have no idea where the fragments are or even where to find them," Ichijyo replied. "Our best course of action is to find survivors and then try to leave. If we find fragments of the Holy Mirror, should it exist, we'll take them. However, many magical items are notoriously hard to repair."

"We'll keep an eye out then," Takada nodded. "Let's just keep going."

Shuffling through the hallway, they were met with another doorway. This one wasn't sealed, in which everyone gave a sigh of relief. Tazuka took the handle and entered the room first.

It was a moist and wet place with water running through manmade channels. Drips of condensation could be heard coming from the rafters and the wetness hung in the air. The floor was made of stone and the only way across was with some boards which was connecting the islands of stone.

"Brrr…water," Ryuki shivered. He never liked the stuff.

"Be that as it may, we have to keep going," Icijyo retorted.

Reluctantly on Ryuki's part, the group traveled across the moist stones and across the boards. They must have been set recently since they weren't rotted. Otherwise it may have begun to crumble under the weight. The drops of water echoed through the room, making feel bigger than it was.

As they were halfway through the room, Tazuka turned back to see how Miku and Takada were doing. His eyes widened when he saw two pale arms reaching for Miku with reaching fingers.

"Duck!" he cried, pulling Miku down as the arms tried to grab her.

Ryuki whirled around and raised the camera. He could see the ghost clearly as a woman who was wearing red. She was floating in the air as if she was floating on the water. This ghost didn't waste time either as she swiftly began to reach down for Miku again.

"I don't think so!" Ryuki frowned as he took a picture.

The ghost screamed out and drifted backwards from the flash. Ryuki quickly pressed forward and kept the camera trained on the female spirit. As she looked up, he took another flash of the camera. The ghost vanished for a moment, which Ryuki reacted by backing away. As if by a light switch, she reappeared with her arms outstretched as if she was going to wrap her arms around the whole group.

FLASH!

"_RAAAAHHHHHHHH!_" the ghostly woman screamed as she drifted away from the group. She quickly vanished into an orb of light before vanishing.

"I believe we just found Tomoe's spirit," Tazuka frowned as he helped Miku to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Miku nodded with a slight flush on her cheeks. "I was just caught by surprise."

"Hey, she dropped something!" Takada called as he stepped over to where Tomoe's ghost had vanished. "It's one of those tapes we've been finding. She must have been holding onto it when that Kirie woman got her."

"Maybe," Ichijyo shrugged as Miku quickly took the tape and inserted it into the tape player.

"_Since we've met that girl, I've seen many strange visions. All the ghosts in the mansion howl and scream at me. I don't think they'll ever let me out of this mansion. I don't even know how much longer I can hold onto my sanity. Anyway, I'm leaving this tape. If someone does listen to this, please tell me what happened to me. I hope this is all just a dream._"

"You were not so fortunate Ms. Tomoe," Ichijyo sighed as the tape ended. "You succumbed to this place like your friend did."

"Poor woman," Takada sighed.

"I agree," Tazuka nodded. "But we have to continue on. Otherwise we're not going to find other survivors."

Tucking the tape recorder away, the group continued on their way. Ichijyo cast a glance into the water and found a clouded area of blood practically glowing in the water. Ignoring it, he continued on with his friends. Whether it was human or not was debatable, or even another trick from the ghosts.

The friends finally reached the opposite end of the room and found the door. Just in front of it were more pages from the red book Miku was putting together. The young woman quickly snapped up the pages and began reading them.

_A little girl in a white kimono is pleading to me. I can't keep my mind focused, but her voice rings out to me and won't leave. But what does she want me to do for her? I can't even leave the mansion anymore…_

_Broken. Five pieces…the mirror…_

_Tell Mr. Takamine… the way to break the curse…_

"Does this mean that the Holy Mirror really is here?" asked Ryuki.

"It must be if our little Kirie knows about it," Tazuka frowned. "She tried to tell Tomoe but it seems she wasn't able to do it. That left Takamine and Mafuyu."

"Well, we now know that the Mirror is in five pieces," Takada frowned. "The problem is that this place is huge and we don't know where those pieces may have ended up by now."

"And if what Tomoe said is right, then leaving even if we find Takamine and Mafuyu might not be an option anymore," Ichijyo frowned. "If Takamine and Mafuyu can't end this curse before we find them, or something happened before they could try, it may land on us to stop it once and for all."

"I wish we could call the Ghostbusters on this one," Takada whined.

"They do just as much damage as good anyway," Ichijyo shrugged as he walked forward and reached the door. It had another one of the old combination locks on it. However, there were some gouged-out words carved into a spot above the lock.

"Chosen one…maiden…purify," Ichijyo pondered. It was obviously a clue as to what the combination to the door was. But how…wait. "Which one of us has that Strangling Ritual Scroll?"

"I do," Ryuki answered as he produced the scroll in question from his pack. "Why?"

"How many days did it say that the maiden had to be cut off from the world?" asked Ichijyo.

"3669 days."

"Thank-you," Ichijyo nodded as he began to press numbers. He went in order and when he pressed the nine, the lock was undone. "Now, we can continue on."

The five teens passed through the door and was met with the cool night air as they walked onto large stones which made up the path. It was a path lined with wooden dividers, but it opened up into a large backyard which had bamboo plants growing tall. Off to one side was a large round stone well and a small shed in the corner. Inside the bamboo groves and sealed off with wooden fences were several memorial dedicated to family members.

"Not a bad place," Takada nodded.

"Be prepared, we're open targets here," Ichijyo warned.

"What? We'll see them coming a mile away!" Takada grinned.

THUMP!

"Ahhh!" Miku screamed, clutching Tazuka's arm. All eyes went to the well. It had been in the corner of their eyes, but they had seen the lid suddenly jump as if something had hit it from inside. For a second, both Miku and Ichijyo could hear a whimpering noise.

"_I must hurry…I am beginning to show rope marks…_"

"More damn ghost voices," Takada frowned. "Doesn't sound like someone our age. Must be Takamine."

"Let's hope it isn't, for his sake," Tazuka commented, still letting Miku hold his arm.

"_Tell him…tell him…TELL HIM… TELLLLL HIIIIIIM!_"

The teens turned in the direction of the shrieking female voice and saw the ghost of Tomoe hovering at them from between the memorial stones. Ryuki reacted quickly with the Camera Obscura while everyone else split up to ensure that they had plenty of space to avoid the deranged ghost.

'_Be careful Aibou!_' Yaminekoryu warned. '_She has gotten stronger somehow! She'll be harder to take down this time!_'

Ryuki nodded as he flashed a picture of Tomoe. The female ghost shrieked in pain, but then she turned invisible again. Ryuki looked in all direction for her, but she suddenly reappeared while she was drifting towards Ichijyo. She was already out of the camera's range too.

"Ichijyo!" Ryuki cried before getting an idea. "Catch!" Ryuki then recklessly threw the camera in the direction of his boss. The goth boy easily saw the item coming and caught it for himself. Looking through it, he spotted Tomoe floating at him with her hands outstretched.

"Just rest already," he frowned as he snapped another photo. Tomoe screamed in pain, but Ichijyo did not relent. He snapped photo after photo, leaving developing photos on the ground. Each one made Tomoe react like she had been shot. Finally though, she drifted to the ground clutching her heart.

"_Tell me…tell me…she's coming…,_" Tomoe whimpered as she began warping.

"You died, Ms. Tomoe," Ichijyo sighed. "I'm sorry no one was here soon enough to save you."

The last image of Tomoe's pupiless stare watching Ichijyo vanished into a blue orb. The orb was then pulled into the camera, energizing it with a blue aura that faded quickly.

"_The mirror…the mirror…_" her voice moaned before her presence vanished completely.

Sighing, Ichijyo walked over to Ryuki and dropped the Camera Obscura into his hands.

"Don't be so reckless next time," he warned. "We don't have a means of fixing it if you break it."

"Hai," Ryuki nodded.

"Whew! Nice shots Scaleface!" Takada whistled as he picked up photos from the ground. "You were snapping photos like you were shooting a tommy gun or something!"

"I had her in my sights," Ichijyo shrugged.

Tazuka sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Ryuki was busy reloading the camera with what film he had since Ichijyo had used up the remaining shots that were in the camera from the last reload. Miku was simply leaning on the well when her hand brushed up against something.

"Hm?" she blinked as she looked at the item. "Hey! Another tape!"

Snatching it up, she inserted it into the player and turned up the volume so that the boys could hear it.

"_I know this sounds crazy, but there's something here besides us in this mansion. I've seen it myself. It was a woman in a white kimono. Something is definitely happening here. Have we unknowingly awakened something or perhaps lured here to die?_"

"That sounded like an older man," Ryuki observed. "It must be Mr. Takamine. Still, it seems like things had already begun when he made this tape."

"Perhaps," Ichijyo nodded. "Still, it doesn't change the fact that the one controlling things is awake now and we have to do something about it. If these supposed Holy Mirror fragments can stop it, then we'll have to find them if we plan on leaving."

"Then let's go!" Takada said dramatically as he pointed down the path of the backyard.

The group headed down the path and past more memorial stones of Himuro Family members. Getting closer to the door, Ichijyo noticed something on top of one of the stones. On closer inspection, he discovered that the item was actually pages from the black notebook. He picked them up and began reading.

_September 14th_

_In the materials Tomoe gathered for me, there is a paragraph about five pieces of mirror passed down through the Himuro family for generations. These pieces are said to seal off the Hell Gate and protect the region from a great disaster. They might have something to do with the current hellish situation._

_Five Holy Mirrors in shrines all around the area broke in an earthquake the other day. When I heard about it, it gave me the idea for this next book of mine. I think I brought a news article about it with me when I came here. It says there were only five Holy Mirrors in existence._

_But according to some legends, there is another—the True Holy Mirror. The folklorist also mentions this in his research documents, the ones I found here in the mansion. (I think I dropped them somewhere while I was trying to escape that cursed woman.)_

"Wait, so I'm holding the folklorist's research?" asked Takada incredulously. "Cool! I thought it was that Ogata guy's!"

"Shut up and let me finish," Ichijyo hissed.

_Here are my theories. I think the five mirrors that were destroyed in the earthquake the other day had the role of "watching over" the True Holy Mirror. I don't think it was the earthquake that broke the five mirrors in the shrines._

_I think it was a signal that the seal on the Hell Gate that the Himuro True Holy Mirror provides has broken for some reason. The five mirrors were trying to warn us._

"A warning that no one got since no one knows the True Mirror exists," Tazuka frowned. "The only ones who did were Himuro family members and they're all dead."

"And what caused the seal to weaken must have been the True Holy Mirror breaking in the past," Ichijyo nodded as he put the notes away. "The spirits just remained dormant here until someone comes in and then they react. Eventually the spirits just got too powerful over time and broke the seal."

"Nevertheless, I think we're beginning to see how we might be able to stop this," Miku frowned in thought. "If we want any hope of stopping what's happening here, we'll need those five Mirror fragments. If they're still here. If we can get those, we'll be able to reseal these supposed Hell Gates, or whatever is doing all this, and be able to leave."

"But we haven't even tested that we can or can't leave," Takada argued.

"Then why didn't Takamine and Tomoe return after Ogata disappeared or turned up dead?" asked Ichijyo. "No, something kept them here and I have no doubt that the force behind it is doing the same to us.

"That's a good point," Ryuki nodded. "However, if we plan on finding those pieces, we'll have to continue searching."

"Right," Ichijyo nodded as he looked to the door. "Here goes."

The five teens exited through the wooden door and ended up on another dirt path which went between several large trees which had holy ropes tied onto them. Steeling their courage (save for Ichijyo) the group walked along the soft ground and up the stairs. They could see a shrine at the top of the stairs and a tori gate. No words were said as they continued climbing the stairs and past the tori gate.

"_Just one more…just one more Buddha statue and the holy mirror will be…_"

"Sounded like the owner of that voice was getting close," Takada commented.

"Maybe," Ichijyo replied as they climbed the steps. The front doors to the shrine were locked and the Himuro seal was on the front. However, there were lines through it connecting five points with four of the points filled with small tiles each marked with a different character. Beside each tile resting point was another rmarking which matched one of the tiles, but not the one each of them were hosting.

"Hey, I think we have that missing tile," Ryuki blinked as he produced the item in question. Ichijyo took the item and found it fit perfectly into the missing space.

"It seems that this is another puzzle lock," Ichijyo commented as he examined the lock. "We probably have to get each of the tiles where they rightfully belong. We only have a set number of moves as well."

"How do you know that?" asked Miku.

"There's a number four written underneath the tile we had," Ichijyo replied as he pulled out the tile they had. "After that, I assume that the lock resets itself."

"So, any ideas?" asked Tazuka.

"I'm good with puzzles," Ichijyo replied. "Give me a moment." Reaching to the tiles, he discovered they were easy to move. He slid each one across the lock and managed to get each one where it was supposed to be in exactly four moves. After that, he inserted the final tile in its home and a loud mechanical unlocking noise could be heard. "And there you have it."

Pushing open the doors, the five teens were suddenly assaulted with the stench of wet blood. Looking into the shrine, they were met with the sight of a large pool of it soaking into the wood in the middle of the room.

"Oh no," Ryuki gasped. "We're too late."

"Mafuyu," Miku whispered in fear.

The group stepped cautiously into the shrine room, to wanting to touch the pool of blood. However, as Tazuka stepped into the room, he was assaulted with a vision

-VISION-

_"AUUUGHH!" Takamine screamed in pain._

_Tazuka watched in horror as he saw the man being crucified on the ceiling. Ropes were wrapped around his arms and legs with those ghastly pale arms tugging at his body. His hair was frayed and missing in spots from the hands yanking on it. Blood was covering his face from his wounds. Finally, with a strangled gasp, Takamine died. With the prey dead, the hands let him go. His body as if it were a puppet with its strings cut, fell to the ground._

-END VISION-

"Nii-san! We have to go!" Ryuki cried, snapping him out of his vision.

"H-huh?" Tazuka blinked uncertainly. That is, before he looked to the front of the room where a small shrine was erected.

Floating in the air was the ghost of Takamine. His jacket sleeves and his pants were ripped near the wrists and ankles, revealing terrible rope burns. His face was covered in blood and it almost looked like his eyes were missing. He was snarling as he looked down at the five teens in the room.

"Get outside!" Ichijyo cried, forcing the others out.

"_GRAAAAHHHHHHH!_" Takamine's ghost roared as he flew at them. He was stiff, as if he were still crucified.

"REST IN PEACE!" Ryuki shouted as he aimed the Camera Obscura at the charging ghost and pressed the trigger rapidly.

FLASH!

FLASH!

FLASH!

"_AHHHHHHHHH!_" Takamine roared as the three flashes reached him. He suddenly swung to the sides and behind some trees.

"This guy's gone off the deep end!" Takada cried as he tried to see the ghost.

"The evil of this place really warped him," Ichijyo frowned.

"The way he died definitely didn't help," Tazuka growled.

Ryuki tried to keep the viewfinder on Takamine's ghost, but the man was moving fast. At odd moments, he would moan loudly and clutched his head as if he was in pain. Still, Ryuki wouldn't be able to get the photo before he whisked away again. The man's spirit was proving to be powerful.

"Behind you!" Miku cried out.

Ryuki instantly turned and saw Takamine lunging at him. Ryuki quickly got the shutter button hit, but he still felt the electric numbing sensation, and that was just him getting close. Recoiling from the pain, Takamine swung back into the trees, vanishing from sight.

"Takamine-san! You have to fight it!" Ryuki called out into the darkness. "Don't let this force turn you into a monster! Resist it!"

"_EYYAAHHHHHHHH!_" the voice of the rabid ghost roared out as his pale form lunged out from the trees again.

"Gomen," Ryuki sighed as he trained the camera on the approaching ghost. The characters filled across the bottom of the camera and the ring turned yellow. "I hope you find peace in the next life. Far away from this evil place."

FLASH!

"_AHHHHHHHHH!_" Takamine moaned as he halted in his ghostly tracks and collapsed onto the floor. His body immediately began to warp and shine bright blue.

"_The statue…is at… the Shinto…gate…_" the ghost managed to choke out before he turned into a blue sphere. The sphere was then pulled inside the camera, making it glow.

"Rest peacefully Takamine-san," Ryuki sighed.

Ichijyo remained silent as the group recovered themselves. Tazuka helped Miku to her feet while Takada brushed himself off. The goth boy walked over to Ryuki and patted him on the shoulder, "You've given him his rest. It's the most we could give him."

"I know, but he didn't deserve this to happen to him," Ryuki sighed. "He looked like he was in such pain."

"And we ended it," Ichijyo nodded. Looking to where the ghost was a moment ago, he spied pages from the black book. They looked like they were hastily torn out. Picking them out of the dirt, he began to read.

_I am about to go into the shrine deep within Himuro Mansion, where they say a piece of the Holy Mirror is kept. The curse has already left its mark on my four limbs. There's no escaping it. About the only thing left I can do is try to seal the Hell Gate. It's my only hope._

_I already found four of the Buddha statues I need to get a piece of the Holy Mirror. I've managed to find a document which tells me of the location of the fifth statue._

_"Make observance to the Buddha." At the base of the large gate, "So that the souls of the piteous maidens," can reach up to the heavens._

_If all goes well, no one will ever read these notes, and I can use them as content for my next book. In closing, I would like to thank my assistant, Tomoe Hirasaka._

_If it weren't for her words she left me, I wouldn't have been able to complete this, my final work. If I don't return, please give her a decent burial._

_Signed Jinsei Takamine_

_September 15th_

"Message received Takamine," Tazuka nodded.

"I think we can all safely agree that he didn't get any farther than here," Takada sighed. "Okay, his ghost said that the statue was at the Shinto gate and these notes confirm it. If what he said is true, we're going to need it."

"Let's go look then," Miku agreed.

Heading back up the stairs, the teens stopped at the Shinto gate which lay just outside the shrine. Miku headed to the left side of the gates and examined the wooden posts. She looked down and spotted a hollow in the wood. Upon closer examination, she discovered that a small statue was inside of it. However, the head was missing and the area where it should have been was painted red.

"I think I found it," Miku announced. "But…it's broken. The head is gone."

"Hmm," Ichijyo frowned as he examined the statue. "This might be the result of one of the Himuro family traditions or because of a violent spirit. Still, it's the only clue we have to go on at the moment. We'll bring it with us."

"It was resting on something too," Ryuki observed as he picked up a tattered piece of scroll paper.

_Bury the Rope Maiden's spirit._

_Place the five Buddha with her damaged limbs._

"Well that's kind of vague," Takada frowned. "And definitely morbid. What did these gusy do with these Rope Maidens?"

"I'm beginning to feel a grim idea," Ichijyo pondered. "Still, we had better get this statue with the other four Takamine found. If there is a piece of the Holy Mirror in the shrine, we'll need it."

Miku and the others nodded as clutched the statue tightly. With it in hand, the five teens entered the shirne again. This time there was no pool of blood and no spirit attacking them. Walking across the room, they both noticed the large mirrors on either side of the shrine as they approached to examine it.

There were four Buddha statues lined up in front of the shrine with a hollow in the middle for the last one. However, each statue was damaged and painted red at a certain part. The farthest left was missing its left arm while the one next to it was missing its left leg. The reverse was true for the pair on the right. They were missing either a right arm or a right leg. Miku looked at the statue she held which was missing its head. Following logic, she placed the headless Buddha in the middle. There was a loud unlocking noise which echoed from a shrine and from the middle, a small 3x3 grid appeared. There was a faint image of a body painted in red along it with arms and legs reaching the corners and the middle top box.

"Another puzzle?" asked Takada.

"A painfully simple one," Tazuka nodded as he reached for the Buddhas. "We need to place each damaged Buddha on the limb which it is missing." To prove this, he took the armless right Buddha and placed it where the right slot was.

"I get it," Taada nodded as he plucked the left armless Buddha and placed it in the upper left square.

"I suppose you had to be part of the family to know about this," Ichijyo frowned as he placed the right legless Buddha in the lower right square.

"Otherwise this would seem like sacrilege," Ryuki nodded as he placed the left legless Buddha in the lower left corner.

"Last one for me I guess," Miku spoke as she removed the headless Buddha and placed it in the upper middle square.

As the last Buddha was placed in its position, there was a soft unlocking noise. At the shrine itself, a pair of small doors quietly opened to reveal a stand where a round mirror would usually be placed. However, there was only a piece of an ornately carved frame and a large shard of reflective glass attached to it.

"Sugoi," Ryuki breathed as he observed the piece. "So this is a piece of the Holy Mirror?"

"It must be," Miku softly replied as she removed the shard and brought it out to observe it.

As all five of them peered at the glass, they were suddenly assaulted by a vision

-VISION-

_It was a jumbled mess of fear, pain, and violence. Bodies lay strewn about the ground, all of them dead. Aother view switched to a man dressed as a priest holding a length of rope. Another shift and it showed the holy mirror glowing brightly. Finally in a blast of light, the mirror shattered into five pieces._

-END VISION-

"Woah!" Takada gasped. "What was that?"

"The Mirror showed us how it broke and what happened," Tazuka replied.

"Even with it broken, this shard can still hold such power," Ichijyo pondered. "I would love to see what kind of power it holds when it's completed."

"If we can complete it, we'll see it in action," Ryuki said confidently.

A soft groaning noise captured the groups attention, making them look to the mirror on the left. Their eyes widened when they saw a woman wearing a kimono standing inside of it. Ropes were wrapped around her wrists, ankles, and neck. Ichijyo felt his senses scream at him as he watched the woman begin to pass through the glass as if it was water.

'_AIBOU! RUN!_' Yaminekoryu roared at his host. '_SHE'S THE SOURCE OF THIS! RUN!_'

As the woman passed through the glass, the world around the five teens became grainy and like something out of a noir film. Ichijyo felt his breathing getting heavier as the spiritual pressure began to fill the room. What was this woman?

Behind the woman, rotting, ghoulish bodies emerged from the darkness as they moaned and writhed in what seemed to be in pain. Yaminekoryu sounded like he was choking and Ichiyo was getting weak in the knees. Tazuka and Miku were both deathly pale as the presence of the woman hit them.

Ryuki mustered up his courage and raised the camera to his sight. The ghost was so strong he didn't need the camera to see her though. He quickly flashed a picture of the woman, but she didn't even blink.

"Kid, more pictures would be good," Takada gulped as the group began to back away from the advancing woman.

"It's not working," Ryuki gulped as he hit the shutter button again. The woman didn't even blink.

"Ohh, we're boned," Takada gulped.

The woman looked up at the group and reached out for them. The corpses behind her let out even louder groans as more limb reached out from behind her.

The last thing the group saw before darkness was a mass of pale and rotting hands reaching out for them.

**END OF NIGHT ONE**

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: A bit of a horror story based on the Fatal Frame survival game. This is something Ten-Faced Paladin and I worked on but well we couldn't finish due to unforeseen circumstances. I'm putting it right here for your reading pleasure. Have fun and also compliment Ten-Faced Paladin. His idea, dude.  
**


	141. Galaxy Angels: Hot & Cold

**GALAXY ANGELS: HOT & COLD**

"Alright, we're now in TCY 412!" Alan informed Shinichi. "And we should be right in the middle of a resort planet!"

"And you know what that means," Shinichi grinned, wearing a floral-patterned Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts, flip flops, a straw hat and sunglasses. "Beach, waves, and bikini-clad babes!" He ran for the TARDIS' door and kicked it open only to stop dead at the doorway. "Um…Alan?"

"Yeah?" Alan answered from the console.

"You might wanna get out here."

Shinichi and Alan exited out of the TARDIS to find themselves in what appeared to be a wasteland. The ground was burnt and it looked like there were rivers of lava flowing through the cracks. "This…can't be right." He went back to check the console and looked at the date. "We got the date right and the coordinates…oh."

"The coordinates are off, aren't they?" Shinichi deadpanned. He grumbled and stomped back to his room.

"It'll be fine. I'll get this fixed so we'll get to the resort planet!" Alan called.

Shinichi exited, dressed in his double-breasted jackets, pants, gloves and boots. "We're already here. Might as well check it out to see why the TARDIS landed us here."

"You sure? Because I can still take us to the beach," Alan asked.

"If we're here, there's a reason," Shinichi shrugged. "Now, come on!"

* * *

Fortunately, Alan wasn't affected by the heat since his ring generated a protective energy field around his body. As for Shinichi, the blue-haired boy claimed he was wearing an insulated jacket that would keep his body at comfortable room temperature. Also, being a cyborg, he was made for harsh environments.

"Nothing for miles," Shinichi said as he looked around with his telescopic vision. "Just a lot of lava, and volcanoes." He grimaced. "A lot of volcanoes."

"Doesn't seem inhabited," Alan stated. "But…then again…"

"Things are never as they seem," said Shinichi as he stared at the sky. The entire sky was covered in black clouds of volcanic ash.

"Come on, we should head back to the-"

"Ships," Shinichi interrupted. "I see ships coming in for a landing."

"Ships, huh?" Alan smiled. "Well, let's go say hello."

* * *

The ships were known as Emblem Frames and were space fighters piloted by the Angel Troupe. The five girls who made up the group were named Milfeuelle Sakuraba, Ranpha Franboise, Mint Blancmanche, Forte Stollen and Vanilla H.

(Note: Not gonna bother describing them. You all know what they look like. All I can tell you is that they're wearing environmental suits due to the planet's atmosphere)

"Forte, are you sure about this place?" asked Ranpha.

"Yup, command has intel telling us that there's Lost Technology on this planet," said Forte.

"But it's so hot, I can feel it through my suit," complained Ranpha. "Why do we need to wear these things?"

"Because we don't know if the air is breathable," said Forte.

"The ground's really glowing!" Milfeulle admired.

"That is because of the lava flowing through the cracks," informed Vanilla in monotone.

"What sort of Lost Technology can we find here?" Mint asked as she looked around.

"Girls! Girls!" Milfeulle jumped. "I found something! I found the Lost Technology!"

The Angel Troupe gathered at Milfeulle's position to examine her discovery, which was a tall, red box.

"It's…a box," Ranpha deadpanned. "We came out here in the middle of nowhere for a box."

"Ranpha, it's a box in the middle of nowhere that makes it so interesting," grinned Forte. "This must be our Lost Technology!"

"But what is it?" Mint asked as she looked around it.

"That would be my TARDIS!" Alan spoke up, startling the girls (except Vanilla). "Hello!"

Forte took out her gun and aimed, "Identify yourself!"

"Alan Smith, traveler," Alan introduced himself. "Oh, and put down the gun. I don't really like guns." Shinichi was next to him and cleared his throat. "Oh, and this is my brother, Shinichi."

"Brother?" Ranpha blinked. "But you're…?"

"I take after my mother," Shinichi answered quickly.

"So, what are you doing here and why aren't either of you in environmental suits?" Forte asked suspiciously.

"We got lost and our TARDIS here landed us here," said Alan, putting his hand on the phone box. "She never really takes us where we wanna go, but always where we need to go."

"And we were on our way to a resort planet," frowned Shinichi in disappointment.

"You're saying that this box is a ship?" Ranpha asked skeptically. "It looks kinda cramped."

"That's what they all say, but it's very comfortable. You should see what it looks like on the inside, Miss…"

"Ranpha. Ranpha Franboise." Once Ranpha got a really good look at Alan, she couldn't help but find him cute. "So, you travel, huh? You must be rich."

"I wouldn't say that," said Alan. "So, could I have all your names?"

The rest of the Angel Troupe introduced themselves and the brothers learnt that the girls were part of the military, in charge of seeking out Lost Technology.

"Well, this TARDIS isn't Lost Technology, I'm sorry," Alan apologized.

"What does 'TARDIS' mean?" Milfeuelle asked.

"It's an acronym for 'Time And Relative Dimensions In Space'," Alan answered. "It's what a friend of mine called his so I built this baby as a tribute."

"Well, guess this trip was a bust," muttered Forte. Suddenly, they heard ringing. "What's that?"

"The warning bell," Alan frowned. "But that only rings when."

BOOM!

The ground shook.

"What was that?" Shinichi asked.

BOOM! BOOM!

The ground shook some more.

"Nothing good judging by the sound of that," Alan answered.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"And it's coming closer," Alan grimaced.

"It's just an earthquake," dismissed Forte.

"Forte, an earthquake on a planet of volcanoes is never a good thing, but tell me do you see any of them erupting?" Alan asked.

"Are you saying those sounds we heard aren't from an earthquake?" Mint asked. "Then what is it."

BOOM!

Shinichi's eyes widened and he pointed. "That." Everyone turned and couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was a giant humanoid, in the shape of a man, with lava flowing through the cracks of its body which acted like veins. It eyes were glowing like fire. They had fins atop their heads, making them resemble Roman soldiers.

"A Pyrovile," said Alan.

"A what?" Ranpha asked.

"Translation: trouble," said Shinichi. "You girls better get to your ships before that thing sees us!"

"And you?" Milfeulle asked.

"To the TARDIS!" Alan shouted immediately as he and Shinichi entered their vehicle while the girls ran for their Emblem Frames.

Once inside, Shinichi and Alan were at the console and looking at the screen. "Those girls won't make it."

"I know, which is why we're going to distract it," said Alan. "Hold on." He pulled a lever. "Allons-y!"

Hearing that Shinichi answered, "Ikuze!"

The TARDIS took flight, spinning around as it took to the air. The Pyrovile, seeing the red box tried to make a grab for it but the door opened and Alan stuck his head out, waving, "Hi!" before shooting it with his ring to send it staggering back. He saw the girls who were at their Emblem Frames but they were staring as the TARDIS flew. He shouted, his voice booming as if he was talking through a megaphone, "WHAT ARE YOU GIRLS WAITING FOR!-? GO!" The Pyrovile smacked the TARDIS and nearly knocked it out of the air as Alan hung on for dear life at the doorway. Inside, Shinichi was holding onto the console as the TARDIS tilted back and forth.

"Alan! Are the girls good?" Shinichi called.

"Right!" Alan looked. "They're flying away now!" He constructed a green energy fist which smacked the Pyrovile to the ground . "Sorry about that!" He reentered the TARDIS and closed the door before going for the console.

"Alan, let's lock onto those girls and see where they're going," said Shinichi.

"You want to get to know them?" Alan asked, knowing what Shinichi was planning.

"The pinkette looks cute, and don't tell me you weren't eyeing that blonde. I bet they're fine under those suits if their faces are any indication," replied Shinichi.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Alan locked onto the Emblem Frames. "Allons-y!"

* * *

The Angel Troupe, after reporting to their Commander, returned to their common room for some rest and relaxation after such a strange, and terrifying, mission.

"That mission was a strange one," said Milfeuelle. From how she looked she didn't seem like one who'd just escaped from a giant monster by the skin of her teeth.

"Which part? The big rock monster or the two guys who fly around in a box?" Mint asked, curious about the two young men.

"I just hope they're OK. They really helped us out when they distracted the monster," said Milfeuelle.

"It's a shame we won't be seeing them again," sighed Ranpha sadly. "The silver-haired one was cute."

"His name is Alan Smith, and his brother is Shinichi Banabara," Vanilla corrected.

"Right, Alan," smiled Ranpha. He was just so heroic and brave, not to mention cute.

"What I want to know is how they got that box flying and what exactly it is?" questioned Forte. It wasn't like any ship she'd ever seen. It just looked a red, rectangular box with windows.

VROOMP!

"Hey, what's that sound?" Milfeuelle asked.

"What sound?" Mint questioned, looking up from her manga.

VROOMP!

VROOMP!

"There it is again!" exclaimed Milfeuelle.

"I hear it too," Ranpha added.

"Yeah, what is that?" Forte inquired curiously.

"Look!" Mint pointed as something was starting to appear in the middle of the room

VROOMP!

VROOMP!

VROOMP!

After blinking in and out of existence for several moments, the red TARDIS materialized right in the middle of the common room.

The door opened and Shinichi came out, dressed in his Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts from before. "Hello, Angels!" he greeted loudly as they gawked at him. Only Vanilla's gaze was neutral.

"It's you!" Milfeuelle gasped, recovering from the shock, and looking relieved, "You're OK! We saw that monster attack you but you're OK!"

"Were you worried?" Shinichi smiled at Milfeuelle which caused the pinkette to blush and her heart to beat a bit faster than usual. Alan stepped out of the TARDIS after Shinichi.

"So, we landed right here," Alan admired. "The common room, right?"

Click!

Forte had a revolver aimed right at the two.

"Forte!" cried out Ranpha in shock and annoyance. "What are you doing!-?"

"Ranpha, these two are intruders," Forte justified. "Now, what are you doing on our ship? How did you get onboard?" she questioned.

"Well, we wanted to see if you were OK, and we got onboard because of my TARDIS," said Alan.

"But how?" Forte pressed on.

"This thing travels through time and space, so it can go anywhere and to any time," Shinichi explained.

Forte was skeptical, "A time machine? You expect me to believe that's a time machine?"

"It's more believable than saying this thing can travel across dimensions, which it can," answered Alan, smiling roguishly.

"I'm just glad the monster didn't get you," said Milfeuelle.

"You mean that Pyrovile? Well, it was close but we've faced worse," said Shinichi. "Anyway, there's actually another reason we're here. Since you girls weren't able to find your Lost Technology thing we wanted to let you go on a trip with us."

"A trip?" Ranpha responded.

Alan opened the TARDIS door. "Come onboard." He entered and the door closed behind him.

"It looks a little cramped," Ranpha studied as Shinichi opened the door and went in. He poked his head out.

"Relax," he said. "Don't judge a book by its cover." He pulled back in and closed the door.

"I wanna check it out!" said Milfeuelle as she opened the door and went inside. Two seconds later she came out and said, "Girls! Girls! Come in! You won't believe it!"

* * *

"I don't…believe it…" Forte stared in awe. She and the rest of the Troupe had entered the TARDIS and just stared, speechless.

"It's…it's…it's…" Mint tried to find the words.

"Bigger on the inside," Vanilla summarized and while she did not express it, she was probably awed as well. "The internal and external dimensions do not match."

"Hyperspace technology!" Alan answered, "That's what it is!"

"But this…it's not…physically possible…" said Forte.

"It takes a while to get used to," Shinichi agreed. "Alan here built it with his own two hands."

"I had help," Alan argued. "But, anyway, you girls should go and pack because we're going on a trip!"

"Where are we going?" asked Milfeulle happily.

"A resort planet called Tropicana-12!" Alan said.

"We were actually heading there when we landed before on that volcano planet," Shinichi said. "This TARDIS doesn't always takes us where we wanna go, but always where we need to go." He grinned and looked at Milfeulle, "And I think we needed to meet you lovely ladies."

Milfuelle just blushed and giggled a bit at being flirted with.

"Stop it," Alan scolded. "So, again, pack your bags and meet back on the TARDIS in like an hour and we'll be on our way!"

* * *

ONE HOUR LATER: The Angel Troupe were packed for their trip.

"Right, everybody ready?" Alan asked as he stood at the control console. "OK, good!"

"Say…do you fly this thing too?" Ranpha asked, sidling up to Alan at the console.

"Yup, I fly her," said Alan. "Of course I have Shinichi help me out too. This thing was meant to be flown by six."

"You must be really good," Ranpha complimented.

"I'm the best," boasted Alan.

"Alan, please, let's just go to the beach," Shinichi prompted impatiently. If he couldn't flirt with the cute pink-haired girl before the trip than Alan couldn't flirt with the voluptuous blonde and Shinichi had to admit that Forte and Ranpha had the figures of supermodels. However, Milfeuelle was the one who reminded him most of _her_.

* * *

Tropicana-12 was a planet which had been terra-formed from an uninhabitable wasteland into the resort planet it was today. Its main purpose was to attract tourists and travelers who wanted a nice place for relaxation. There were hotels and inns for guests who were staying overnight or wished to prolong their stay, recreation centers, an amusement parks and finally a beach with a beautiful ocean view.

The TARDIS appeared right next to beach snack bar and the door opened to let out its occupants. The members of the Angel Troupe were all in their swimwear and Shinichi had to admire Milfeulle who was dressed in a modest pink-trimmed orange two-piece. Ranpha, of course, wore a red bikini that showed off her figure and even though Forte was wearing a violet one-piece, it showed off her cleavage and it was low cut in the back. Mint wore a school swimsuit and Vanilla wore a green one piece with frills around the openings for her arms and legs.

Shinichi had his straw hat and sunglasses on as he stepped out of the TARDIS, followed by Alan who was in a green t-shirt and green swimming trunks. He had sunglasses which were on his head. As the men, they carried the rest of the stuff like beach umbrellas, blankets and the cooler.

"Ah, the beach!" Shinichi admired but his eyes were on the girls, "And the babes!"

Alan rolled his eyes as they found a spot to put down all their things. They set down the blankets and set up the beach umbrellas. Some deck chairs were also unfolded.

"OK, now that the work is done, let's play!" said Shinichi as he ran over to Milfeulle who called out to him.

"He seems to like Milfeuelle," Ranpha admired as she stood next to Alan. "So, what is this symbol supposed to mean?" she asked, her finger on the Green Lantern emblem on his chest. She was leaning in close, her cleavage in plain view of his eyes but he managed to divert his eyes to look at her face.

"It's a special club symbol," he told her. The Green Lantern Corps didn't exist in the universe, it seemed. "So, what do you wanna do?"

* * *

Shinichi was walking alongside Milfeuelle on the beach, getting to know each other better. "So, what's it like working in the military?" he asked.

"Oh, it's great fun! I meet a long of people, make new friends, and even go on tons of adventures!" Milfeuelle described.

"Sounds like my life in a nutshell," he replied, smiling. "So, you got a hobby."

"Baking," she answered instantly.

"Baking, huh…?" He got a nostalgic look on his face as he whispered, "Just like her…"

"What was that?" Milfeulle asked. "I didn't get that last part."

"Oh, just thinking. You remind me of someone I cared about a long time ago," Shinichi told her.

"Was this person special to you?" she asked.

"She was the first person I saw when I woke up to my new life," he answered. "But…that was ages ago."

"Where is she now?" Milfeuelle asked.

"Waiting somewhere for me, out there," he said, looking to the sky. "And I'm going to be with her soon."

Milfeulle noted his tone, it sounded so sad, and he sounded like he missed this person. She changed the subject to a more cheerful one, "So, you and Alan are really brothers?"

"Half-brothers, to be more accurate. Same dad, different mothers," he explained. "And no, his dad didn't cheat on his mom. My mother just got his dad's sperm for artificial insemination. We just found each other by coincidence."

"And now you're traveling together?" Milfeuelle asked.

"Yeah," Shinichi nodded. "He's my little brother. It's my job to look after him. So, we go off on adventures, through time, space and other dimensions."

"Other dimensions. What are they like?" Milfeuelle asked.

"If you want we could take you along," he offered.

Milfeuelle blushed and was about to respond when she was interrupted.

"Hey, you two! Let's play some beach volleyball!" Ranpha called.

* * *

Minutes Earlier…

"Hey, babe, you wanna hang out with us?" a tanned, muscular punk came up to Ranpha, leering at her body. "I promise it'll be fun." He was with his friend, another muscle-bound jock type and they didn't seem to be type to understand a refusal.

"Back off, I'm with someone!" she scoffed. One of them grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I didn't say you could-WOAH!" Ranpha had flipped him onto his back, painfully.

"Hey, bitch!" the other one went to confront her but he ended up with Alan in his face. "Back off!" the guy threatened. He was a head taller than Alan but Alan had a secret weapon.

As soon as the man locked eyes with Alan he started to sweat and back away as the Lantern's eyes glowed green with anger. It was a trick he managed to learn, to manifest and target his Killing Intent. The man picked up his friend and ran off.

"Thanks, but I could've handled them," said Ranpha.

"A Smith never lets a lady defend themselves alone," Alan quoted. "A family motto. We always stand by our women."

"So…I'm your woman then," she teased.

"Well, if you're interested," he returned, smiling back.

"How about a game of beach volleyball?" she challenged. "Oh, and there's Milfeulle and your brother." She called, Hey, you two! Let's place some beach volleyball!"

* * *

Vanilla was content with making sand sculptures, impressive works of art, while Forte was just relaxing under the sun. Mint became referee. It was a two VS two game of beach volleyball. On one side of the net were Ranpha and Alan while Milfeulle and Shinichi stood on the other side.

"OK, best out of 5 wins!" Mint declared. "Ready? Serve!"

* * *

The game continued, with both sides showing off their athletic skills. It seemed like a close game as 30 minutes into it the score was tied 4-4. However, Alan paused in his serve when something off started to happen. Ranpha felt it too and started to shiver.

"It's freezing…" she commented, rubbing her upper arms to gain some warmth. Everyone felt it and that wasn't the oddest part as snowflakes began to fall.

"Wow, it's snowing!" Milfeulle cheered and then she shivered. Shinichi removed his shirt and draped it over her for warmth. Alan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the clouds.

"That's not normal," Alan said. "Tropicana-12 has a tropical climate all year round. It shouldn't be snowing at all."

"You want to check it out?" Shinichi asked.

"Right," Alan nodded. "Looks like we need to cut this vacation short. To the TARDIS!"

* * *

The two travelers entered the TARDIS, their new friends in the Angel Troupe accompanying them to get out of the cold.

"At least this place has heating," said Forte, relieved to be out of the cold.

Alan was checking the screen on the console. "OK, I'm trying to pinpoint the source of this odd weather. Its point of origin should appear…Aha! Got it! It's in the mountain area and that's where we're going!"

"What do you expect to find?" Ranpha asked.

"Who knows?" Alan shrugged, "But you girls should get dressed. It's going to get chilly!"

"This happens a lot, I bet," Milfeuelle offered.

"Oh, yeah," Shinichi grinned. "The adventure never ends! Ikuze!"

"Allons-y!" Alan shouted.

* * *

The TARDIS rematerialized on a mountain and just as Alan predicted this was the source of the weather disturbance. The entire surface was covered in snow. The door opened and both Shinichi and Alan walked out, Alan sporting a green jacket while Shinichi had on his coat. "You girls should stay in the TARDIS where it's safe. We'll check things out first," Alan recommended.

"Hey, we don't take orders from you!" Forte retorted, crossing her arms and huffing.

"Remember that Pyrovile?" Alan questioned. Forte grimaced. "It could be something that big too, only this one makes snow."

"Snow isn't so bad," Milfeuelle said as she skipped out. She then fell flat on her back and waved her arms and legs to make a snow angel. "See?"

"Milfie-chan, please go in the TARDIS," said Shinichi seriously. He offered his hand and he pulled her up to her feet. "Please," he added.

"OK," Milfeulle nodded, touched by his concern. She looked back at her snow angel and frowned. "Hey, where did my snow angel go?" she asked.

"What?" Shinichi blinked. He looked at the spot. "That's weird. The snow could've covered over it but this isn't a blizzard." He looked back, "And we aren't leaving…tracks." He blanched. "Uh-oh."

The ground started to move.

"It's moving!" Milfeulle exclaimed as she clung onto Shinichi.

"Alan, we got a live one!" Shinichi shouted as something rose from the snow. It was snow white, perfect to blend in with the snow but had blue spots on its sides. It looked like a huge worm! The worm had a beak and tusks on the sides of the beak.

"What is that thing!-?" Milfeulle shouted.

"A Frost Worm!" Alan identified.

"You know what that thing is!-?" Ranpha screamed.

"Yes," Alan said. "A friend of mine told me about them. It's just amazing that one is here."

"But what is it doing here?" Shinichi questioned.

"The young will feed…" growled the Frost Worm.

"Oh…" Alan now realized. "It's trying to lay its eggs."

"Cold…Forever cold…" the Frost Worm hissed.

"Lay eggs?" Now Ranpha was worried. This thing was trying to breed.

Alan explained, "They try to drop the temperatures of entire planets so that the young can hatch and thrive. You see those clouds? That's the gas they emit to alter the weather and temperature."

"What does that mean?" Milfeulle.

"It means this entire planet is going to freeze," Shinichi answered.

"That's horrible!" gasped Milfeulle.

"OK," said Forte as she cocked her pistol. "Let's show this worm not to mess with our resort planet." She stepped out and her gun was ripped out of her hand by a green hand of energy. "Hey!"

"Do not resort to violence," said Alan. "This thing seems intelligent enough to have basic speaking skills. I'm going to try and reason with it."

"Reason with a worm?" Ranpha questioned, staring at Alan in disbelief. "How can you do that?"

"Just watch!" Alan grinned. He turned to address the Frost Worm, "Yo, Frost Worm! Hi! Welcome to this planet! I've come to you in peace. As a representative of the Green Lantern Corps, I order you to leave. You cannot make this planet a cold wasteland. I'm sure I can find you a better home where you can lay your eggs and live with your young in peace."

"_This planet is the new home_," the Frost Worm growled.

"No, no, no," Alan denied. "This planet is already occupied and it's protected, by me. Now, if you would come with me, I can take you to a planet where there's fine food and cold climate."

The Frost Worm's response was to roar and lunge towards Alan and Shinichi.

"HOLY CRAP!" The two brothers dodged to the side as the Frost Worm came at them like a snake. "Alan, I don't think it accepts your offer!"

"Well, then it's time we dealt with this!" said Alan as he took out his Sonic Screwdriver. "Shinichi, Plan D! As in D for Distraction!"

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Shinichi grumbled as he took out his own Sonic Manipulator. "You so owe me for this!" He shouted, "Hey, you stupid worm! You want food? Come on? Come get me!"

The Angel Troupe watched the two brothers confront the worm.

"They are insane," said Forte.

"They are," Ranpha admired appreciatively as she saw Alan handle himself. "So brave."

"Be careful, Shinichi!" Mlifeulle called.

The Frost Worm lunged for Shinichi, its jaws wide open, but Shinichi countered and pointed his Sonic Manipulator at its face as he held down the button. Blue pulses of sonic energy were released and the creature hissed in pain. "Alan, the sonic disorients it!"

"OK!" Alan jumped onto its back and ran along its body before reaching the head. "I didn't want to do this, but you left me no choice!" He pointed the Sonic Screwdriver at its head and held down the button, assaulting the creature along with his brother as it was hit by two sonic pulses. "Remember, just knock it out!"

"I got it!" The two kept it up as the creature thrashed with Alan holding on for dear life. Finally, it stopped and fell unconscious as it stopped emitting gasses.

"They did it!" Milfeulle cheered. She ran out and hugged Shinichi. "You did it!"

"Yeah, we did," said Shinichi. "Alan, now what do we do?"

"I did say we were gonna take it and its eggs to a planet with a colder climate," said Alan as he used his ring to cover the Frost Worm and its eggs in an insulated energy bubble. He floated up, amazing the girls. "Shinichi, mind piloting the TARDIS back to the resort? I'm sure that the weather will be fine by the time I get back."

Alan then shot into the air, carrying his cargo, as he flew into outer space.

Shinichi entered the TARDIS and made his way to the console where he started pressing buttons, pulling levers and flipping switches.

"Shinichi, who is your brother anyway?" Ranpha asked, wanting to really get to know Alan.

"One of the greatest heroes this universe and others has ever seen," Shinichi said. "You interested?"

"Well…" Ranpha pressed her index fingers together. "There's this ball we're supposed to attend soon and I don't have a date, so…"

"Ask him. It's like his nature to never refuse a pretty face," said Shinichi. "When is this ball exactly?"

* * *

After putting the Frost Worm on a planet with a cold climate along with its eggs, Alan returned to the TARDIS and returned the girls to the Elle Ciel. "Sorry about what happened," Alan apologized. "Really, I'm sorry. Never thought that a Frost Worm would be there."

"Ah, it's fine," Forte dismissed.

"Well, me and my brother have to go," said Alan.

"Wait!" Ranpha called. "Alan, would you like to go with me to the Fargo Ball?"

"What?" Alan asked.

"Shinichi, would you accompany me as well?" Milfeulle asked as well.

Shinichi and Alan shared a look and nodded to each other. They took the girls' hands and kissed the backs like gentlemen.

"Of course," said Alan. "When will it be?"

* * *

**ONE MONTH LATER…**

It was time for the Fargo Ball and the Angel Troupe attended wearing fine dressed. Even Vanilla looked good. Forte herself was sitting at the bar, getting many offers for a dance. Ranpha sighed as she just sat at a table, looking bored. She had invited Alan to be her date and he promised to come but he had not turned up. She looked at Milfeulle who admired the entire ballroom but she knew the pinkette was waiting for Alan's brother.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and sighed. Probably someone asking for a dance with her. Normally, she wouldn't ignore the attention but the one she wanted to dance with was Alan. "Look, I'm-" she began as she turned to reject the 6th person who'd asked her to dance this evening, only to freeze, stunned.

"Would you like to dance, Ranpha Franboise?" Alan asked. He was in a standard black tuxedo with a green shirt and black bowtie with a brooch on his lapel shaped like the Green Lantern Corps' insignia. He even had TARDIS cufflinks. On his head he wore a top hat.

"You came," said Ranpha as she rose up from her chair.

"And not just me," said Alan as he gestured with his thumb. There was his brother, Shinichi, wearing a black, double-breasted jacket with long coat tails and matching pants. He also wore his trademark scarf. He was dancing with Milfeulle.

"How did you get in without an invitation?" Ranpha asked.

"Who says I didn't?" Alan asked, pulling out and flashing the Psychic Paper. "See? My invitation. It even says I can bring along a Plus 1. Shinichi's my Plus 1."

"You are amazing," she said, astounded. "And you were supposed to pick me up before."

"Sorry, sorry," Alan apologized. "We ran into a bit of a trouble with some Macra."

"Macra?" Ranpha repeated.

"I'll tell you later. So, would you do me the honors of a dance, Ms. Ranpha Franboise?"

Alan led Ranpha to the dance floor and the two swayed and spun to the music together. Shinichi, seeing this, smiled and winked at his brother as he danced with his partner as well.

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Another oneshot and crossing over with Galaxy Angel as the TARDIS and its two crew members, Alan and Shinichi travel through all time and space in the Multiverse. What's next? Well, if you got any ideas please drop them in NEW IDEAS 5…or 6 when it's time to change. **


	142. City of Angels

**DATEN CITY**

**VROOMP!**

**VROOMP!**

**VROOMP!**

As the strange warping sound rang through the air, the oddest phenomenon was occurring right on a sidewalk as a red phone box blinked in and out of existence before finally materializing.

The door opened and a young man with silver hair and violet eyes stepped out with a strange device in hand. He wore a green jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans and green trainers. Exiting after him was a young man of Asian descent who sported indigo hair that was parted in the middle with two antenna-like strands sticking out from top. His choice of clothing comprised of a red, double-breasted jacket with coat tails, black slacks and brown boots. He also wore brown gloves on his hands and hanging from his neck was a red cloth scarf.

"OK, so where are we now?" asked the bluenette (Shinichi) as he addressed his brother who was fiddling around with the device in his hand.

"Oh, we're in Daten City in the year 2010," answered Alan. "November 13 2010 to be exact."

Shinichi looked around. If you've seen one city you've seen them all, but he got the feeling there was something off about this place. "So, what exactly is this place's history?"

"Oh, the city's on a fault line located between Heaven and Hell," Alan answered simply.

Shinichi cocked an eyebrow, "A fault line between Heaven and Hell? You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not," Alan replied. "And because of that this place constantly attracts the attention of Demons and Ghosts." He was still focused on the device and even slapping it to get a proper reading.

"So, are these Ghosts dark-skinned and ugly creatures?" Shinichi asked.

"Yeah," Alan responded. "Why?"

"Because we're surrounded." Alan finally looked up and saw that they were surrounded by dark-skinned, skeletal creatures with single eyes and horns. They also sported scissor-like claws and shark-like teeth. "Oh, looks like we're surrounded."

"Yup!" Shinichi replied as he clenched his fists while the Ghosts advanced on them. As he was about to retaliate, two blurs came out of nowhere. Gunshots were heard as some of the Ghosts were blown up and there was a flash of steel as sharp whistling was heard before several more of the Ghosts were cut apart. Coins fell with each of the Ghosts' defeat and Shinichi picked one up as he inspected it.

Shinichi and Alan focused their enhanced vision of the blurs and saw who they were. One was a girl with blonde hair, in her late teens, wearing a short, red spaghettis strap dress and black sandals. She was firing a white handgun. The other girls had dark violet hair with pink highlights and dressed in a Gothic Lolita fashion as she wielded a sword. The two girls made short work of the Ghosts before they finally stopped, the blonde resting her gun on her shoulder.

"So, Stocking," the blonde asked. "How many Heaven coins have we collected?"

"Just a handful," the dark-haired girl, Stocking, answered after counting. "A good haul but not enough to earn us our places in Heaven again."

"Dammit," the blonde cursed before taking notice of Alan and Shinichi. She eyed the two of them appreciatively. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" She sauntered over to them. "Hello there, boys."

"Panty, now's not the time," admonished Stocking.

"Oh, relax, Stocking. We're done for the night," Panty shot back before returning her attention to both men. "So, who are you guys?"

"I'm Alan, and this is my brother Shinichi."

"Brothers?" Panty's grin widened at the prospects of that. "But…"

"I take after my mother," Shinichi finished. It was always like that so he knew just what people were about to ask.

"Well, how about you boys show me a good time?" she flirted, coming up to them but then Alan walked past her. She whirled around. "Huh?"

"Hi, I'm Alan," Alan introduced herself to Stocking. "Alan Smith."

"I heard," Stocking replied. "Stocking Anarchy, and that's my sister, Panty."

"Panty and Stocking," whispered Shinichi under his breath before chuckling.

Stocking looked at Alan and as soon as their eyes locked her heartbeat began picking up speed. "Um…are you OK? Did the Ghosts hurt you?"

"Nah, you came just in time," said Alan. He looked at the device in his hand. "Hm…it's close."

"Um, what is that?" Stocking asked. It looked like a tazer with buttons and a screen.

"Oh, this is my Timey-Wimey Detector," he told her.

"Timer-Wimey Detector?" Stocking repeated.

"Yup, and it goes 'ding' when there's stuff," he answered.

"What kind of stuff?" Stocking asked.

"Ugh…" Panty stuck her tongue out. "Your brother's a science geek."

"He's smart, it ain't a crime," Shinichi said. "Saved my life with his smarts a few times too."

Alan explained, "Well, it just detects temporal anomalies and well I just thought of testing this thing right here…and I haven't gotten much but at some point there will always be a temporal anomaly somewhere."

* * *

Meanwhile, a pair of red-skinned girls were gazing into a television screen, watching Panty, Stocking, Shinichi and Alan. They both were very attractive and wore the same beige-colored double-breasted blazers and short skirts. Scanty had spiky green eyes, sharp yellow eyes and a protruding fang. She also sported a pair of horns. Her sister, Kneesocks, looked like her but with a single horn jutting from the middle of her forehead and she wore her light-blue hair in a ponytail. She wore angular glasses over her yellow-green eyes.

"Is everything set, Kneesocks?" asked Scanty.

"The Labyrinth is ready, Sister Dear," replied Kneesocks as she adjusted her glasses. "And so are _they_."

"Perfect!" Scanty grinned. "Let's see those no-good, rule-breaking, Angels handle _our_ Angels!"

A demonic pentagram glowed around both sisters as they chanted.

* * *

Suddenly, Alan's 'Timey-Wimey Detector' began going 'ding' repeatedly. "Oh, something's happening!"

"That's never good!" frowned Shinichi and he looked down to see a glowing red circle form around the four of them before lines were drawn to form a star shape. "A pentagram!"

In a flash of red light they were gone.

* * *

When Shinichi regained consciousness, he grumbled, "Ugh…Alan…next time I'll drive the TARDIS." He got up on his hands and knees before pushing himself up to his feet, supporting himself against a brick wall. "Alan?" he called. Looking ahead he saw a long corridor lit by hanging light bulbs. Turning around, he saw another long corridor that was alit by hanging light bulbs as well. "Great…someone teleported us to some kind of maze." He activated his wrist-com. "Alan, Alan, this is your Aniki calling you. Are you there?" He received no response. "Dammit!" He took out his Sonic Manipulator and shone it over his wrist-com before calling again. "Alan, are you there?"

"Yeah, it's me," Alan responded, his voice coming out of the device. "Where are you?"

"Well, to the left and right of me are brick walls, and there's a corridor in front and behind me. Oh, and hanging light bulbs. I think we're in some kind of maze."

"What makes you say that?" Alan asked.

"Oh, just a hunch, and I've been through this before," Shinichi replied. "So, are you alone?"

"Yeah, and I haven't seen Stocking or Panty yet," Alan replied. "How about you?"

"I'm alone too. I'm guessing those girls are somewhere down here too. So, what's the plan, Spaceman?"

"We try and look for them," said Alan. "Are you up for a scavenger hunt?"

"Always," Shinichi smiled.

"OK, we find the girls and get the hell out of here!"

* * *

Alan put his ring down and looked around. "OK, we're in a maze. I could use my strength and bash through the walls if they weren't magically enchanted. So, I have to use my head and navigate." He pulled out a coin. "OK, heads I go left, tails I go right." He flipped the coin and caught it. "OK, heads! I go left."

"You sure about that, Partner?" Bazel asked.

"Well, I gotta start somewhere," said Alan. "And when I start I always say this: Allons-y!"

* * *

"Stocking! Hot guys! Hello!" Panty called. She'd tried her cell phone but there were no bars so there was no way she could call for help. She'd been walking down the corridor, going left and right but there was no end to it. "Goddamit! If I find out who brought us here I am going to shoot them so full of holes they'll look like Swiss Cheese!" When she saw a figure standing in the distance, she thought it was another living person and was relieved. "Hey, is that one of you guys?" She approached only to be disappointed to see that it was a stone statue of an angel with its hands covering its face. It wore a toga and had short curly hair. "A statue!-?" She was not in a good mood and in response she kicked the statue. She turned around and walked away, grumbling in annoyance. "Where the hell are you guys!-?" She then turned back around and let out a shout of fright.

* * *

Alan's hearing picked up gunshots and he followed them, running down the corridor until he bumped into Shinichi which caused them both to fall on their rears.

"Alan?"

"Shinichi?"

The two men got up and then spotted Stocking running towards them. She stopped when she saw them. "Did you hear gunshots?" she asked.

"I did, come on!"

* * *

After navigating through the maze they found Panty with her gun out, aimed at a stone statue of an angel. While Stocking mocked, "Panty, are you scared of statues now?"

Alan, however, had a different response, "Panty, back away but don't take your eyes off that statue. Nobody blink or look away either. Keep your eyes on it."

"Keep our eyes on a statue?" Stocking questioned.

"Just do as he says. As weird as it sounds his advice can save your life," advised Shinichi.

Panty did as told, keeping her gun trained on the stone statue which was staring at her. She backed away, further and further until she joined the group. Shinichi put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you OK?"

"That statue moved," Panty said, pointing.

"Statues don't move, Panty," retorted Stocking.

"It did! When I first saw it, it had its hands covering its face but…"

"You turned your back," Alan finished, "And it moved."

"Yeah…" Panty answered. "Yeah, it did."

"What's going on?" Stocking asked.

"What's going on is that we're trapped in a maze with one of the most dangerous creatures the universe has ever conceived."

* * *

"But it's just a statue," said Stocking.

"Only when you're looking at it," said Alan. "But when you take your eyes off it, it can move."

"What the hell is it?" Panty demanded.

"It's a Weeping Angel."

* * *

Scanty and Kneesocks observed Alan.

"He knows what it is," said Scanty suspiciously. "How?"

"Let's continue watching, Dear Sister," said Kneesocks, admiring Alan. He was quite a fine specimen.

* * *

"Weeping Angel?" echoed Stocking.

"Yeah, and when I mean it's dangerous it's because it's a creature that can never be killed or destroyed because it's come up with the most perfect defense mechanism. Weeping Angels are Quantum Locked. Whenever they are observed by any living creature they cease to exist and freeze into stone. And you can't kill a stone. But a stone can't kill you either but when you look away, or turn your back, or even blink, it can move faster than you can believe," Alan explained.

"How fast?" Stocking questioned.

"They can get you in the blink of an eye," Alan answered.

"So, what makes them dangerous?" Panty asked.

"It's because they can kill you with a single touch," Alan told her. That made her go pale. "One touch and you get hurled right into the past before you're even born. They're actually the only psychopaths that can kill you nicely. You just live to death."

"Live to death, how does that work?" Stocking asked, finding this explanation ridiculous but also intriguing.

"It's because you live the rest of your life in the past. They feed off the potential energy from the days you would've lived right now," Alan said.

"So, do these things have weaknesses? Anything we can exploit?" asked Stocking, not liking the Weeping Angels at all now.

"Panty, what did the Angel look like when you first saw it?" Alan asked.

"It was covering its face with its hands," said Panty.

"You remember what I said about them freezing when they're observed. They can't even look at each other without risking being frozen. Their greatest defence is their greatest curse. That's why they're also called the Lonely Assassins."

"So, all we gotta do is to get out of this maze without taking our eyes off it," said Shinichi as he backed away and when he turned he jumped back in shock. "HOLY CRAP!"

Standing right in front of him was a Weeping Angel, but this one had its face curled into a snarl, exposing sharp teeth with arms stretched out, fingers curled and sharp claws. The others turned and then they realized their follow they turned to look at the other Angel which had inched closer as soon as they'd turned away with the same vicious expression.

"You said they were fast," Stocking whispered, sweating, now believing in the Weeping Angels.

"They're also known to be quite sadistic and sometimes they love to play with their prey," Alan told her. "They're hunting us."

"So why can't we just smash them to pieces?" Stocking asked.

"I heard someone did, but when he turned his back the Angel instantly reformed and snapped his neck," Alan told her.

Shinichi stared at the Angel in front of him and gulped. He couldn't help it and blinked but then the Angel was gone. "We're clear!" he yelped. The Angel had just gone. The only reason it would do that was because of the other Angel. It didn't want to be seen by the other Angel and be frozen. But where had it gone.

"OK, we just have to back away, back away, back away…" Alan guided as they stepped back from the Weeping Angel, keeping their eyes on it. "OK, at least two of us look at the Angel and two of us look the other way so the other Angel doesn't sneak up on us." The lights were flickering. "Not good," he grimaced.

"What's wrong?" asked Stocking.

"I said the Angels feed on energy, right? Well that also includes electricity…" Alan said. "OK, I guess we have no choice then. Everyone, huddle up!" Stocking clung onto Alan. "Hey…not so tight." She blushed. Panty clung onto Shinichi. Alan raised his ring and summoned up a green energy bubble. "OK, that should keep us safe…until I lose concentration."

"Then don't lose concentration," Panty hissed, unsure of what Alan had done but grateful. "Is this thing going to hold?"

"The Angels won't get to us but they can still chase us. As long as we stay in the bubble, we're safe," said Alan. "Unless they somehow drain my ring of power."

"Alan, now's not the time to speculate worst case scenarios," Shinichi warned.

"You always have to speculate the worst before figuring out the best," Alan retorted.

"So, if this is the worst, what's the best?" Stocking asked.

"Meeting you," Alan smiled at the Goth.

"You can be lovey-dovey later!" snapped Panty. "Let's find a way out of here!"

* * *

"What is that ring, Kneesocks?" Scanty demanded as she saw the energy bubble form around their nemeses and the two men accompanying them.

"I'm looking," Kneesocks replied, flipping pages as she tried to find mentions of a mystic ring with a green aura. It was definitely not something made in Heaven or Hell, so where did it come from? Could it be something out of their own world?

"I want it," Scanty looked at the ring with greed. It would look so nice on her finger, and those boys too would make excellence sex slaves.

* * *

"OK, let's start with figuring out where we are," began Alan. "Obviously, we're in a maze but where? Is it in a building or underground? Next question, why are the Weeping Angels here? Were they always here or did someone put them here? Also, who and why would put us in a maze with Weeping Angels following us?" He was asking questions without stopping and without waiting for anyone to answer.

"He talks a lot, doesn't he?" Panty asked.

"Blame his idol," Shinichi retorted.

"Stocking and Panty, since my brother and I are new in town, it's obvious that whoever did this is somehow associated with you," Alan said. "So, you got any enemies?"

"Nope, everyone loves me," Panty boasted.

"Everyone you spread your legs for," muttered Stocking under her breath.

"Are you sure…? What about the Ghosts?" asked Alan. "Or Demons?"

"Demons?" Panty then understood. "Those Demon Sisters!"

"Demon Sisters?" Shinichi asked

"Scanty and Kneesocks!" Stocking realized.

Shinichi whispered to Alan, "I'm seeing a pattern with the naming scheme here."

"OK, so Demon Sisters who hate you have put us here with the Weeping Angels," said Alan.

"Alan, I have to ask, why haven't you blasted our way out of here with your ring?" asked Shinichi. Alan demonstrated by deconstructing the bubble and forming a huge fist of green energy with his ring. He used it to punch the wall, but there was no damage.

"I can't," said Alan. "The place has been enchanted and it's stronger than anything my ring can come up with."

"Magic, your one weakness," Shinichi shook his head.

"OK, OK, just who are you two?" Panty demanded, pointing at Shinichi and Alan.

"We're just a couple of travelers passing through," both brothers said in unison.

"But you've got some kind of magic ring!" she pointed at Alan. She pointed at Shinichi and couldn't come up with anything since he had yet to display unusual behavior. Alan was the weird one. "OK, I don't know what you have."

"Good ears," Shinichi replied. "Alan, you hear them?"

"They're coming after us," said Alan. "We better start moving."

"Where?" Stocking asked.

"To the very centre of the labyrinth."

* * *

"So, where do these Weeping Angles come from?" Stocking asked. If she ever got back to Heaven she might consult the angels up there to tell her.

"Well, nobody really knows where they come from but they're everywhere and anywhere," said Alan.

"And letting their victims live to death. Could you elaborate on that?"

"Well…you're here now but then the Angels send you into the past to live your life and die of old age. The interesting part is that when on the year you're born, you already have grandkids. I think there's this one time a girl in 2009 vanished and ended up in 1920. She ended up marrying some guy, and having kids and grandkids before she died in 1980. The thing is, she was born in 1980 herself," Alan explained.

"So…she died on the same year she was born," Stocking concluded.

"Yeah, that's right," nodded Alan. "It's a kind death but cruel as they just take away all the potential days, months and years you would've spent in the present and leave you stranded in the past. Imagine having all that time gone." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that."

Panty and Shinichi were following close behind, with Shinichi walking backwards to keep his eyes out for any Weeping Angels. It was like he had eyes in the back of his head since he had yet to trip.

"Look at them," said Panty, crossing her arms.

"I can't," he said, keeping a lookout for Weeping Angels. It was hard to do without blinking so he had to wink one eye at a time without blinking both. Not that easy.

"Your brother and my sister are getting way close," said Panty. "She never shows any interests in guys. All she likes are sweets and pastries."

"Yeah, like my little sister," smiled Shinichi. "So, what about you girls? You professional Ghost Slayers or something?"

"We're angels," said Panty.

"Like from Heaven?" Shinichi asked. "So, what are you doing down on Earth."

"Oh, Stocking and I caused some trouble here and there so we got banished. If we wanna earn our place in Heaven again we have to kill Ghosts and earn Heaven coins," Panty told him.

"Sounds easy enough," stated Alan.

"Oh, it's actually a lot of work," said Stocking. "But Panty isn't in any hurry of going back to Heaven."

"Says who!" snapped Panty, overhearing her sister's comment.

"Panty, if you got back into Heaven you'd just get thrown out again."

"Hey, just because those old faggots don't know anything about having fun…"

"Shush!" Alan interrupted.

"Hey, don't shush me!" Panty snapped.

"I hear them," said Alan. "They're getting close, very close. RUN!" He took hold of Stockings wrist and ran with her with Panty and Shinichi following.

"So, do you guys do this a lot?" Panty asked.

"Running? Pretty much," said Shinichi. "It always follows a pattern, really. If we face something we can't fight head on, we run, figure a plan and by the end of it we beat the bad guys and are home just in time for tea."

"Have I became that predictable?" asked Alan.

"Pretty much."

"Should change that then," said Alan.

"How do we know if we're going the right way?" Stocking asked.

"We don't! But we will know when we get there!"

* * *

"They're nearing the very centre, Sister Dear," said Kneesocks.

"And they'll meet their demise!" cackled Stocking. "Oh, it will be so much fun to see the look on their faces when they realize what's waiting for them!"

* * *

The four arrived in a chamber and stopped. There were three exits in front of them and but they weren't alone in the room. The Weeping Angels stood in front of each of the exits.

"Backtrack!" said Shinichi as he turned and jumped back at the face of another Weeping Angel. "Crap!"

"I thought there were two of them!" exclaimed Panty. "You never said they were four!"

"Well, I can't really sense them, can I?" Alan shot back. "They don't register as regular life forms! Just keep your eyes on them!"

The four of them stood back to back, facing an Angel each.

"OK, got a plan," asked Stocking. "Besides not blinking?"

"Hold on, I can still do this!" He reformed the energy bubble but it was flickering and so were the lights in the chamber. "They're draining the power!"

"I thought they couldn't drain your ring's power!" Shinichi shouted.

"Well, you thought wrong!" Alan exclaimed. "Ring, how much power?"

"10 percent and dropping…9 percent…8 percent…"

"They're coming!" Stocking shouted as the lights flickered and the Weeping Angels came closer and closer, inching for the kill. "Alan!" She clutched to him.

"Dammit!" Panty cursed. "Fucking dammit!"

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Alan apologized.

The lights went out and when they came back on the four of them were gone and the Weeping Angels faced away from each other with their hands covering their faces.

* * *

"YES! YES!" Scanty cheered. "Those bitches are gone! Yes!"

"Our plan worked," smiled Kneesocks. "Dear Sister, they are now out of our hair."

"Too bad those boys had to go too," sighed Scanty. "Oh well! But now they're gone, trapped somewhere in the past and unable to stop us! Father would be so pleased!"

**VROOMP!**

"What's that sound?" Kneesocks asked curiously.

**VROOMP!**

**VROOMP!**

"What's that sound?" repeated Scanty.

**VROOMP!**

**VROOMP!**

**VROOMP!**

A red phone box suddenly appeared in the middle of their room.

"WHAT IS THAT!-?" the Demon Sisters shrieked.

The door opened and Alan stepped out. "OK, we're right where we need to be." He looked inside. "Everyone OK?"

Stocking stepped out, taking his hand and smiling. "Thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome," winked Alan.

"And thanks for taking me to the biggest pastry shop in the universe," she beamed.

"Again, you're welcome. You're worth it," said Alan. "Hey, how about you guys?"

Panty stepped out and stretched, looking satisfied. "Damn, I never thought I'd enjoy a gangbang so intense!"

"You're insatiable," said Shinichi jokingly.

Scanty and Kneesocks gawked and gaped at the sight of them.

"But how! The Weeping Angels should've gotten you!" Scanty shrieked.

"Oh, they did and we were scattered all over in the past," said Alan. "But…before they did I managed to put a tracking device on each of us. That's where she comes in." He put his hand affectionately on the TARDIS. "I activated her emergency tracker and she started up automatically to find her pilot, namely me! Then I went and tracked down the others all over the past and brought them back with me. We even took a little detour before coming back here. By the way, thanks for sending me to 1492. It was nice meeting Christopher Columbus!" He stopped to breathe. "So, any questions?"

"So, these bitches sent us to the past?" Panty asked. She'd been sent right into the middle of the Salem Witch Trials before Alan found her.

"I don't fight girls so…enjoy," grinned Alan.

Stocking and Panty smiled at both men before nodding at each other.

(PLAY SONG: FLY AWAY)

Panty and Stocking transformed, donning their sinfully sexy angelic outfits as projections of their wings appeared on their backs. The two girls performed a pole dance, gyrating their bodies as they chanted. Panty removed her panties, sliding them tantalizingly down her legs as Stocking removed her striped stockings, winking at Alan who smiled back appreciatively.

"Oh wicked spirit born of a lost soul in limbo,

Receive judgment from the garb of the Holy Virgin,

Cleansed of worldly impurities,

Return to Heaven and Earth,

Repent!"

Panty's panties turned into her signature gun, Backlace, as Stocking's stockings turned into her signature swords dubbed Stripes I and II.

(PLAY SONG: I WANT YOU)

The Demon Sisters also transformed, donning black leather in BDSM style that left little to the imagination as projections of their black wings appeared on their backs. The two girls performed their own striptease as Scanty reached under her skirt, pulling down two thongs which she slid down her legs. At the same time, Kneesocks was removing her own stockings as they chanted.

"May the Earth shatter,

May the oceans dry,

May the sun extinguish itself,

grant upon us the power of Lord Satan in Hell,

We are demons!

High Class Commander Demons!"

Scanty's thongs turned into a pair of wicked dark revolvers as Kneesocks' stockings turned into a pair of wicked scythes.

"Scanty!"

"And her little sister, Kneesocks!"

The music ended and the angelic (debatable) Anarchy Sisters clashed with the demonic Demon Sisters. Alan and Shinichi, however, sat back to enjoy the show.

Sparks flew as Kneesocks and Stocking clashed with their respective weapons as Panty and Scanty tried to gun each other down. It was carnage right in the room and the two other occupants weren't even running for cover. They were just acting like it was no big deal. Meanwhile, the Demon Sister's room was getting messed up by all the fighting that was occurring. Blades slashed the walls as bullet holes ruined the walls and carpet.

"Duck," said Alan and both did as bullets flew past them.

Shinichi grinned, enjoying herself. "I think this is the most epic catfight I've ever seen. I wish I bought my camera."

"You could just grab it from the TARDIS," Alan said.

"Nah, I'm good. I don't wanna miss a thing."

"I got you now you slutty angel!" Scanty shouted, aiming her guns at Panty's heart.

"That's what you think you bitch demon!" Panty shot back as she flipped her gun in her hand and caught it by the barrel before hitting Scanty across the face with its handle. Scanty recoiled from the blow before she was kicked hard in the chest.

As for Kneesocks, one of her scythes was knocked out of her hands before it got stuck blade-first into the ceiling. Stocking then crossed her swords over the bespectacled demon's throat, causing her to freeze.

"Game over," said Stocking.

"We win, bitches," said Panty as she aimed her gun at Scanty's face.

Alan and Shinichi both nodded at each other before going over, Shinichi towards Panty and Scanty as Alan went to Stocking and Kneesocks.

"OK, now that you're both done it's our turn," said Alan as he whipped out his Sonic Screwdriver. He pointed it at Kneesocks' face and held down the button. A pulse was released by the glowing crystal before she fell backwards, unconscious. Shinichi did the same with his Sonic Manipulator, putting Scanty to sleep in an instant.

"What did you do?" Stocking asked.

"Oh, I just stunned them," said Alan. "And now it's time to give these sisters a punishment befitting the crime."

* * *

**VROOMP!**

**VROOMP!**

**VROOMP!**

The TARDIS materialized in front of Garterbelt's church and the Anarchy Sisters stepped out with Alan and Shinichi stepping out as well.

"So, this thing can travel through time and space," admired Stocking. "And not just in one universe but all universes."

"A Multiversal space and time travel machine," said Alan proudly. "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

"So, does this mean you're leaving now?" asked Stocking, sadly. She'd just gotten to know him.

"Here," said Alan as he put something on her wrist. "It's a Vortex Manipulator. Whenever you want to find me, just press this button and press the other button. It'll take you right where I am."

Stocking stared at the gift then beamed before flying into Alan's arms to give him a kiss. Shinichi crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Just keep your eyes on them, Kneesocks," said Scanty.

"I am, Dear Sister," said Kneesocks.

The two Demon Sisters were trapped in the centre of the labyrinth with the Weeping Angels looking at them. They had to force their eyes open with their fingers and even then it was torture. The good news was a cage was the only thing standing between them and the Weeping Angels. The bad news was the Demon Sisters were trapped in the cage.

"Damn those bitchy angels, and DAMN YOU ALAN SMITH!" screamed Scanty.

BLINK!

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Another story with Alan and Shinichi as they travel the universe with the former's own TARDIS. Has anyone figured out a theme yet with these oneshots? I'll give you a hint. They're from heaven. Now, please review and also these little oneshots are just previews for a new story that will be coming out soon. You'll find out more about Alan's TARDIS as well so be patient if you have questions.**


	143. Naming Your Son After Your Son?

**NAMING YOUR SON AFTER…YOUR SON?**

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: In the Doctor Who episode "Let's Kill Hitler", we learnt that Amy and Rory's friend Mels was their daughter, Melody and so they had named their daughter after their daughter. So, I am gonna apply that to a oneshot. Take the continuity loosely, OK?

* * *

**14****th**** February 1968**

Shinichi Sanban Banabara (born Shinichi Banabara) stood at the Ferris wheel, operating it for the patrons. It was Valentine's Day and a lot of people had come to the amusement park in pairs for romantic dates. It almost made him depressed. It just reminded him of how alone he was. Alan had dropped him off here with the TARDIS before going off on some solo adventure in space. Now, why was Shinichi supposed to be doing in an amusement park, on Valentine's Day, alone?

He finally got his answer when he saw his pregnant mother and husband coming towards the Ferris wheel. His eyes widened. He pulled the cap down to hide his face, making sure to not make eye contact, but he couldn't help it. She was so young and she was coming here.

* * *

Shinichi frantically tried to get the Ferris wheel moving. His parents were up at the very top, stuck since the machine had just halted. "Come on you damn thing! Move!" The lever was jammed but he needed to get it working quick. His mother was due to go into labor any minute. He gripped it tight and pulled and finally the Ferris wheel moved again. He stopped it for each of the passengers to get off, stopping at Shotaro and Shiori's car. It opened and he saw his parents exit the Ferris wheel. Wrapped up in a coat in Shiori's arm was a baby…him.

"Thank you for saving us," Shiori said to Shinichi.

"It's no problem, ma'am," said Shinichi as he pulled his cap down to hide his face. "Just doing my job." He admired the baby. "Cute kid. You named it yet?"

"What's your name?" Shiori asked.

* * *

When Shinichi saw the TARDIS he stormed right in and grabbed Alan. "You knew!"

"Of course I knew!" Alan retorted. "How could I not?" He picked up the paper and flipped it over to the page with the picture. "See? That's you. Even with the cap pulled down over your eyes I can tell it's you. So, what name did you give them?"

"Shinji…Akari…and they named me after…me," Shinichi answered between awkward pauses. "So, you just brought me here to make sure I was named."

"Pretty much," Alan shrugged.

"Just take me somewhere before I get a headache," muttered Shinichi.

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: And that's the story. Whaddya think? Confused? It involves time-travel so of course it'll be confusing. What did you expect?**


	144. The Wanderer

**THE WANDERER**

_My name is Hikaru Hiyama, and I fell in love with an impossible man. Let me tell you my story._

* * *

**-1990-**

Hikaru Hiyama sighed as she sat on the park bench, alone. She had just failed another audition for a new musical production in town. She loved to dance and wanted to do it professionally. However, since that day she'd been depressed. For four years she'd been in love with a boy she met in Junior High. She'd only been 13 back then and he was her senior by 2 years. To be honest, she once dismissed him as some kind of loser until she saw him throw a basketball from an impressive distance into the hoop. She fell for him hard, calling him darling, and doing her best to be his girlfriend. Unfortunately, his heart belonged to another. He'd already fallen for her best friend, Madoka Ayukawa.

And she'd been too blind to see.

It was only recently that she discovered that they had fallen for each other but had hid it from her to spare her feelings. She still felt betrayed though and at the climax of it all, her darling sempai, Kyousuke Kasuga, had broken up with her, officially, to be with Madoka. It just wasn't fair. She was the official girlfriend, not Madoka, and Madoka was supposed to be like a sister to her only to betray her. Hikaru's heart had broken at the revelation of the two people she loved the most in the world betraying her like that.

Now the two of them were in college together, leaving Hikaru alone. She still had her childhood friend Yusaku and he'd tried to cheer her up but his attempts didn't work.

And here she sat, sad and alone, wanting to go back to the happier times in the past.

"Madoka-chan…Sempai…" Hikaru sobbed as she recalled the happy times they had spent together, and then reminded of the lies and betrayal. "Why…?"

If she were paying attention, she would've noticed the sound of metal footsteps headed towards her. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice a figure approaching her. As soon as she noticed the metal feet planted down on the ground in front of her, she looked up and gasped as standing before her was a man covered from head to toe in silver armor with a helmet with a blank face that only had two black holes for eyes and a thin horizontal strip for a mouth. Mounted on its head was something like a bucket handle.

"You will be assimilated," it said in a deep, electronic voice as it reached for her. Hikaru was frozen in shock and then all of a sudden a green laser beam shot out of nowhere, hitting the metal man in the head and knocking it to the ground. It twitched and spasm on the ground as Hikaru stood up and stared. She then felt someone grab her hand.

"Don't just stand there gawking!" he said and she looked at the man who'd grabbed hold of her hand. He had short silver hair and twinkling brown eyes. He wore a brown suit with blue pinstripes, a dark green shirt, a red tie and black Converse All Stars. "Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice as she ran with him, still holding his hand. The metal man stopped twitching and slowly sat up. It then got back to its feet and scanned its surroundings. Turning around, it marched away.

* * *

"OK, we should be safe now," he said as he and Hikaru stopped in front of a red telephone box. She instantly withdrew her hand from his. "Eh?"

"Who are you? What was that thing? How did you stop it?" she asked.

"OK, in order: I'm Smith, Jack Smith, aka The Wanderer. That was a Cyberman. As for how I stopped it, I used this!" He showed her a metal cylinder that was six inches long with a green crystal on one end. "My Sonic Screwdriver!"

"A…screwdriver?" Hikaru questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"And it's sonic!" He emphasized by holding down the button, making a soft buzzing noise coming out of it. "OK, I think you should go and run home and hide. I got a Cyberman to hunt!"

* * *

_That was the first time I met him, and it wouldn't be the last. There was something about him and I couldn't get my mind off him. However, I never did expect what I was going to learn about him at that time._

* * *

Hikaru went to ABCB for her part-time job the next day. Despite the memories this place held, she wasn't going to let it prevent her from doing her job. Master, the café's proprietor, was right at the counter. The man was sympathetic with her situation, understanding how it felt for her to be heartbroken. He lent his shoulder for her to cry on and she appreciated her effort. Of course she also needed someone to talk to about what happened last night.

The door above the door rang as it opened and Hikaru was about to greet the customer when her mouth dropped open. No sound came as she saw the man from last night come into the ABCB.

"Ah, this looks like a nice place for a cup of tea," he said. He then saw Hikaru. "Oh, hello there! I'm glad! Did you make it home alright?" No sound came out from her gaping mouth. "Flies will fly into your mouth if you keep it open like that and it isn't a pleasant experience. Believe me."

"Welcome to the ABCB," Master welcomed. "Can I take your order?"

"Oh, just a cup of tea," Jack said as he took a seat at a table and opened up the newspaper. "Say, there have been a lot of disappearances lately, haven't they?"

"Yes," said Master as he put a cup of tea in front of Jack. "Even the police are stumped. You can see all those missing people posters all over and there's just no clue about what happened to them."

Jack picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. "Ah, delicious. Simply the best," he praised. "Thank you for the tea, Mister…"

"Just call me Master," the ABCB's proprietor told Jack. "If you'd want a refill, Hikaru-chan can help you with that."

"Ah, yes," Jack smiled. The door opened and a young man entered. It was Hikaru's friend, Yusaku.

"Hikaru, why didn't you wait for me last night?" he demanded. "I could've walked you home! You know how dangerous it is now to walk alone at night."

"But I'm fine, Yusaku," Hikaru told him reassuringly, glancing at Jack.

"Yeah, but promise me that you won't go out alone at night. People have been going missing left and right and I'd hate it if you were one of them," said Yusaku.

"You should listen to him," advised Jack. "The city at night is a dangerous place." He took another sip of tea.

* * *

_He really did like his tea. I mean he kept asking for refills. He paid for them, though. But I never saw anybody drink so much tea. He could've asked for some cookies but all he wanted was the tea as he read the newspaper. Actually, he had more than one newspaper and seemed to be fixated on the stories about the missing people. I knew last night wasn't a dream and I wanted to ask him about that 'Cyberman' thing. Was it the one responsible for the missing people?_

* * *

Hikaru went again to the park after her shift and found him leaning against the red telephone box with his arms crossed, looking at her expectantly. "I knew I had a stalker," he smiled.

"Who are you?" she asked as she approached him.

"I told you. I'm Jack Smith, aka The Wanderer."

"OK, Wanderer-san, just what was that thing last night?"

He looked her in the eye and said, "Hikaru, listen to me. What happened last night you should forget. You shouldn't get yourself too involved."

"Was that the thing responsible for taking the missing people?" she asked. Jack was silent. "Well?"

"…Yes." he answered hesitantly.

"Then we should call the police!"

"The police can't help and even if we told them they wouldn't believe us," Jack told her. She thought about it. If she told the police a man in silver armor was kidnapping people, they would think that she was either crazy or playing a joke. "Now you understand. Now, I'm going to try and track it down."

"Then let me help you," she offered.

"No, it'll be dangerous," he protested.

"You helped me last night, now it's my turn to repay the favor," she said sternly. "Also, a few of my classmates have gone missing and I want to know why."

Jack grimaced and asked, "Are you sure? Because the truth might shock you."

"I'm ready," she said firmly.

* * *

Hikaru just stared as Jack removed the manhole cover. "The sewers?" Jack had accepted her assistance. This was her town after all and she wanted to repay him for saving her last night. However, she wasn't prepared for this.

"You said you were ready," said Jack as he started climbing down. "It means for things like this. So, are you coming?"

Hikaru grimaced and checked her pockets. "OK, I got paper napkins." She was going to need them.

Jack reached the bottom and called for Hikaru to follow and she started climbing down. "Easy does it now, Hikaru. Oh, and be careful. That ladder is a bit-" Hikaru slipped and screamed as she started to fall. He caught her in his arms. "Slippery," he finished.

Hikaru caught her breath and looked up at Jack's eyes. She blushed as she felt herself being held in her arms. He slowly put her down to plant her feet on the ground. She covered her nose. "It stinks!"

"Yeah, because it's the sewers," said Jack as he pointed to the river of sewage flowing by. He took out his Sonic Screwdriver and used it as a flashlight to light the way. He took her hand and advised, "Just keep holding my hand."

* * *

As the two of them were walking in the sewers, still holding hands, Hikaru asked. "So…why do you call yourself 'The Wanderer'?"

"I'm called the Wanderer, because...well, I wander. Never liked staying in one place for too long. I prefer traveling."

"So, you're just an eccentric man who does whatever he wants and goes wherever he wants," she concluded.

"Pretty much. Nice observation."

"And what about that Cyberman thing? What is it? A man in a suit?" she asked.

Jack was about to answer when he spotted something floating in the sewage, coming their way. He grimaced as he saw what it was and so did Hikaru. It was a dead body but what Jack noticed that there was metal attached to the chest.

"We have to help him!" Hikaru cried but Jack stopped her. "Jack!"

"There's nothing we can do for him now," said Jack. "I'm sorry. He's dead."

"But…"

"You wanted to know what a Cyberman is? That's what a Cyberman is," he answered and soon the realization came to her.

"It was…human?" she uttered in shock. Jack nodded. "Is that's what's happening to the other missing people?"

"Not if I can help it. It came from there and that's where I'm going. You should go and get out of here while you still can."

"I came this far with you. I'm not letting you get yourself killed," she said.

"Why?" he asked. "You don't even know me."

"You helped me, and now I'm going to help you. It's how it works with me. I always try to settle a debt whenever I can," she told him.

Jack smiled and uttered softly, "I think I'm gonna like this girl..."

* * *

_So, I walked through the sewers with Jack, The Wanderer. Seeing that body still shook me up but I needed to know the truth, and maybe even stop what was happening. He told me about the Cybermen, about how they were cyborgs who'd relinquished their emotions and humanity in order to 'upgrade' themselves. Of course I just considered it a cruel existence. I couldn't imagine what it was like for them to be trapped in those cold, metal shells._

* * *

"So, where did that Cyberman come from?" she asked.

"From another world," said Jack. "I can't be sure if it's from Mondos or an alternate world."

"Another world? Seriously?" she asked. He looked at her. "Oh, you are serious. So, what about the alternate world thing?"

"Well, my dad encountered a group of Cyberman built by a megalomaniac trying to take over the world," Jack told her. "My dad defeated them all but I guess one of them ended up falling into a rift in time and space before ending up here in your city. Now it's trying to build an army out of the people it kidnapped."

"And it was going to add me," Hikaru finished.

"Well, thank your lucky stars I came in time," said Jack. They turned a corner and stopped. Jack put a finger to his lips to shush her and peered over to check. It was the Cyberman from last night and sitting in a cage were the missing people. There was also what appeared to be a metal table with shackles and there was also a table nearby with tools and Cyberman components. "So, that's what it's been doing. It's been converting people manually. No wonder it failed."

"So, what's the plan?" Hikaru asked.

* * *

The Cyberman shackled the girl onto the conversion table and picked up its tools. "**Soon, you will be like me. You will be upgraded**." She screamed as the tools came close but then Jack showed up.

"Well, good evening there! Are you busy?" he asked.

"**You are an intruder!**" the Cyberman said as it dropped its tools and advanced on Jack. But then it recoiled as it hit an invisible barrier.

Jack tapped his watch. "Force field generator. Now, care to tell me what you're doing?"

"The Cybermen will be supreme. I will build an army."

"Oh yeah? How is it going?" Jack asked. "Let me guess. You've been failing, haven't you?"

"**I do not have proper tools, but soon the process will be perfected**," the Cyberman reasoned.

"And by then how many would you have killed? 5? 10? 15? Then whenever you fail you just dump them into the sewer," Jack said in disgust. "I want you to let them go."

"**That is not possible. The Cybermen must be supreme. They must be upgraded.**"

As Jack was speaking with the Cyberman, Hikaru snuck over to the cage. The prisoners saw her and she put her finger to her lips to shush them. She then pulled out Jack's Sonic Screwdriver and pointed it at the lock, holding the button down to undo it.

The Cyberman heard the Sonic Screwdriver and spun around to see Hikaru freeing the prisoners. "**You will be deleted**."

"Not on my watch," said Jack as he grabbed the Cyberman's arm. However, it tossed him down to the ground before advancing on Hikaru who was freeing the girl on the table. "Hikaru, run!"

The bonds came undone and Hikaru helped the girl off as the Cyberman came closer towards her, hand outstretched.

"HI-YAH!" Suddenly, Yusaku came out of nowhere and used a flying kick that knocked the Cyberman into the river of sewage.

"Hikaru-chan, are you OK?" Yusaku asked.

"Yusaku, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I followed you," he said. He then glared at Jack, "And you! Why did you bring her into this dangerous place!"

"She insisted," Jack said as he rubbed his head. Hikaru went to him and returned his Sonic Screwdriver. "Thanks."

The Cyberman burst out from the river of sewage. It had lights coming out from under its feet.

"So, you can fly," admired Jack. "Nice touch."

"**Delete,"** the Cyberman pointed at Jack and fired a laser from its finger. Jack grabbed Hikaru and Yusaku and held them close as the force field prevented the laser from hitting them.

"OK, now it's time we run!" shouted Jack as he pressed a button down on his Sonic Screwdriver. A wheezing sound was heard and suddenly a red telephone box began to materialize around Hikaru, Jack and Yusaku. The lasers still fired on the box.

Inside the box, Yusaku and Hikaru gaped at the big room with blue paneled walls. In the centre of the room was a metal, mushroom-shaped console covered in screens, buttons, dials, knobs and levers. A glass pillar was set in the middle of the console, reaching up towards the high ceiling. Jack was at the console, looking at the Cyberman that was still shooting at them. "OK, it's time we finished this." He pressed several buttons and pulled a lever. "Sayonara, Cyber!"

The telephone box was still being fired upon when electricity began arching all around it. The electricity then shot towards the Cyberman like a lightning bolt and it exploded upon impact, metal pieces falling into the sewage.

"And that is that!" said Jack as he clapped his hands together. Hikaru and Yusaku were still gawking. "Oh, speechless? I get that a lot."

Hikaru ran up to him and asked, "What is this place?"

"Oh, it's my ship," said Jack. "Speaking of which, it's time I took you both out of here."

* * *

Master was locking up ABCB when he heard a wheezing noise. Looking, his eyes widened as a red telephone box began to wink in and out of existence for a few seconds before finally materializing. The door swung open and he saw Hikaru step out with Yusaku, the boy looking quite shocked.

"We were in the sewers! How did we get up here!" he babbled. He then looked at the telephone box. "How…?"

"Bigger on the inside," said Jack, rapping his knuckles against the doorway. "Oh, hello, Master."

"Hikaru-chan, Yusaku-kun, what's going on?" Master asked.

She smiled and said, "We solved the mystery of the missing people."

* * *

_Jack disappeared after that with his red telephone box and I never saw him again. I still take walk in that park where we met, hoping to see him again. I go to school, go work at the ABCB, and then practice my dancing for the next audition. However, my mind was on other things. I still couldn't stop thinking about Jack._

_Then two months later after I last saw him…he came back._

* * *

Hikaru walked out of school. The adventure she had over two months ago was now just a memory. It was like a dream, an impossible dream. Who would believe in such a story if she told them? The missing people all reported to the police who concluded that it was some kind of costumed psycho and the people who'd been kidnapped decided that it made more sense than a robot.

As she reached the gate and turned to the left, her eyes widened as she saw a familiar, red phone box. She ran towards it and stood in front of it. "Jack…?" she asked and she knocked on the door. It swung open and there he was, smiling at her.

"Hello, Hikaru," he smiled. She glared at him.

"You didn't say goodbye." Obviously, she was upset.

"I couldn't," he told her. "I hate saying goodbye."

"Why did you leave?"

"I told you. I'm a wanderer. I never stay in the same place for very long," he told her.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

"I came back because…" He paused. "Today's the start of your summer vacation, right?"

"Right," she said. "It's the last day of school before vacation starts."

He grinned, "Well now, how about I take you for a vacation right here in my TARDIS."

"TARDIS?"

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," he clarified. "It's a time-space machine. You can go anywhere you want to go, past, present or future. And it doesn't have to be on Earth."

"But…why me?" she asked. "I'm nothing special."

"Two months ago you showed me how brilliant you were down in those sewers," he said to her. "I was impressed. Even when it was scary you still put on a brave face. You and Yusaku did. By the way, where is he?"

"He's practicing his Karate in the school gym," she said.

"Well, I can't be here long. So, yes or no?" he asked.

Hikaru thought about his offer. Should she go with this strange, impossible man? They did have quite the adventure and as scary as it had been it had also been exciting. She looked at his hand and put hers in his.

Yusaku stepped out of the school gate in his karate gi at that very moment to see Hikaru standing in front of the red box from that day. "Hikaru-chan!" He also saw that man pulling her into the big red box. "Hikaru-chan, wait!" He ran to it as the door slammed shut. As he was about to reach it, it vanished from sight before he fell flat on the ground. He cried out at empty air, "HIKARU-CHAN!"

* * *

_And so that's how I ended up traveling with The Wanderer. How did I fall in love with this strange man, you ask? Well, that's a story for another day._

* * *

**THE END…FOR NOW…**

**The characters of Hikaru and Yusaku are from the anime/manga series Kimagure Orange Road. For more info, look up that title. As for Jack Smith, he's a character inspired from Doctor Who and is a creation of Shadow Element 13. I just thought to write this thing just to see where it can go. It's all about adventure. Also, it seemed like a fun idea and it wouldn't leave my head. Well, if this can be a series, I hope it does, it'll be a fun read. Now, hope you read and review as well.**


	145. Doctor K

**DOCTOR K**

**"EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"**

The Dalek aimed its gun and fired at Motoko who came charging at it but Keitaro managed to grab her and pull her away before tossing her from the path of the beam. He was struck instead as he screamed, "AAAAHHHHHHH!" The girls all watched in horror as Keitaro's body lit up like a Christmas tree, making his skeleton visible like a cartoon character who got zapped by electricity. However, that was a cartoon and this was reality. The bespectacled young man suddenly collapsed.

"Keitaro!" Naru screamed as she ran towards him. "Keitaro, wake up!" She tried to shake him awake. "Wake up, you idiot!" she shouted but he did not wake up. "No…"

The salt-shaker shaped robot stared at the scene without emotion and demanded again, "**WHERE IS THE DOC-TOR? WHERE IS THE TIME LORD?**"

Motoko was shaken, shocked. She'd never witnessed someone being killed in front of her and it was worse. She had not been able to save someone even with her sword and Keitaro had saved her life, sacrificing his own.

"We don't know what you're talking about!" shouted Kitsune. Doctor? Time Lord? What did this thing want?

Even Su was trembling with Shinobu. Keitaro was dead now and they were next.

Naru sobbed over Keitaro's body. "Keitaro…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I love you." She'd always denied her feelings since she could not handle them but now Keitaro was gone and it was too late. "Come back…come back…"

The pocket watch in Keitaro's hand suddenly snapped open and a gold dust started to pour from it and fly towards Keitaro. The dust slowly entered his mouth and nostrils. He suddenly gasped and his eyes snapped open.

"Keitaro?" Naru asked.

"Step…away…" he said as he sat up.

"Huh?" Naru asked as she helped him up.

"Narusegawa…step away from me…Now!" His body was starting to glow with golden light. The girls were stunned as they saw this.

"Keitaro, what's going on?" she questioned.

"NARUSEGAWA! GET BACK!" he shouted as he shoved her towards the others before his entire body exploded with golden light. The Dalek, being the closest, was hit by the energy and it shorted out its weapons.

The girls watched as Keitaro's body was engulfed in the light and then the light suddenly stopped as soon as it appeared. However, Keitaro had changed. He blinked and removed his glasses. "God, this kid was blind!" He chucked the glasses away. His eyes were now a vibrant green. "Let's see…checking…" He touched his arms. "OK, still got arms." He inspected his hands as he flexed his fingers. "OK, got fingers, five on each hand." He looked at his legs. "OK, legs, check." He touched his nose. "OK, nose, eyes, ears…and hair…" His hair had also changed, turning pitch black and spiked up. He pulled a strand down over his eyes. "Blast it, my last regeneration and I'm still not a bloody ginger!" He was speaking with a British accent. He then looked towards the Dalek. "Ah, a Dalek! Long time no see!"

"**EX-PLAIN! EX-PLAIN!**" the Dalek demanded. "**EX-PLAIN OR I WILL EX-TER-MIN-ATE YOU!**"

Keitaro snickered. "Go ahead and try." It aimed its gun and it fired out a harmless puff of smoke. "That's because you got a face-full of regeneration energy. You were far too close and since it wasn't compatible with your power cells it shorted out your weapon systems. And I bet it took out your force fields, right?" He approached the Dalek and tapped its domed head. "I'm right, aren't I?" He looked the Dalek in its single eye and said in a dangerous tone, "Now, you listen here and you listen good. I don't care how many of you blasted Daleks there are but if you want to come after me that's all fine and dandy. But, come after my loved ones again and I'll show you why I was given the names the Oncoming Storm and the Destroyer of Worlds. I'm the Doctor! And the Doctor is back!"

The Dalek looked around wildly and took the smart course of action. It ran. It ran fast as it could but it would not get far.

"Aoyama, now's a good time to strike it down!"

Motoko didn't argue and launched a ki attack that struck the Dalek right through the middle. The machine monster was cut down the middle with a horrible noise that sounded like a shriek and an electronic screech. The light in the Dalek's optic died and the machine itself exploded in a haze of some and fire.

Smiling, Keitaro asked, "So, who has questions?"

It was Mutsumi who asked, "…Who are you?"

"Actually, before I can answer that there's something I need to find!" He dashed off.

* * *

"Ah, it's right here just where they left it," said the Doctor as he smiled at the tool shed affectionately.

"A tool shed?" Kitsune asked.

"Oh, it's what's inside that's amazing!" The Doctor opened up the door and walked inside. "Ah, it's good to see you again you beautiful thing!"

Kitsune walked inside and saw what the Doctor was admiring. It was a bug blue box with doors, windows, and a sign that said "Police Public Call Box". "A box?"

"Oh, it's not just a box. It's my Time And Relative Dimensions in Space. TARDIS for short. It's a time-space machine and the only one left in existence," said the Doctor, patting the side. "Ah…we've had so many adventures together."

"You're talking to a box like it's alive," said Kitsune.

"Oh, the TARDIS is alive. All of them are…or were," said the Doctor sadly. "OK, now I'm going to need some help carrying this thing out."

"I can help!" Su volunteered with a wave of her arm. Reaching into her pocket, she produced a small remote and pressed a button. In a flash, several flying Mecha-Tamas hone in on the scene and began connecting tethers to the blue box so they could lift it out.

"Well, that's handy," the Doctor grinned. "Always good to have the right friends at the right time."

"Uh, hello?" asked Kitsune. "Still waiting for an explanation here!"

"Oh!" the Doctor blinked, acting like he had forgotten. "How silly of me! My mind is just a jumble. Being regenerated so suddenly would do that I suppose. Now, where should I begin?"

"The beginning," Motoko insisted, trying to act tough in the face of so many mechanical turtles.

"No, no, no it's too soon for the beginning," the Doctor shook his head. "No, where we need to begin is the end. Always a good place to start." Standing before the girls of Hinata-Sou, the Doctor smiled as he made his introduction. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am The Doctor and it's nice to meet all of you. Well, it would be if we were just meeting but I already know all of you so this is the first time you've met me."

"And where is Urashima?" asked Motoko sternly. "Are you some spirit that claimed his body when he was on the edge of life and death?"

"Oh heavens no!" the Doctor insisted. "I'm a Time Lord. As for Mr. Urashima, well, I am him. Or rather, he was me. We're one in the same. It's just that he was more dominant until that Dalek managed to track me down and muck everything up. Now, I guess you all want to know how I can be Keitaro and how he can be me. Well, it started years ago in your time stream. I was attacked and my TARDIS here got shot. I was hurt and dying and in the middle of regenerating when my Chameleon Arch came down on my head. Oh and a Chameleon Arch is a machine that rewrites a Time Lord's biology and it was set to human. Now, I was regenerating and I was having my biology rewritten. Not exactly a very pleasant thing." He remembered the excruciating pain. He thought he was going to die. "Now, I ended up crashing right here in Hinata-Sou. Mr and Mrs. Urashima, and Granny Hina, all rushed out to see and they found me. Apparently, I had regenerated into a four year old Japanese child. Since the Urashima couple didn't have any kids, they adopted me and Granny Hina hid my TARDIS right here."

"So, what is a Time Lord?" Shinobu asked.

"Oh, I'm an alien from the Planet Gallifrey."

"But you look human," Shinobu stated.

"No, you look Time Lord. We all came first," he countered good naturedly.

"OK, I can't believe you're an alien, Keitaro," said Kitsune, skeptical. Despite seeing him change right before their eyes she couldn't believe that he was an alien.

"Put your hand on my chest and feel my heart," the Doctor instructed. Kitsune did, putting her hand on the spot where the heart would be. "Now, the other side." She did and recoiled in shock. "See?"

"Two…two hearts!" Kitsune yelled, pointing. "You got two hearts!"

"Yeah, I really missed my second heart," said the Doctor, patting his chest. "Still don't get how you humans can live with just one."

Naru had been oddly silent through the whole thing with Mutsumi consoling her. She couldn't believe it but Keitaro was gone now, replaced by this man who called himself the Doctor. He claimed that he was once Keitaro Urashima but now he was not him anymore. "What happened to Keitaro?" she asked, softly.

"He's part of me," the Doctor answered, tapping his head. "He lives on in my memories and in yours."

"But you can change back, can't you?" Naru asked.

"No…I'm sorry," the Doctor apologized. Naru then turned and ran towards the inn, with the others watching. The Doctor sighed. "OK, let's see if she's alright." He snapped his fingers and the TARDIS' door opened.

* * *

"It's…It's…" Shinobu began.

"WOW, IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!" Su shouted.

The Doctor snapped his fingers, "Every time! Always someone says 'it's bigger on the inside'!" The TARDIS' control room had bronze walls and in the middle of it was a mushroom shaped console with screens, dials, knobs, buttons, and levers. He went over and put his hands on the controls affectionately. "Miss me, girl?" A glass pillar rose up from the centre of the circular console, reaching up to the ceiling.

"This…" Motoko's eyes were wandering around. "It's impossible! What kind of magic can fit such a thing inside a blue box?"

"Time Lord science," was the Doctor's reply. "I'd explain it to you but you'd probably never understand it. It's all just hyper spacey-wacey."

"It's like another dimension," said Su.

"Or…we could just say that's how it works." The Doctor smiled. Su was so brilliant. "OK, so, if that Dalek was here looking for me then it wants me to do something and it probably didn't come alone."

"You mean there's more of those horrible robots?" Shinobu asked.

"It's not a robot. It's just a machine. It's what's inside the thing that you should worry about," said the Doctor.

"OK, what exactly is a Dalek?" asked Kitsune.

"They are like Nazis," the Doctor told her. "Actually they're worse than Nazi. You can at least reason with Nazis. Daleks are a whole different thing. They're one goal is to exterminate everything and anything that isn't a Dalek. All they care about is becoming the Master Race so they kill off anything that's different. That's all they want and that's all they ever want. They're the most feared and hated creatures in the universe. They're worse than the Cybermen…that's another story." As he was talking, he was pressing buttons and typing on the keyboard as he looked at a screen. "Now, let's see where those things are."

* * *

Naru was in her room, crying. "Keitaro…Keitaro…" She heard a knock on her door. "Come in."

It was Mutsumi. "Naru, you should come out! The Doctor showed us what's inside his blue box! It's so big inside!"

"Mutsumi…how can you be smiling?" Naru asked in bewilderment. "Keitaro's gone!"

"No he isn't," said Mutsumi. "He's just woken up and now he's his real self. He still remembers everything."

"But he's not Keitaro! Everything's changing!" It was just like when her mother remarried. Too many changes happening too fast.

* * *

The Doctor had gone into the wardrobe to pick out a new set of clothes. When he came back, he revealed his new look. "Well, whaddya think?" He was wearing bell bottom jeans and a black buttoned-down shirt with a white tie and a brown waist coat. On his head he wore a fedora. On his feet he wore trainers. "Gotta look my best when I'm off saving the world!"

"Aliens are probably about to invade us and all you care is your appearance?" Motoko asked, frowning.

"Well, of course," said the Doctor. "Looking good is always important when saving the world. And I saw myself in the mirror. I may not be ginger but I can't complain. At least I didn't end up having two heads."

The Doctor went to the phone on the console and dialed a number. He put the phone to his ear. "Hello, is this UNIT? Don't ask how I got this number. Just tell them that the Doctor's calling."

"UNIT?" Shinobu asked.

"Unified Intelligence Taskforce," the Doctor explained. "Originally United Nations Intelligence Taskforce but they changed the name. I used to work with them a while back. They're a worldwide, top-secret military group dedicated to combating alien threats."

* * *

The Doctor and Kitsune were in the TARDIS as the Doctor fiddled with the controls as Kitsune watched.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking the TARDIS. It's been awhile," the Doctor said. "Just making sure she's in proper working order." He asked, "By the way, how's Narusegawa doing?"

"Well…" Kitsune began. What exactly could she say.

"I think I understand why Narusegawa is keeping her distance," said the Doctor.

"Whaddya mean?" Kitsune asked.

"It's because I'm an impossible existence to her," the Doctor answered. He elaborated, "Up until today she never thought she would encounter an alien like that Dalek, and in her worldview that would never happen because she never believed in their existence. Suddenly, she's confronted with the truth and she can't handle it. Added with the fact that I am no longer Keitaro Urashima, but an extraterrestrial being known as a Time Lord. Narusegawa has built this view of a world where she's never wrong. Whenever she's proven wrong she lashes out. It's her defence mechanism. The whole 'beating up perverts' is just a cover. She knows Keitaro isn't a pervert, but since it threatened her worldview, plus the fact her emotions aren't exactly stable, she can't help but lash out. Fortunately, Keitaro has a durable body. He could've died from the first Atomic Naru Punch." He concluded, "In short, I'm a violation of everything she believes is right in her world and she can't handle it so she's hiding away."

"Isn't that a bit…harsh?" Kitsune asked.

"Why did Narusegawa move into Hinata-Sou in the first place?" asked the Doctor abruptly.

"To be close to the cram school and Tokyo U," answered Kitsune.

"She could've studied in her own hometown," the Doctor countered. "There's something that she didn't like there, something she didn't want to confront, and she couldn't handle it so she moved here to Hinata-Sou to get away from it all. It's that simple. She runs away from anything that doesn't fit her worldview if she can't lash out at it. That means…it has something to do with her home! Her family! She's been running from her family!"

"How would you know that?" Kitsune asked.

"How often does she talk about her family?" the Doctor asked. "Has she ever mentioned them during meal time or casual conversation?"

"I just thought it never came up…"

"She was avoiding the issue by not bringing it up. By talking about it she'll be forced to confront it and she can't. She won't. That's why she won't talk to me either. She can't handle the fact that Keitaro is gone and looking at me will remind her of that. She's avoiding the pain, which of course I can perfectly understand. I've been running a lot for…a good millennia."

"A millennia?" Kitsune asked, gaping. "How…how old are you…?"

"Well…by my count I should be about…1128. I look good for my age, right?" He grinned.

"You can't be that old."

"Can't I? Looks like the TARDIS is fine. Time to leave."

"Leave? Why?" Kitsune asked. "I thought you were going to save the world."

"I am. You see that Dalek was a scout and it's probably informed the rest about me. My presence is putting the Earth in danger," he reasoned. "So the only logical course of action is to leave and take the Daleks on a wild goose chase."

Kitsune frowned and then she said, "Then take me with you."

The Doctor looked up at her. "Are you sure? It'll be dangerous. We'll be going back and forth in time, going to other worlds and meeting monsters and alien life forms of all shapes and sizes. Are you sure you'd want to do that? It's dangerous to be around me."

"I think being with you will keep me safe," she said.

The Doctor recalled all the people who'd died after just meeting him.

"Most would think that, but trouble always seems to find me and people die," the Doctor said sadly. "I'd rather travel alone."

"Doesn't it get lonely?" Kitsune asked.

"It does, but when you're as old as me you get used to it," the Doctor answered. "But I know you humans. You're a stubborn bunch which is why I end up taking on companions. If you're going to come with me you better understand the risk because traveling with me is always a life or death thing. Are you prepared for a life, always being on the run, never staying in one place for long, and visiting alien worlds throughout time and space?"

What is her answer?

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Just a random idea. Not sure if it will go anywhere. Hopefully someone can pick it up for me. I've become a Whovian of the latest generation so don't blame me if I don't get everything right. The old Doctors are good, but I've been baptized with the 2000 era ones, like the 9****th****, 10****th**** and 11****th****. So, if anybody's interested in this, call me, or recommend someone who might be able to do this for me.**


	146. Master of the Vashta Nerada

**NARUTO MASTER OF THE VASHTA NERADA**

Neji sneered at Naruto Uzumaki who lay face down on the ground. "I told you, Uzumaki, that it was my fate to win." He called to the proctor, "Call the match. He can no longer-"

He was, however, cut off when Naruto began to laugh, and the laughter grew louder as Naruto slowly rose back to his feet despite the injuries he'd sustained. Everyone in the audience watched as Naruto continued to laugh and Neji was annoyed. Had he gone mad.

"Oh, Neji, Neji, Neji," said Naruto . "Did you really think all those 'love taps' would work?"

Neji scanned Naruto with his Byakugan and snorted. All his Tenketsu points had been sealed, closing off his access to his chakra. "You are unable to access your chakra, Uzumaki. You've already loss."

"Well, why don't you try and make it permanent?" Naruto challenged, pointing at his heart. "I'm completely weak, helpless and powerless in front of you. I'd be easy to kill. That is if you can't really kill me." There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't dare to think you can goad me, Uzumaki. You've lost. Proctor-"

"You're just afraid to get blood on your hands and your nice clothes dirty with blood," Naruto interrupted. "Then again I guess I'm not surprised. A clan like yours would always want to be clean. It wouldn't look nice to have blood on your clean, white clothes." He added, "Or, is it just that you can only want to kill if someone is completely weak and helpless like Hinata. Oh, wait. She wasn't, was she? If she was she would've fallen after one punch."

"Be silent, Uzumaki, and just give up," Neji hissed.

"Oh what? You can keep me from accessing my chakra, but you can't stop me from talking," Naruto said. "Go ahead and shut me up! I'm sure the entire village would love to see you do that!"

The villagers cheered for Neji to finish off Naruto.

"See? They want you to do me in, Neji," Naruto encouraged. "So, why not give the crowd what they want. That is, if you are too scared to kill me."

Neji's eyes narrowed. If Naruto wanted to die so much, so be it. "Then I will grant your wish!"

He charged towards Naruto who just smirked but then the unexpected happened as Neji tripped.

But he hadn't tripped on anything.

He screamed and so did the audience.

The flesh of Neji's legs had all just vanished. The Hyuuga's eyes widened in horror as he saw his leg bones, exposed, absent of any flesh. He could no longer move. He looked to Naruto with accusing eyes, "What did you do!-?"

"I did nothing, Neji," Naruto said coldly. "You just didn't care to count the shadows. Now, how does it feel to be weak and powerless. Come on, crawl. Crawl!"

* * *

Neji, due to the loss of his legs was crippled. His career as a ninja was over.

An emergency council meeting, with Naruto brought to the conference room, was called.

The civilian and shinibi council wanted to know how Naruto had won.

* * *

Naruto arrived, carrying a bento lunch box.

"Boy, tell us how you were able to defeat Neji Hyuuga?"

Naruto's answer was two words, "Vashta Nerada."

"Naruto, what do you mean?" Sarutobi asked.

"The shadows that melt the flesh," Naruto translated. "When you entered this room, did you remember to count the shadows? How many shadows do you each have? Check."

They did, to discover they each had two shadows.

"What kind of Jutsu is this?" Sarutobi asked. "Naruto?"

"It's not a Jutsu, gramps. The Vashta Nerada are just microscopic creatures with a hunger for flesh. Here, I'll show you." He picked up a chicken leg and tossed it onto the table and in the blink of an eye it was reduced to bone.

"And it ain't a Genjutsu. The Vashta Nerada are everywhere," said Naruto.

"What do you mean everywhere?" Sarutobi asked.

"They can be in any shadow, anywhere," explained Naruto. "You just won't know it."

"And how did you come across them?" Sarutobi asked.

"I didn't. They came across me."

* * *

The villagers had formed a mob to kill the demon (Naruto) who'd crippled one of the Hyuuga. They were carrying various tools and weapons and torches and were coming for Naruto.

Once they saw him, they charged at him.

And in a matter of a second the shadow under Naruto had come under them.

Bones littered the ground.

Only one man survived and was horrified by what he saw. He saw Naruto coming at him and he curled up into a ball, trembling in fear. "Mercy! Mercy!"

Naruto didn't spare him a glance as he walked past him.

The man did not move until Naruto was out of sight.

Stay in the light, count the shadows, and just run. For God Sake Just Run!

* * *

KR CHROME: Just a crazy idea in my head. What if Naruto discovered he could control the Vashta Nerada which were in the forest? All he needed to do was to offer them meat and they'd obey. He'd be dangerous, very dangerous. Nobody would come near him and they'll be wary of his shadow. As you can see this is a DarkNaruto fic. So, if anyone is interested in this please let me know and you can try this out.


	147. Time Crash

**TIME CRASH: IFRIT MEETS ALAN**

The red phone box which was Alan's TARDIS was spinning around as it traveled through the time vortex. Inside, Alan was at the controls, making sure everything was running smoothly. Manning the controls with him on the other side of the hexagonal console was his brother, Shinichi. Shinichi made sure to check the screen, once in a while, to make sure their path was clear.

And then his eyes widened. "Um…Alan?"

"Yeah?" Alan responded, not glancing up to speak.

"I see a train," said Shinichi.

"What?" Alan responded, looking up at his brother. Shinichi pulled Alan over to look at the viewing screen. The Traveler screamed, "TRAIN!"

There was a train heading right for them, running through the same time vortex. "We have to dodge it!" Shinichi yelled.

"Too late!" Alan shouted back. "Hold on and brace for impact!" Alan held onto the console tightly as Shinichi did the same. The train rammed right into the TARDIS, causing the red phone box to roll onto the top of the first car before it began to tumble and bounce along the rest of the train. It automatically righted itself and stood atop the end of the train's caboose (rear car).

The train soon exited the time vortex via a multi-colored portal and stopped in a vacant lot. The train itself was unique as the main engine car resembled a red mammoth, the second car was a bullet train with the head of a T-Rex, and the caboose was a bullet train with the head of a triceratops.

The door of the middle car opened up and out came a young man with wild, untamed black hair that came down to his waist. He wore a white shirt under a black bomber jacket, blue jeans and black boots. "It's good to be back!" he said, stretching his limbs. Exiting with him was a humanoid covered from head to toe in black robes with long and sharp horns jutting from his head and the only physical feature about him being its blue eyes.

"Indeed, Ryuji," agreed the other being.

"Can't wait to see Koto-chan," Ryuji smiled.

"She misses you terribly," agreed Loki. "But I am worried. We hit something on our way back."

"Yes, I think I caught a glimpse of it. A big red box," said Ryuji.

Loki tapped his master's shoulder and Ryuji turned as Loki pointed, "You mean _that_ red box on top of the Tricera car?"

The TARDIS stood on top of Tricera and the door opened. Alan stepped out, feeling dizzy. "OK, that was quite a ride." He stumbled out as Shinichi followed, also feeling a little woozy.

"I felt like I took a ride inside a giant blender," Shinichi remarked.

"Oh, a giant blender is much worse than that," Alan told him. He then noticed two people looking at them. Well, an Imagin was staring at them and the train's owner was glaring at them. "Uh-oh."

Ryuji had assembled his DynoGasher Gun and had it aimed at the two. "OK, you two! Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing on my train!"

"Well-" Alan began.

"Hands up where I can see them!" Ryuji ordered. "And get off my train!"

"OK, OK, easy there," said Alan as he put his hands up. "Shinichi, do as he says."

Loki began to object, "Ryuji, you are being unnecessarily rude."

"Shut up," Ryuji ordered.

The two time travelers jumped off the Tricera train car and onto the ground with Ryuji's gun still trained on them.

"OK, tell me who the hell you two are, and what that thing is," Ryuji ordered.

Alan, however, replied, "Let's see. This is the DynoLiner and looking at you I can say that this is Sakakino City in 2008, near August. Am I right?"

"I want to know who you are!" Ryuji demanded.

"Oh, I think this will tell you." A green beam from Alan's ring shot towards the DynoGasher gun and snatched it out of Ryuji's hand. It landed in Shinichi's hands and Alan's brother pointed it at Ryuji. "Put that down, Shinichi. He's not going to hurt us."

"How can you be sure?" Shinichi asked.

"Because he doesn't need guns to hurt anyone," said Alan. "He's Ryuji Hasuma, the only known practitioner of the Mythical Beast Ifrit Fist style. He's also known as Kamen Rider Ifrit, designated Kamen Rider of the world listed under the name 'Kamen Rider Days'."

"Kamen Rider Days?" Shinichi asked.

"Originally it was one of the many worlds based on a game called School Days," said Alan. "I'll explain later." They both looked at Ryuji who was glaring at them. "Hello!" Alan grinned.

"You're a Green Lantern," Ryuji identified.

"That's right, and sorry for parking my TARDIS on the back of your train. Let me fix that." Alan pointed his ring at the red phone box and pulled it down with a beam of green energy, setting it down next to the time train. "There, better."

"TARDIS?" Ryuji cocked an eyebrow.

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," Alan told him. "T-A-R-D-I-S. It's our time traveling machine."

"So, you both are supposed to be like Bill and Ted?" scoffed Ryuji.

"Hey, they used a phone booth. This is a phone box," Alan shot back defensively, feeling insulted that his magnificent machine was being compared to the one used by those two Rockers.

"Ain't it a bit of a tight squeeze for two people?" Ryuji questioned.

"Oh, we don't have a problem with that," Alan smiled.

"Sure you don't," Ryuji rolled his eyes. "OK, you know who I am, but who the hell are you too?"

"I'm Alan Smith and this is my brother and traveling companion, Shinichi Banabara," Alan introduced.

"I can introduce myself," Shinichi reminded.

"I know. I just like introducing us."

"Any relations to Warren Smith?" Ryuji asked. Alan looked like a younger Warren, but with violet eyes instead. Then the gears in his head started to spin. "Wait a minute. You claim that box is a time travel machine. That would make you time travelers. And that would mean you're both his sons."

"Wow, he got it on the first try," said Shinichi, amazed.

"That's Ryuji Hasuma for you. He may look like a thug but his mind is pretty sharp," praised Alan.

"But if you're both brothers, how come you look Japanese?" Ryuji asked Shinichi.

"I take after my mother," Shinichi said.

"Oh, Warren added another woman to his harem," Ryuji rolled his eyes. "Big surprise there," he added sarcastically.

"OK, so, I think it's time we left," said Alan. "Shinichi hand Uncle Ryuji his gun back."

"Sorry," Shinichi said as he tossed Ryuji his DynoGasher Gun.

Suddenly, the DynoLiner Mammoth's trunk trumpeted and the wheels started to spin as it began to move, pulling the rest of the train cars with it.

"My train's movie!" Ryuji yelled as the DynoLiner began to fly away. "Loki, I thought you locked it!"

"I thought I did!" Loki cried.

"What happened?" Shinichi asked.

"Someone must've hijacked the DynoLiner while we were talking!" Alan shouted. "Come on!" Alan opened the TARDIS. "Uncle Ryuji, Loki! Come on!" Shinichi went inside the TARDIS after Alan, followed by Ryuji and Loki who both gawked at the TARDIS' interior as the door behind them closed. "I know, bigger on the inside. Close your mouths or you'll let flies in." Alan was at the console with Shinichi. "OK, time to catch the train!"

The TARDIS flew into the air, chasing after the DynoLiner. A portal into the time vortex opened and the train flew right in, riding on its self-generating tracks as the TARDIS followed.

Inside the Mammoth's cockpit was an Imagin which resembled a rat. It giggled as its stinking hands were gripping the handlebars. "With this time train under my control, all of time and space is mine!" It then noticed an alert on the screen in front of him. "Hm, we're being followed?" The screen showed the train's rearview to reveal the TARDIS giving chase. "A red box?"

Back inside the TARDIS, Alan was trying to get the TARDIS closer. "What's the plan?" Shinichi asked.

"We're going to park the TARDIS on top of the train and override the DynoLiner's controls so it stops at a date we set!" Alan answered. The date on the screen kept was counting down. "We're going back in time!" They were getting closer. "OK, I'm right on top! Activate magnetic clamps!" The bottom of the TARDIS magnetized and stuck onto the caboose like before. "OK, we're on! Now, time to make this train stop!"

* * *

**August 1st, 2003**

Young Kotonoha Katsura sat alone on a swing in the playground near her house. She had nobody to play with. She would be going on a family vacation with her family but she wished that she could go and hang out with friends which she was lacking. She stared down at her chest. Her breasts had developed early, causing boys to tease her and the girls to not want anything to do with her. It wasn't her fault she was an early bloomer, but they didn't care.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of multicolored light as a swirling portal appeared. Much to her surprise, a big train raced out of the portal and screeched to a stop in front of her. The train was the oddest one she had seen, with heads of animals on the individual cars. Also, parked on top of the rear car was a red telephone box.

The phone box opened and three men ran out of it. She blinked at the odd sight. How could they have fit? Then she saw a rat-man come out of the train. She hated rats and this one looked big and scary.

"You bastards!" the Rat Imagin hissed as it brandished its weapons, a pair of sharp clawed gauntlets. "I won't let you get in my way!"

"This is mine," said Ryuji. He glanced at Kotonoha, recognizing her, and then he added, "Protect the girl, she's important." He put on his Ifrit Belt and took out his Ifrit Pass since his Dyno Pass was still inside the DynoLiner. "Henshin!"

"**IFRIT FORM!"**

The black and blue armor of Kamen Rider Ifrit formed over his body, causing Kotonoha to gasp in shock as she saw a dark knight actually appear before her eyes. Shinichi and Alan stood close, protecting the girl at Ifrit's request. Alan knew why Kotonoha was important in this timeline. She would be the girl who would change Ryuji for the better.

The Imagin and Rider did combat, sparks erupting from their connecting weapons. Ifrit brandished his twin Dao expertly. He swung, fast and hard, putting the Imagin on the defensive before kicking it backwards with a powerful kick in the stomach. The Imagin crashed against a slide. It groaned, dazed as it climbed back to its feet and charged for Ifrit. Ifrit dodged the Imagin's attempt to hit him and then retaliated with his own slashes, ripping sparks off the Imagin. "You're too slow," Ifrit taunted.

"Slow? Tell me if this is slow!" The Rat Imagin suddenly moved at blinding speed, shocking Ifrit as it struck him, knocking him onto his back. He got back up to his feet only to be hit several times more by the super-fast Rat Imagin.

"Shouldn't we help?" Shinichi asked.

"No, he's got this," said Alan confidently.

The Rat Imagin cackled gleefully as it was able to overpower the Rider but suddenly it slipped and fell. Getting back to its feet, the Imagin went to advance on Ifrit only to discover that it couldn't move. Looking down, it learnt that its feet had been frozen in ice. The Rat Imagin looked up at Ifrit who had a sheet of ice forming under his feet which had spread outwards, catching the Imagin in it.

"Now, you're mine," said Ifrit as he put his swords together, hilt to hilt, and pressed a button down on his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!"**

The energy arched from his belt and into his combined swords. He strode towards the stuck Imagin and with one final swing cut the Imagin's body in half before it exploded.

"Sugoi!" Kotonoha let out in awe.

"This is why I love traveling so much," Alan informed his brother. "We get to watch history in the making."

Ifrit strode over to them, removing his belt as he did. He looked down at Kotonoha who gazed up at him in awe. Satisfied that she was safe, he turned his back and went back to his time train. Alan, knowing that Ryuji was about to leave, used his ring to remove the TARDIS from the back of the train.

"Alan Smith, Shinichi Banabara," said Ryuji as he stood at his train's entrance. "Enjoy the rest of your travels!"

"You too!" Alan waved. Ryuji entered the time train and the door closed before the Mammoth trumpeted and the DynoLiner chugged along the tracks before vanishing into the portal that led into the time vortex.

"Won't this affect the future?" a concerned Shinichi asked as he and Alan headed to the TARDIS.

"Uncle Ryuji understands the need to preserve the future." He pushed the door open. "Now, where were we? I think we were headed to that resort planet I was talking about."

"You got that right!" Shinichi grinned. "Sun, surf and bikini babes here we come!" The two entered the TARDIS and went to the console. Alan saw that the door was open.

"Shinichi, how many times do I have to tell you to shut the door?"

"Oh, sorry!" Shinichi went and closed the door shut. "Ikuze!"

"Allons-y!"

The TARDIS made the familiar warping noise and dematerialized, vanishing into the time vortex. Alan was checking the screen to make sure the coordinates were right and to avoid any time trains that might be in the time vortex. He then noticed something. "Shinichi, did a stray cat accidentally come aboard?"

"Why do you ask?" Shinichi asked.

"Because the TARDIS is detecting three life signs here," said Alan. He checked the readings, "Oh, it's not a stray cat. It's human." His eyes widened and he looked over to the wall with Shinichi doing the same.

"Hello," Kotonoha waved at them as she stood against the wall. "What is this place? It's bigger on the inside," she added in awe.

Alan let out a curse, "Oh, fu-"

**THE END**


	148. Twlight Desires

**We do not own Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider Kiva, Rosario + Vampire, or Ikki Tousen. They all belong to their respective creators and not us. This is only a work of fanfiction written for sheer pleasure and not for profit. Fans of both works involved, we hope you enjoy.**

**Kamen Rider OOO: Medals of Ikki Tousen**

**Rosario + Kiva**

**Crossover Special: Twilight Desires**

**Chapter 1: Meet the Players**

**Youkai Academy**

The land was all but barren with the only plants as far as the eye could see being withered and crooked trees. The only animals which could be found were snakes, tarantulas, and enormous centipedes. Littered discriminately through the entire area was tombstones of many makes and sizes, all of them displaying a name and the dates of both birth and death. At the edge of the forest lay an enormous jagged cliff which gave way to a seemingly endless red ocean which hid a number of dangerous undersea beasts which could chew up and spit out a grown man. The only building in the immediate area was a large and expansive building which bore resemblance to a gothic mansion, complete with gargoyles, black roofs, and a depressing paint job. One would have thought that a reclusive millionaire would have called the area home. This was not the case. The building was in fact a school.

This was Youkai Academy.

Nestled inside a pocket dimension, Youkai Academy existed for the sheer purpose of teaching the younger generation of spooks, ghouls, and various monsters how to blend in and survive in the human world for the sheer purpose of maintaining the peace between the humans and the youkai. As with any school though, some of the students were less that well-behaved and as the case with monsters, that problem became ten times more difficult to deal with. Thankfully, Youkai Academy tended to take a more hands on approach when it came to discipline. Of course, the students were certainly permitted to take matters into their own hands should the case be dire enough.

BOOM!

Case in point…

The previously mentioned scraggly forests surrounding the monster school were alive with the sounds of battle as two groups of students began pummelling each other.

"YARGH!" a somewhat squat and green-skinned creature with a bald head, large nose, and yellow eyes cried as he was launched several feet away by a single blow. He wore a shredded school uniform with a red tie, green jacket, and brown trousers which looked like it had fit him at first, but then suddenly became shredded when he changed forms. In truth, all students of Youkai Academy were capable of maintaining a human form and it was against the rules to change to their true form in all but the direst circumstances.

The one who was fighting the goblin was a taller figure who was in a black bodysuit. His left ankle was adorned with a silver anklet while his right leg from foot to kneecap was covered in a silver boot which resembled bat wings and was chained shut. Around his waist was a red belt which had pouches on the sides which held objects that looked like whistles. The buckle was occupied by a round-faced bat which was black and gold with large red eyes. His torso was covered in silver armour which had a red front with black lines that outlined strong muscles. His shoulders were covered with more silver armour which appeared to be chained bat wings. His hands were covered with blood red armour which was pointed at the fingertips. Lastly, his head was protected by a red helmet with large yellow eyes which seemed like bat wings while his mouth was hidden by a silver mouth plate that had black fang-like markings on either side.

He was Kamen Rider Kiva, the King of Youkai Academy.

The goblin grimaced as he managed to get up before wiping his mouth, "This won't beat me, King! We will take your title!" Another battle cry sounded out and the goblin lunged at Kiva with his claws raised for a strike. Kiva quickly dodged the sloppy strike before launched a kick with his covered boot that dug into the goblin's gut, knocking him back into a tree where he lost consciousness with the impact. Opponent beaten, Kiva turned when he heard the sounds of battle echoing through the forests around him.

"Hiyah! Hah!"

Another goblin was taking swats at his female opponent, but her superior agility was allowing her to outmanoeuvre him…that and her obvious assets were distracting him.

She was a girl of slightly below average height who sported blue hair tied back in a loose ponytail with a purple scrunchie. She wore the school uniforms which consisted of a skirt and blouse, but rather than the jacket she wore a yellow sweater vest. However, it brought some attention to her larger than average breasts which bounced as she danced around her enemy. Her face was cute, accented by her blue hair while her legs were perfection, wearing white legwarmer socks with her shoes. However, she had large black bat wings coming out of her back, long nails on her fingers, and a black devil spade tail coming out from under her skirt.

She was Kurumu Kurono and she was a Succubus.

"Get down here, bitch!" the goblin shouted as he jumped at the hovering succubus.

"And you thought you could hit on me with a mouth like that?" Kurumu frowned as she dodged the jumping goblin before slashing at him with her razor nails. The strike cut through his cloths and skin, launching blood from the wound. Crying out, the goblin missed his landing and cracked his head on a rock, knocking himself out.

"Ha!" Kurumu laughed. "Teach you to try and lay a hand on me! That right is reserved solely for my Destined One!"

SHING!

Not far from Kurumu was another girl. She wore the school skirt, but covered her top with a long black and white sweater. Her skin was so pale it could almost be called snow white. She was cute and was rolling a lollipop in her mouth as she seemed to be completely at ease with the situation. What made her obviously a Youkai though were the large ice claws coming out of her sweater sleeves and the fact that her usually short purple hair had turned into purple-tinted ice.

Her name was Mizore Shirayuki and she was a Yuki-onna or Snow woman.

The reason that the teenage Yuki-onna wasn't fighting like Kurumu was that she had already beaten the goblin that was attempting to menace her. The squat, green monster was frozen within a large chunk of ice that had enveloped him completely. He would be fine after a few hours when the ice thawed out. He may have a cold afterwards, but he would be fine.

"Desu!"

With the two girls was a much younger girl who was around twelve, not usually seen around teenagers like the others. She was dressed in a brown outfit that didn't match the Youkai Academy school uniform at all. It was decorated with a brown cape and she even wore a witch's hat on top of her head. Gripped in her hand was a pink wand which had a heart with a crystal in the centre at the tip. She had short dark hair which just reached past her jawline and rather than fighting seriously, she seemed to be enjoying her battle.

The fact that she was making large pans and kitchen sinks fall out of the air on the goblin who was desperately dodging may have had something to do with that.

She was known as Yukari Sendo, the genius little girl who was also a Witch.

"PRGH!"

Last but not least was likely one of the most stunning out of all of the women there. She was a tall and regal beauty despite only wearing the average school uniform which consisted of a red skirt, white blouse, and green jacket. Her hair was shock white and reached all the way down to her perfect derriere. Her figure was lush and womanly, albeit not outright sexual like Kurumu's. Around her neck was a black choker with pearl decorations with a chain sticking out of the front. However, the choker itself seemed incomplete. Finally, her face was regal like the rest of her body, but her most notable features were her enlarged incisors and her red slitted eyes.

She was Moka Akashiya and she was the Queen of Youkai Academy.

The prideful vampire had just launched one of her trademarked kicks into the face of a noticeably fatter and taller than the rest goblin. The impact from the blow had knocked teeth clean out of the goblin's mouth before he was launched through several trees. The white-haired woman scowled at the trail of destruction that her target had made before turning her back to him, "As if some D-class trash could lay a finger on me." She glanced back to the goblin in the distance. "Know your place!"

KLONG!

"I got him! I got him!" Yukari cheered, finally having taken down her target with the sink she had made appear.

Kiva shook his head at the antics of those he called the most precious in his life. With the fight over, the tenseness in his body vanished as he approached the four girls. While he got closer though, the bat-shaped buckle flapped its wings and removed itself from his belt. Suddenly, Kiva's entire body turned into a quicksilver substance which shifted from his armoured form into the form of a regular teenage boy. Regaining his colours, the boy seemed to have brown hair and was a little thinner that what would be considered normal for the average boy. However, Wataru Kurenai was anything but weak in the eyes of the girls and the school at large.

Against his girls though…

"Wataru!" Kurumu squealed giddily as she lunged at her lover, trapping his face between her breasts while her succubus features receded into her body. Wataru immediately began to struggle for as pleasant as being in Kurumu's cleavage was, it made it somewhat difficult to breathe at times. "Did you see me? I kicked that smelly goblin's butt!"

KLONG!

A washing basin suddenly dropped from the air and onto Kurumu's head, making the busty girl go swirly-eyed as she stumbled away, allowing Wataru to breathe once again. Approaching the pair with a deep frown was Yukari with her wand raised high, "Get away from him boobzilla! Wataru-san can only be touched by me and Moka-san!"

SHING!

Yukari was suddenly frozen in another block of ice. Wataru gasped and moved to try and get her out, but suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. Glancing back, he saw Mizore's calm face with a very cute smile on her lips.

"Did you see me, Wataru?" the Snow woman asked hopefully. "I managed to beat mine first."

"That's…nice, Mizore-san," Wataru shivered, feeling the chill from Mizore's body since she just stopped using her ice powers.

"You and your concubines," Moka-sama sighed, perhaps in some amusement as she approached the duo with her hands on her hips. Getting closer, she eyed Wataru with an arched eyebrow. "You bring me out to fight goblins and not even an army of them? You should know that numbers are their only strength."

"Forgive me for not wanting them to lay even a finger on you," Wataru replied, holding up a silver cross which had a ruby embedded in the centre.

"So possessive my mate is," Moka-sama teased, taking the cross back. Bringing it to the choker on her neck, she attached it to the hanging chain. "I'll be sure to reward you next time."

Once the chain was attached to the cross once again, Moka-sama's body was enveloped in power. For those who could see, her voluptuous figure seemed to become that of a regular teenager instead of the young woman she was. Her features became softer and her eyes turned a jade green while her teeth became shorter. A rosy tint appeared on her skin while her hair changed to a valentine pink instead of the marble white it had been a moment ago. When the light died down, Moka looked like a completely different person before she wobbled on her feet and began to fall.

"I got you, Moka-san," Wataru whispered as he captured the girl in his arms. Hefting the girl up into a bridal carry, much to the jealousy of the other two teenagers, Wataru glanced back at his loved ones. "I think we have enough for a main article now. Let's get to it."

"YEAH!"

* * *

**Headmaster's Office**

From his position inside of his office, the headmaster of Youkai Academy witnessed the entire brawl from a view granted to him by a magic mirror in his possession. He was a middle-aged man who wore the robes of a priest, as expected since he was an exorcist. As such, he was perfect for the role of headmaster since in the most extreme cases, he could deal with any troublemakers in the school.

The man had to admit that the arrival of Wataru Kurenai and his friends were likely the best thing that had happened to his academy to date. Discipline was at an all-time high and it was without the fear and mistrust that the former Safety Commission had put together during their crooked reign. In fact, the boy's presence alone along with Moka's seemed to do that much without any effort.

Wataru was in truth half-human and half-Fangire, known as a Fandiri. Fangires were a powerful class of Youkai known as Mazoku. They usually resembled human/animal hybrids which looked like they were made of black flesh and stained glass. They thrived on human energy and for a while now, they had been causing their share of mischief in the human world. Of course, Wataru had been taking care of them as Kiva, which was a power granted to him by his bat-like Familiar, Kivat-Bat III. Despite his combat ability though, Wataru had been very shy and not very confident in himself regarding anything beyond his ability to play violin and how to craft the instruments. Still, that had changed in the past year.

Wataru had joined Youkai Academy as a freshman and from there had met Moka Akashiya on their first day. It was also how they discovered each other's secret power. Wataru had transformed into Kiva to protect her from an unruly student before he had discovered that by removing the rosario from Moka's neck unleashed her true power and nature as a vampire. Despite claims from other students who had their eye on Moka, the two actually made a good pair.

Kurumu Kurono had joined the school in hopes of finding her Destined One, a Succubus' mate of fate so to bolster the dwindling Succubus' population. Her initial plan had been to hypnotize all of the boys in school with her Charm ability so she could root out which one would be her mate. However, Wataru and Moka had derailed her little plan before it could get that far. In the aftermath though, Kurumu decided that Wataru was her Destined One and thus became a rival of Moka for his affections.

Next had been Yukari Sendou. Despite her age, she was a certifiable genius and had skipped several grades before entering Youkai Academy. She was consistently the number one student in the academic ratings and normally would have been popular with the other academic students. Being a border species of Youkai like a witch though, she was ostracized by her classmates and not very well-liked. To deal with her loneliness, she played pranks and tricks on everyone who was mean to her, earning her more dislike from the students. She had stumbled onto Wataru playing his violin and developed a crush on him, believing that she was the only one who would ever understand his talent at his art. So she entered into a prank war upon Moka and Kurumu for the sake of claiming Wataru. However, after both fandiri and vampire rescued the witch from some of the bullies, the witch somehow decided that she would begin a three-way relationship with the both of them.

Finally, Mizore began following Wataru after her return to school believing that she and Wataru were meant to be since they both knew what it was like to be alone. True to Yuki-onna courtship, she tried to freeze him in ice so she could whisk him away somewhere. Of course the plan didn't pan out as Wataru fought back, nearly breaking Mizore's fragile heart. Still, he managed to unwittingly win it when he rescued her from the former gym coach Kotsubo who had been harassing Mizore and plotted to have her expelled when she refused to let him take advantage of her. The beatdown he received was truly epic.

The headmaster couldn't help but snicker as he recalled the previous year. It was a whirlwind of fights and attempt at seduction which resulted in Wataru claiming his Fangire heritage in his Emperor Form to combat the former head of the Security Comission in a battle that students were still talking about. Despite being half-human, all of the students either adored him or tried to usurp his position as king of the school. None of them discriminated against him though.

"And that was just the first year," the headmaster grinned. "The second has already been shaping up into another eventful year. I do wonder what will happen next."

* * *

**Kanto Region**

Like a complete opposite to the withered lands surrounding Youkai Academy, Kanto held a bustling metropolis which was filled with people who went about their day. They were most certainly human and acted like it. Students went to school, adults went to work, and everything seemed to be the norm for a human city.

Appearances could be deceiving though.

The Kanto region was for a long time now trapped in a brutal gang war which was fought between seven schools. To the adult population and those who didn't know any better, it was a simple gang war fought between groups of thugs. For the people were knew better or were fighting in the war itself, the truth was much, much more compicated than anything a group of disgruntled students could think up of.

Each and ever participant in the war were known as Fighters. Likewise, each of them were host to a spirit from the Three Kingdoms era of China. Every Fighter possessed the spirit of a soldier who fought in the period, adopting their power and their destiny. It had been a destructive chain which had been in effect for 1800 years and had travelled over the ocean and into Japan. Up until the present, this chain of war, death, and rebirth continued on without much of a hitch.

But recently the mother of all monkey wrenches had been thrown into the planned fates of the Fighters.

Within one of the parks which were normally used by the Fighters to host their skirmishes, a new kind of battle was about to be fought. Stumbling out from one of the clearings was what appeared to be a mummy. It was wrapped haphazardly with aged white bandages, revealing gray flesh beneath. The only other identifying aspects it had were the red discs which were the size of large coins on its body and the sunken eye holes which were composed of slits.

The strange creature stumbled its way onto the scene which was normally inhabited by parents, couples, and children. Rather than simply terrorize people like some monsters were known to do in the history of the world, this one was making a beeline straight for the playground which had reached capacity this day.

"Toys…toys…toys…" the mummy…or rather Yummy rumbled as it approached.

It wasn't difficult for the people to notice. When a shambling corpse-like being starts coming towards you, people notice. Everyone in the immediate area began screaming and running away as they saw the monster approached. Mothers grabbed their children and ran while couples took their significant others and made for escapes. The Yummy didn't care though. Instead, it shambled onto the playground and dove into the sandbox where children had left their playthings behind. Dropping to its knees, the monster grabbed several plastic cars which had been left behind and raised them up to its face. From where the mouth would be on a normal human, a purple void opened up before the Yummy began dropping the cars into it, making a chewing noise despite how it wasn't moving its jaw. When all of the cars were swallowed, the Yummy just moved on to the plastic shovels and buckets which were in its reach.

As the Yummy continued to feast on the toys, the sounds of motorcycles sounded off as two black machines with rounded fronts appeared on the scene. On each one was a rider, one male and one female. Both of them wore similar tops consisting of a white button up shirt underneath a yellow sweater vest complete with a red tie for the male and a red bow for the female. The girl wore a red pleated skirt while the male wore dark pants. As their motorcycles stopped, both of them removed their helmets. What was most noticeable about the boy's uniform though was the red straps that were wrapped around his right arm.

The girl had long shoulder length golden hair and expressive green eyes. She was admittedly cute in her own sort of immature way, even if her figure was anything but immature, hence the nickname she earned at school, booby bombs. She looked on at the scene with a frown and when the wind blew slightly, a jade magatama was revealed hanging from her ear, indicative of the fact that she was one of the Fighters. Her name? Hakufu Sonsaku, the leader of Nanyo Academy and the one chosen to combat the Yummy and the ones who created them.

With her was a young man who had stylized blonde hair which was curled to the side, narrowed, spiteful eyes and a red magatama hanging from his ear. Anyone else who would have seen this boy would have assumed him to be Kokin Shuyu, Hakufu's cousin and her most dedicated protector. In truth though, the body was in possession of a creature known as a Greeed who went by the name of Ankh, the one who chose Hakufu to be the one who battled Yummies for him.

"Man," Hakufu frowned as she eyed the Yummy eating toys. "Is that Uva-chan's Yummy? He's been causing a lot of trouble lately."

"He never was the patient type," Ankh shrugged. "Better for us though since it means more Cell Medals for me." Raising his right arm, Ankh's limb from the elbow down was covered in silver coins which had an X on one side and an animal etching on the other. The coins had a red aura over them as they pooled over his flesh. Once every inch was covered, the coins fused together to become a strange arm covered in red and green flesh with what appeared to be small feathered wings coming out of the forearm. The fingers looked almost like bird talons with rings adorning them. This in truth was Ankh's true form in its entirety.

"Let's take it down Ankh-chan!" Hakufu grinned, producing a rectangular box-like object with three slots in it and coloured black with blue lines on it. Hopping off of her motorcycle, she attached the item to her waist which produced a silver belt that secured itself to her. On the left side, a roll of silver coins like the kind which made Ankh's arm appeared. On the right was a round disk-like object which was gold and had a void on one half of the centre to act like a handle.

"Just get those Cell Medals and I won't complain," Ankh shrugged. Flicking his kaijin wrist, he produced three more coins, but these ones were quite different. All three had gold rims while they were coloured with an animal marking in the centre. The first was red with a hawk marking, the second was yellow with a tiger marking, and the last was green with a grasshopper marking. Almost carelessly, he tossed the coins to Hakufu who grabbed them eagerly. Stepping away from the bike, she slotted the coins into her belt right, centre, and left to correspond to red, yellow and, green. Finally, she turned the buckle diagonally, making it start a pulsing noise. Preparations complete, she took the disk object known as the O-Scanner and swiped it across the buckle with three chiming noises.

"Henshin!" she commanded.

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

Hakufu was suddenly surrounded by colourful coins which circled horizontally around her head and torso while a third ring hovered vertically over her head and through her chest. In front of her, large holographic images of the coins she used appeared in a vertical line in front of her with Taka at the top, Tora in the middle, and Batta on the bottom. The three images then fused together to create a larger coin with the three images implanted within. Again, the Taka was at the top, the Tora filled the middle, and the Batta filled the bottom.

The combined crest flew backwards and collided against Hakufu's chest, covering her in a new suit of armour. For the most part, it was black, but each section was covered in a different coloured suit of armour which corresponded to one of the three sections of the crest on her front. The legs were covered with green segmented armour on the front which were similar to that of a grasshopper, connected by green lines to the Batta section on her chest. The torso armour had round shoulder pads which had a yellow rim while the gauntlets were completely yellow with claw-like additions on them. Finally, her faceplate was styled after a hawk in flight and coloured red with a gem acting as the beak on her forehead. She was able to see through the large green eyes which the helmet sported which completed her looks.

Hakufu had gone beyond a simple Fighter, she had become Kamen Rider OOO!

The Yummy was clearly not impressed as it ignored OOO in favour of gulping down a stuffed bear. As the last of the plush toy vanished into its mouth, the kaijin gave off a groan before standing up. It's skin began to crack and peel as dark flames seeped through the space. Inhaling deeply, the monster gave off a fierce cry before its entire body crumbled and cracked, falling off in one large blast of dark flame. Rather than die though, the creature had shed its skin and developed into a completely new form.

The Yummy's new body was a dark bronze colour. It's torso still looked humanoid, but segmented into different sections. It's shoulders were dotted with spindly legs not unlike a centipede's would be. In the centre of its chest was a red disc while around its waist was a black strip of leather decorated with small chains and a second red disc acting as a buckle. Its arms looked like two oversized centipedes growing from its shoulder blades with its hands, bronze and segmented, sticking out from underneath the mandibles. It's legs were covered in a dark brown armour which had even more centipede legs coming from the sides and mandibles sticking from the feet. Finally, it's face seemed like an orange porcelain mask, but with a centipede-like turban wrapped around it to the point that the eyes were obscured. The regular White Yummy had transformed into a Centipede Yummy.

If anything, Ankh seemed pleased by the transformation, "Right on time." He then glanced at OOO. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go get him!"

"Right!" OOO agreed before she leapt into the fray.

**Kougami Foundation**

Watching through a combination of his company's Takacan and Battacan was Kousei Kougami. He was a middle-aged gentleman who was the owner and founder of the Kougami Foundation. His company was the ones who studied creatures like the Yummies and created equipment needed to fight them. Kougami himself wore a red suit and while he was watching the battle between OOO and the Centipede Yummy, he was actually in the process of making a birthday cake. The reason for this was that Kougami was a man who believed that for good or for ill, a birth was something to be celebrated and thus went to do just that at every opportunity.

Kougami had decided to support Hakufu's exploits as OOO in return for a portion of the rewards that came from defeating Yummies. He supplied her with equipment and information whenever she needed it and in return she gave him Cell Medals which made up the bodies of the Yummies. It was an excellent deal if he thought so himself. The birth of their alliance would help both of them grow stronger in order to defeat the Greeed.

But what are the Greeed you ask?

The Greeed were homunculi created 800 years ago using the essence of animals and Cell Medals to create them. Each one of them was based off a different type of creature. Uva the Greeed of insects, Gameru the Greeed of Mammals, Mezul the Greeed of fish, Cazali the Greeed of felines, and Ankh the Greeed of birds. They had been defeated by the previous OOO and sealed away. However, they had recently freed themselves and were loose in Kanto, mingling with the people and going up against the Fighters. Strangely, when Ankh was freed, he only had enough power to manifest himself as his own right arm. To make up for this, he had possessed Kokin Shuyu who had been grievously injured by a Bear Yummy. He was also the one to give Hakufu the O-Driver so she could become OOO in the first place and defeat the other Greeed.

Kougami was in fact responsible in a way for the Greeed being loose in Kanto. He had placed their tomb in one of his museums for safe keeping. It had been a precaution since the Fighters in Kanto, reincarnated warriors from China's Three Kingdoms era, were in the midst of their re-enactment of the Three Kingdoms war. The Fighters battled with all of their power to forge their kingdoms and achieve their destinies. They did destroy in their pursuits, but all they did was to achieve a desire to create. Kougami felt that they were a perfect counter to the Greeed's desire to destroy. In fact, it seemed his hunch was right as Hakufu was not only a Fighter, but also the reborn leader of the Wu Kingdom from 1800 years ago. A perfect user!

"And so the desire of the Fighters clash with the desire of the Greeed," Kougami pondered as he eyed the fight on his monitor. A silly grin overtook his face. "SUBARASHI!"

**Kanto Park**

OOO and the Centipede Yummy clashed with one another as they struggled in their battle. OOO had drawn a black sword which had blue lines, a slot and handle near the hilt, and what appeared to be a small window inside the blade itself. It was a weapon supplied by Kougami known as the Medajalibur, and it was just one of the many weapons that OOO had at her disposal.

OOO swiped wildly at the Yummy, but the kaijin was proving itself flexible as it managed to bend in every direction to dodge the assaults. Its body was proving extremely flexible as it dipped and curved to avoid the sword strikes. It had yet to make a counter-attack, which to a normal Fighter would have been worrisome, to OOO however…

"Quit moving around and let me hit you!" the armoured Fighter whined, slashing even more with her weapon.

The Centipede Yummy didn't answer, but it did leap backwards. Rearing back its arms, it launched them forward to attack. To OOO' shock, the arms stretched! The centipede-like arms cut across the open space between the two before colliding with OOO' chest. The hard impact made her cry out as she was sent stumbling backwards. Grunting, she stumbled back to her feet, but only had a moment to blink before the stretching arms flew at her once again.

"Woah!" the Rider cried as she rolled to the side. Again, she only had time to blink before the stretching arm flew at her a second time. Rolling once more to dodge the attack, she swung blindly at the arm, hoping to at least wound the creature. Her aim was true as the blade dug into the hide of the Yummy's arm, but rather than open a wound the skin just stretched. The Centipede Yummt quickly retaliated and with a twist of its arm, knocked OOO away once again.

"Oof!" the Little Conquerer cried as she hit the dirt. "Man, this one's hard to fight."

"Oi!" Ankh's voice barked out, causing OOO to turn to her possessed cousin. "Quit fooling around and kill the thing already!"

"I'm trying!" OOO snapped back. "But it's just so stretchy!" The Kamen Rider looked back at the approaching Yummy whose arms were hanging in the air, ready to go for another assault. At first it looked rather intimidating and for a regular person it would have been. However, when OOO looked on at the Yummy, she was suddenly struck by the human ability to recall something which seeming had nothing to do with the situation at hand. An idea which seemed so random, most people would have discarded it as a momentary insanity or just a goof-up. It was otherwise known as a brain fart. Most would just disregard it and try to follow logical thought processes, OOO on the other hand thought of it as an epiphany. "Oh! I got an idea!"

"You do?" Ankh frowned, eyeing his partner. "First time for everything I suppose."

"Hey, it's a good one!" OOO insisted as she got to her feet, eyeing the approaching Centipede Yummy. "I saw it in a manga once!"

"That doesn't fill me with confidence," Ankh sweatdropped.

"Just watch me!" The immature Fighter grumbled as she began her charge. Gripping her weapon, she placed her hand at the top with the blade facing away from her. The Centipede Yummy wasn't intimidated as it lashed out with its left arm, letting it stretch towards for another strike. OOO just continued her charge, but this time her eyes weren't on the Yummy's body, but eyeing its arm. The eyes of her helmet flashed and turned red, activating the inherent power of the Taka Medal and allowing her to precisely target the area she was looking for; The Yummy's elbow joint! Spotting the area in question, OOO charged forward with her blade positioned for the blow. Coming underneath the stretching arm, she suddenly jumped up with the blade pointing up. The Batta Medal powering her legs allowed her to jump higher than any human being, letting her rise high into the air with the Centipede Yummy's stretchable arm caught on the edge of the Medajilabur. The blade of course didn't cut the kaijin's skin, but it did stretch it to a ridiculous thinness that no living species could compete with.

"What is she-?" Ankh frowned.

"Stretch," OOO grinned, gripping her blade. "Then twist!" She then spun the sword rapidly in her hands, wrapping the Centipede's already stretched limb around the blade, stretching it further until…

SNAP!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The Centipede Yummy roared as it drew back it's arm…what was left of it. The limb had been severed at the elbow, the stump spilling out silver coins which had animal markings etched on one side with an X on the other, Cell Medals. OOO landed on the ground, feeling smug as a few Cell Medals spilled over her and bounced off of her armour. Behind her, the rest of the Yummy's arm landed with a meaty thud. When it came to rest, the entire limb began to dissolve and collapsed into a pile of Cell Medals. OOO giggled to herself before pointing over at Ankh, "Take that Ankh-chan! I knew it would work!"

"Whatever," the bird Greeed huffed. "Just beat the thing already."

"Ugh! No respect!" OOO huffed childishly before she scooped up three Cell Medals from the ground. Taking them, she slotted them into the handle of her sword which made chiming noises in response. She then pushed the handle next to the slot, dropping the Medals into the blade itself. With the Centipide Yummy writhing over the loss of its arm, she used the distraction to use her next attack. Taking the O-Scanner from her hip, OOO swiped it across the three Medals in the small window of her blade, creating three chiming noise.

"**TRIPLE SCANNING CHARGE!**"

"Hooooooooooooh," OOO breathed, bringing the blade back as it began to glow. Keeping her target in sight, she slashed into the open space between them. "HIYAH!"

A lash of energy cut through the air, creating a line of light through both the Yummy and the scenery behind it. Were anyone watching, they would have gaped in shock as not only the Yummy's body higher than the cut began to slide on an angle of the strike, but so did all of the scenery as if the world itself had been cut. The bisected scene lasted only for a moment before resetting itself, but the Yummy remained cut before its entire body exploded in a fireball, sending Cell Medals flying in all directions.

"All right!" OOO cheered, happy for her victory. "Another one bites the dust!"

"Whatever," Ankh sighed, dismounting his bike. "Just get out of the way so I can collect my Medals."

"Oh come on Ankh-chan! You have to admit that was cool!" OOO whined.

As the pair began to go off into another one of their arguments, they did not know that they were being watched. Sitting inside of a blue compact car was a man who wore a simple black lab coat and plain clothes. His face was stoic and he wore glasses over his eyes. What was odd however was the fact that he had a small bald doll in a white suit sitting in a safety chair made just for it beside him. His name was Dr. Maki and he had been the one who had invented the Cell Medal machines which OOO used.

"Field test, successful," he muttered. "A most satisfactory conclusion."

* * *

**Warrior of Twilight and guardian of the balance between human and Youkai**

**The Destined Fighter who is fated to lead a kingdom and yet combats fate itself**

**Kiva…**

**OOO…**

**Two warriors who walk two very different paths…**

**WILL NOW MEET!**

**OOO & Kiva: Twilight Desires**

* * *

_Insert Theme Song Here_

* * *

**Youkai Academy-Headmaster's Office**

"Too many."

The words echoed through the dark office which the Headmaster called his own within his school. He was seated at his desk, but the usual sinister smirk on his face had been replaced with a concerned frown. Spread over his desk were pictures of what appeared to be animal-like monsters fighting humans and a multi-coloured warrior. Notes attached to the pictures had them revealed as to having come from Kanto.

"Too many sightings of Youkai in the area," the Headmaster frowned. "All of them causing chaos and attacking humans in the open. It's like they don't even care about keeping our world secret from humans."

That just wouldn't do. As one of the three Hell Lords, it was the Headmaster's responsibility to help ensure that the balance and peace between humans and Youkai was preserved. These latest incursions were almost like a challenge to that authority. If it continued, it could possibly reveal the secret of Youkai to the entire country if not the world. Should that happen, any peace which both sides had claimed for themselves would be gone like a candle in the wind. That could not be permitted.

"It still begs the question: How to deal with it?" The Headmaster pondered. He had a host of agents to assist him in such matters, but the level of power that these strange Youkai revealed made it obvious they would be unable to do anything beyond annoy the beasts. Some of the school's alumni may have been able to deal with it, but they were all in posts and positions that prevented them from going at to Kanto to deal with it. The situation in that area was volatile already with the spiritual power that flooded that area. No, it seemed that the only course of action he had until he had more information was…

**Youkai Academy—Class 2A**

"Guess what everyone! We're going on a field trip!"

The classroom erupted in cheers as the always cheery and sometimes ditzy teacher Ms. Nekonome announced the sudden news. The woman was in fact very attractive and showed it off since she always wore skirts and tank tops which revealed how womanly she was. She had perfectly styled hair and wore small rectangular glasses which were in truth very cute. Of course, she was a Youkai but everyone knew she was a cat woman since her feline ears stuck out on top of her head and her tail was sticking out from under her skirt. She was a very nice woman and certainly gave her all when it came to teacher her students. Of course, it still didn't take away from the fact that she was kind of ditzy sometimes.

Her announcement had brought eruptions of cheers from her class as it would from any high school group. All of them had felt cooped up sometimes since the only source of entertainment and excitement that Youkai Academy had was the nearby small town and even that got boring after a while. Hearing that they were going somewhere, anywhere was a cause for celebration.

"As a special treat from the headmaster, we're all going on a special trip to the human world!" Ms. Nekonome continued. "The entire second year is going to enjoy a week of learning and culture in the Kanto area! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"YEAH!"

Ms. Nekonome went on to explain some of the particulars about the trip, but faced with such good news not all of the students were paying that much attention. Many of the students were whispering excitedly to one another about what they would see and do on the trip. Among those students were five of the most well-known of the group: The King and Queen of Youkai Academy, The Sexy and Alluring Sempai, The Cute Little Genius Sempai, and The Mysterious and Aloof Sempai.

Moka sat in her chair smiling as she thought of Kanto and what activities that she and Wataru could be doing while there. She could already imagine the bright lights and popular attractions which she and the man she loved could enjoy. She could picture herself in something stylish while Wataru would look cool in just about anything. They would enjoy all of the sights, watch the latest movies, by some amazing souvenirs…and at the end of the night, share a loving kiss under the moon.

-Sigh-

Kurumu giggled to herself as she already began plotting her latest scheme for getting Wataru and herself to become more intimate. She could already think of all the shopping that would be available in Kanto, and that meant the latest styles of fashion. She would take Wataru with her to the biggest and most stylish place in town and begin her own modelling show for him. Of course, it ould only be her showing off her outfits and nobody else. Then, when they were alone in the privacy of a hotel she would show him how to take those outfits off of her body.

-Giggle-

Mizore drifted off into a daydream of herself and Wataru visiting one of the many beautiful shrines which Kanto had. The peace and serenity would be perfect for having Wataru become more comfortable. They would tour some of the gardens and statues of the shrines and feel all of the calm that they would exhude. And then in the privacy inside one such shrine…they would become husband and wife in the most primal way possible with the blessing of the gods.

-Jiiiiiiii-

Yukari grinned mischievously as she plotted her next plan within her genius mind. She knew that the school was likely going to book a large hotel or at least a big modern one so that everyone would have a space to sleep in. To that end, she would just need to make sure that Moka and Wataru were close to one another. So when their natural urges got the better of them and they went to satisfy them, she would 'accidentally' walk in stating she had a bad dream and wanted to snuggle. And then…her threesome would finally happen!

-Drool-

Wataru shivered at his desk and felt like someone had just steamrolled over his grave. Looking around, he didn't see anything out of place. That just made him wonder who had been talking about him.

* * *

**Youkai Academy-Class 3A**

"Kanto, eh?"

Sitting on the third year classroom were a trio of students who were the sempai of the most popular students in the room. The first was a young man with brown hair who bore a slight resemblance to Wataru. However, he exuded much more confidence than Wataru did and even while reclining in his seat he gave off an air of nobility. Despite wearing the same uniform as his classmates, he still came off as someone you should instinctively defer to. His name was Taiga Nobori and he was in truth Kamen Rider Saga, the Fangire King. He had at first come to Youkai Academy in order to get some normalcy in his life after being trained to be King for as long as he could remember. He had met Wataru there and rekindled their old friendship which they had made as children. However, Saga was determined to kill Kiva for being a threat to the Fangire Clan. As time went on though, Taiga learned that not only was Kiva his old friend but many of the Fangire Clan had been going on rampages and threatening the secrecy of the world of youkai behind his back. Worse yet, they had been encouraged to do that by his advisor Bishop who wanted to spark off a war between humans youkai, convinced that it would be an easy win for their side. So by working with Wataru, his half-brother and their friends they fought to ensure that the peace continued.

"That sounds fun!"

Sitting in the desk next to Taiga was a girl that for all intents and purposes, seemed rather plain. She was cute, with shoulder length dark hair but there didn't seem to be anything about her that screamed unique or extraordinary like many of the other girls of Youkai Academy. However, it went without saying that nothing was as it seemed in their school. Her name was Mio Suzuki and she was in fact a Fangire, the Queen of the Fangires in fact. Mio for a long time though she was a regular girl. Being orphaned at a young age she had no idea about her origins and thus lived her life as a human. However, her true nature came to light when Taiga's traitorous advisor Bishop forcibly awakened her powers as Queen and attempted to use her to turn Taiga into his puppet. Fortunately, Taiga and Wataru managed to rescue her.

"Sounds like a good article for the next paper."

Behind the pair was a fellow third-year student. He was in fact a handsome specimen with black hair held back with a red hairband. He didn't wear the school tie and left the shirt unbuttoned to let some of his pecs be revealed. He wore a silver wolf-shaped amulet and was lounging at his desk while the teacher droned on about the responsibilities select third-years would have on the upcoming school trip. His name? Ginei Morioka, president of the Youkai Academy Newspaper Club. Gin was in truth a werewolf and in fact a rather perverted one. In the previous year, he had gained infamy as a peeping tom as he peeked on girls changing for their gym classes or in their rooms. His speed allowed him to get away before anyone could recognize him. To take the heat off, he attempted to frame Wataru as the peeper which would in turn allow Gin to swoop in and take Moka for himself. His plan fell through though when Moka refused to believe the evidence while Kurumu and Yukari managed to dig up the truth. Wataru himself kicked Gin's ass in a brawl when the werewolf had tried to take Moka by force. Everyone had moved on from the encounter, but none of them really trusted Gin when it came to girls afterwards.

"Now, for the upcoming trip to the Human world region of Kanto, select third year students with good behaviour records will be selected to act as aides for the teachers who will be chaperoning the trip," the teacher, Ms. Kagome explained to her class. For once, everyone was paying attention to what she was saying rather than what she looked like as the epitome of sexy intelligent teacher. "As such, those selected students will be given free passes on any work they may miss while chaperoning on the trip." She took a moment to wait for the resulting cheer to die down. "If you wish to apply for a chaperone role, please leave a one sheet piece of paper with your name and reason why you should be selected on my desk before class ends. Understand?"

"HAI!"

"Good," she nodded before turning back to the board. "Now picking up where we left off last class…"

* * *

**Kanto—Nanyo Academy**

"Mnnnnn!" Hakufu yawned with a stretch as she and Ankh stepped onto the grounds of their school for another day of learning and leading the fight against the Greeed. Unfortunately, neither Ankh nor Hakufu really wanted to be there. "Man, why does school have to start so early? I'm still tired after fighting that Yummy yesterday."

"Oh suck it up," Ankh sighed. "If I have to sit through this torture then you do too!"

"But Ankh-cha~an!"

"You know, whining about it isn't going to make it easier," a new stoic, female voice spoke up. It served to catch the attention of the pair as they turned to see who was talking to them.

She was a fellow student of Nanyo and wore the same uniform that Hakufu was, with slight alterations. She wore blue socks with black heavy boots and blue gloves over her hands. She had short blue hair which only slightly reached past her ears. On one of those ears was a silver magatama, indicating her status as a Fighter. She had blue eyes, but only one could be seen since her left eye was covered by a white eyepatch. On the left side of her mouth was a beauty mark as well, enhancing her already attractive face. She was as expected of the girls of Nanyp, a curvy specimen but she was a Fighter to the core and was more likely to kick your ass if you flirted with her than anything else. Her name was Ryoumou Shinmei and she was not only a lieutenant to Hakufu as one of the Big Four of Nanyo, but she was arguably the blonde's best friend too.

"Hi Mou-chan!" Hakufu waved to her bluenette friend. "What's up?"

"Not much, which is more than I can say for you," Ryomou replied, walking up to her leader. "Word about your fight in the park spread around. You aren't really all that subtle are you?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Hakufu whined. "The Yummy decided to go there on its own! I just followed Ankh-chan and went to fight it!"

"And managed to make a spectacle of things as always," Ryomou retorted. "I get that the Yummies have to be taken down and fast, but if we cause too much of a problem fighting them then the wrongs kinds of people are going to start asking questions. Frankly I'm surprised that the army hasn't gotten involved."

"As if it would make a difference against the Greeed," Ankh snorted. "I've seen what your guns can do and at worst they'd just slow us down."

Ryomou sent a glare at Ankh, but he easily ignored it. He'd been glared at by worse than one teenage human girl. The blunette could tell that her game face wasn't going to help her either. So she decided to just move on in the conversation, "So what kind of Yummy was it this time?"

"A Centipede Yummy with really stretchy arms!" Hakufu grinned. "It was gulping down toys that little kids were playing with and it was really hard to beat since it wouldn't stand still. Uva-chan's really been busy lately. He must really want his Core Medals back."

"Obviously," Ryomou nodded. Still, something was bothering her when she heard it was a Centipede Yummy that went on the attack. Normally she wouldn't have cared much beyond that, but she had heard something recently when coupled with what she just heard made her think twice about the Yummy and what may have created it. "Ankh, about Uva's Yummies. Are they strictly insects or do they involve any kind of creature we call a bug like spiders or scorpions?"

"Huh?" Ankh frowned. "What do you mean 'does he use insects'? Of course he uses insects! I think that would be painfully obvious by this point! What could make you think otherwise?"

"Because centipedes aren't insects," Ryomou replied.

"Huh?" Hakufu blinked.

"Honestly, didn't you pay attention to class?" Ryoumou sighed at her leader's ignorance before she continued. "Centipedes are arthropods like insects, but they're from a different family of them altogether. Aside from having segmented legs and armoured bodies, they're nothing like insects at all. All of the Yummies we know Uva made are based of things which we know are insects. Three body sections, six legs. Centipedes don't follow that trait. That is why I'm asking if Uva sticks to just insects or if he can also make Yummies based off insect-like creatures."

"Wow, we learned all that in class yesterday?" asked Hakufu in amazement. "I guess I shouldn't sleep through class so much then."

Ankh frowned slightly at the explanation and pondered the implications. After a moment of recalling everything he knew about Uva, he spoke again, "I've never seen Uva make Yummies based off spiders or other things like that before. I assume he could, but all of the other Yummies I've seen him make stick to things I know are insects," he scoffed. "You sure like making things complicated, don't you?"

"Better than being caught by surprise, isn't it?" the bluenette retorted.

"Hmph!"

"Man, this is getting exciting," Hakufu grinned. "This might mean a new enemy to fight!"

"Battle junkie," Ankh muttered.

"Hey!"

* * *

**Youkai Academy**

Some time had passed and finally it was time for the second-year trip to the Kanto area. Busses were lined up outside of the school as the second-years, the teachers, and the third-year chaperones all waited as attendance was taken to make sure no one was left behind.

"I'm glad you could come with us Nii-san," Wataru smiled as he and Taiga waited for their friends to show up.

"Like I would miss something like this?" asked Taiga with a grin. "A trip like this doesn't happen often and I for one do not plan on missing out."

"Wataru!"

Wataru suddenly felt himself get glomped by his succubus lover as she pressed her chest against the side of his head once again. He had gotten used to such things, but it was still a little embarrassing to have happen in front of others. It didn't help that a lot of the boys would grumble with jealousy at seeing one of the bustiest girls in the school pay attention to him rather than any of them.

"Oooh, I'm so excited!" Kurumu beamed. "Would it be alright if I sat next to you? You can rest your head on my lap if you feel tired."

"Uh…" Wataru blushed. He may have been intimate with Kurumu, but he was quite at her level of proclaiming how close he was to his lovers like she was.

"Wa-Ta-Ru…"

Wataru felt his arm get tugged and he was free of Kurumu's cleavage, finding Mizore attached to his arm, smiling up at him, "Wouldn't you rather sit next to me during the ride? We can…snuggle."

"Hey! I got here first stalker!" Kurumu huffed.

"It's Wataru's choice," Mizore retorted. "You'll pick me, right?"

"Ano…"Wataru gulped.

KLONG!

HSSSSS!

Both girls suddenly vacated his arms when Kurumu was hit in the head with a brass pan while a kettle filled with hot water began to chase Mizore around in attempts to pour the contents on her. Slipping through the crowds came the familiar form of Yukari as she had he wand held into the air, the glow of magic fading from the heart-shaped tip. She came up to Wataru and promptly hugged him around the waist.

"Must you two be so lewd?" she huffed. "Only Moka-sama is worthy enough to sit next to Wataru-sama," her face then turned into a parody of sultriness, making Wataru feel very uncomfortable. "With me in his lap. Fufufufu!"

"Uh…" Wataru gulped, now looking for a means of escape from the perverted little girl.

"Your luck with the women astounds me," Taiga chuckled. "You must get it from your father."

"Wataru-kun!"

Wataru looked up and saw the crowds of boys parting with praises to the person they were moving for. Unsurprisingly, it was Moka that they were moving for. Hailed as one of the school beauties, but she didn't seem to notice what they were saying about her. Instead, her focus was aimed more at Wataru. Yukari quickly moved out of the way, not wanting to interrupt a moment between 'her two future lovers'.

"Moka-san," Wataru murmured.

"Wataru-kun."

"Moka-san."

Moka-trembled in delight as she got closer to the man she loved. Once she got close enough, she lunged for what looked like a passionate hug, the kind which would no doubt lead to a hot kiss. Indeed, Moka and Wataru hugged, but after that…

CAPU-CHU!

She bit into his neck.

"Ow!" Wataru grimaced, feeling Moka drain his blood yet again.

"Ah!" Moka sighed, taking her fill. "Delicious as always! Now I'm ready for the trip!"

"That's…good, Moka-san," Wataru grimaced, holding his neck. Behind him, both Kurumu and Mizore frowned at seeing the love of their lives being made into a snack by the pink-haired vampire yet again.

"All right!" the voice of Ms. Nekonome cheered, halting any chaos before it began. Next to her was a man in a bus driver uniform who was idly smoking a cigar. The bring of his hat covered his eyes in shadow, but his eyes were glowing a strange yellow colour. "Attendance is complete! Everyone please board your assigned busses please!"

"And remember," the driver spoke up. "Kanto is a very mysterious place. Watch yourselves."

"HAI!"

* * *

**Kanto**

Walking down the street for another day at Nanyo, Hakufu stopped as a strange look came over her face. Frowning, Ankh turned to glare at her, "What is it?"

"It feels like something important is going to happen," the blonde girl frowned. "I wonder why."

"You and your imagination," Ankh scoffed. "Now let's go! I don't want to give your crazy mother more reasons to get on my case."

"Right!"

**To Be Continued…**


	149. Zero's White Familiar

**ZERO'S WHITE FAMILIAR**

Once the smoke clears, I see that I'm surrounded by school kids and a bald man with glasses. I call them school kids because they were all dressed in uniforms. Boys and girls wear white shirt. The girls of course were pleated black skirts and the boys wear black slacks. There was a guy in glasses with a bald head and hair on the sides holding a staff. What's this? The kids are even wearing black cloaks with gold medallions.

Then my eyes focus on the shirt, pink-haired girl who look like she's about to get a heart attack. I listen as she ranted about me. She is speaking a different language so I activate my universal translator. It's working so I'm able to understand.

Me? A Familiar? As in some kind of slave? This girl absolutely has no idea who I am. Actually, I'm wondering where I am. This isn't Kyoto.

I scan the crowd. The redhead looked delicious and has really nice breasts. She looks older than the other kids, more mature. The blond boy with the rose looks like a mimbo (male bimbo).

The pink-haired girl introduces herself, gives me her full name but all I care to remember is 'Louise' and she kisses me. Now, I don't mind being kissed by a cute girl but I like a warning first. Then after the kiss strange runes are inscribed into the back of my hand by light. The teacher looks curious and interested about the runes so I let him study them.

I then tell the pink-haired girl, "I'm Shiro Juuyon."

* * *

I think I'm a pretty patient guy but that girl, my 'master' Louise is just getting on my nerves. She treats me like I'm a lower life form. Well, I'm not. She is the inferior one. She's a fucking meat bag. The only reason I didn't kill her yet is because I need information of the place I am in.

Now, what I've learnt so far is that I'm in a continent called Halkeginia, specifically Tristain. This place I am in is the Tristain Academy of Magic. I decide to take a look around to see if I could make this place my new base of operations. From what Louise tells me is that the only thing that separate 'nobles' from 'commoners' is that the former class possesses magic.

I have seen magic users and it didn't have anything to do with being nobles or commoners. It did have something to do with bloodline, but some became mages through hard work and understanding of magic. Although, having a mystical background and bloodline did help when learning magic.

* * *

Now I have to dress her? Fat chance. "Are you a child who still needs someone to dress you?" I demanded.

"A noble needs not dress themselves when a servant is present," she told me haughtily.

I admire her body. She's not curvy, but she has nice skin and it's been awhile since I had that itch scratched. But her personality was a turn off.

"Dress yourself," I say, tossing her clothes back at her. "I'm leaving."

"Come back here!" she order.

"No way, Zero!" I retort harshly as I storm out. I learnt from a maid that Louise was called 'The Zero' because she has zero magical potential and all her attempt at casting spells end up causing explosions. That didn't sound like zero magical potential to me. If one had no magic, then nothing would happen. If she can make explosions, she has magic. She just doesn't know how to wield it the right way.

* * *

She catches up to me and tries to ban me from having food. Like that matters to me. I am a bio-android. I have no need for food, or sleep. Both are just a luxury I enjoy periodically. Maybe it's my human side. I did used to be human, until my body was destroyed. The body I have now is stronger than that pathetic flesh and blood body, even if it did have cybernetic augmentations.

My Dark Xrosser still isn't functioning. If it still works, I can just show her what I can really do.

* * *

Meat bags (humans) are all idiots. That's something that has never changed. It's in fact a universal rule. I somehow end up facing the blond mimbo Guiche in a duel because he claims I 'besmirched the honor of two girls'. All I did was return a perfume bottle. He is the one two-timing those two girls. Not my fault.

But he insists to show me, a commoner, my place.

Well, I've been pissed off since day one. I am in such a primitive place it's not even funny. I have a short, pink-haired master who's always angry at something, mainly me and everyone else. Finally, my Dark Xrosser still didn't work.

It's enough to make me go mad. Well, madder. I'm not exactly sane to begin with.

Louise yells at me to stop this nonsense. I ignore her. The maid, Siesta, was among the crowd and she was worried about me.

He starts this duel by introducing himself and telling me his 'runic' name. Guiche the Bronze, I think. He then waves his rose-tipped wand and summons a sentient suit of green armor. It has a feminine shape and it is holding a spear.

He calls it a 'Bronze Valkyrie', a form of golem. I scan the thing. It is indeed made of bronze but colored green.

The Bronze Valkyrie zooms towards me. I clenched my fists as it came at me with a punch. It threw a punch to my face, and I caught its fist with my own hand. The crowd became quiet. I don't think anybody expected me to catch the punch and hold the Bronze Valkyrie back.

"This is just a primitive construct," I mock as I head-butt the Bronze Golem, literally disarming it as I still held its arm while the rest of it went sliding backwards. "Connected with strings of magic," I analyze as I toss the several arm away. I then sense something, and see a glow in my pocket. I reach inside and stare at my Dark Xrosser's screen. "Oh yes! Yes!" I look to Guiche who is stunned by my stopping his golem's attack. "You call yourself Guiche the Bronze, right? Well, here's what they call me back home!" I raise my Dark Xrosser. "They call me MASTER! Cyber Leader! Gary! Come on out!"

The screen releases a flash of light as two being materialize in front of me. One is the Cyber Leader, a Cyberman in silver-grey armor, sporting the OROCHI symbol on his chest. It has a transparent 'window' on its head to view the brain within, and a black faceplate with red eyes. Standing next to it is DALEK Gary, a black and silver saltshaker-shaped machine with spheres on its skirt, a plunger for a right arm, a laser blaster for a right arm, and a metal eye-stalk tipped with a metal eyeball.

I think everyone's jaws just dropped when they witness me performing a summoning of two never before seen creatures.

"Well, Guiche, shall we continue?" I challenge.

"I…I won't be defeated!" he shouts. But he is already defeated. He summons half a dozen more of his precious Bronze Valkyries to the fore, joining the first which now only had a single arm. "You are still outnumbered."

"Not for long," I say. "Cyber Leader, delete the hostile elements. DALEK Gary, exterminate them."

"**We obey**." both of them intone.

It was over in a matter of seconds. The Cyber Leader's laser blaster and DALEK Gary's death ray made short work of the Bronze Golems as I slowly make my way towards a frightened Guiche. Oh, I love it when they look at me with absolute terror.

He is running out of options and so he constructs a sword out of earth and charges at me. I take out my Dark Xrosser and the spikes light up before I fire a beam at the sword, knocking it out of his hands. I then kick him hard in the gut, sending him sprawling onto the ground. I pin him down with my foot on his chest, the Dark Xrosser pointed at his face. The Cyber Leader march over to me as DALEK Gary roll to my side.

"Surrender, or die," I threaten him.

"I…I yield! I yield!" Guche screams.

"**Do we delete him?**" the Cyber Leader ask.

"**I say we should exterminate him**," suggest DALEK Gary.

"I think humiliating him is good enough," I say as I withdrew my Dark Xrosser. I pick up Guiche's discarded wand and snap it in half before dropping both halves on his chest, a look of horror on his face. "Come on, guys. There's so much I want to tell you."

* * *

Louise is trembling as she sits with me at the table. The maid Siesta was serving us tea. Standing to my left is the Cyber Leader and to my right is DALEK Gary.

"Ah, tea is always calm and relaxing," I say as I take a sip. "Thank you, Siesta." I didn't like humans, but I knew when to be polite. Not all meat bags are useless.

I catch the maid blushing.

Louise seems to have questions. I look around. The students are keeping their distance from me. Well, they should. I have two weapons standing at my side, ready to delete and exterminate anyone who opposes me.

"OK, you have questions, so ask," I tell Louise.

"Are…are you a noble?" she asked.

I roll my eyes. That's it? Well, what I displayed in that duel did look like magic but it isn't magic. It's superior technology. Well, superior technology would look like magic to primitives.

"I'm not a noble," I tell her. "I'm a scientist." That much is true. I am a scientist. Actually, I am a super-villain.

Louise and Siesta didn't understand the term and I explain, "A scientist is a person who uses his intellect to create new solutions for problems, inventing devices to help themselves and others, and to advance civilization."

"So, you're an alchemist?" Louise questioned to get a clear answer.

I palm my face. This is going to be harder than I thought.

* * *

The moonlight shines over Kirche's naked, sweat-soaked body, her ample breasts rising and falling with each breath she takes. She has a glazed look in her eyes, not focusing on anything, except for the pleasure I had given her. I leave her on her bed as I get dressed. Earlier, her Familiar, a Salamander named Flame, dragged me to her room so she and I could get well-acquainted. I'm not the type of guy to refuse such a generous offer so I let her me to her bed.

And I blew her mind.

I'm not one to brag about my sexual prowess in bed. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm very damn good. I know just how to make a girl climax, over and over, and make her scream for more. Being a bio-android I am not limited to the normal parameters of a human's stamina. She just couldn't keep up with me.

Now my itch has been scratched. I know my 'master' would not like what I had done with Kirche. I just don't care.

* * *

My 'master' and I are walking from a sword shop and I am carrying my latest purchase. Sure, it is a rusty sword but it is still better than that extravagant gold sword which was encrusted with jewels that the shopkeeper wanted to sell us. It was too flashy for my taste and while I do enjoy being flashy I don't think a sword like that is meant for me.

Now, Derflinger on the other hand is a unique weapon. A sentient sword is something hard to come by. I mean back in my world swords became Tsukumogami on the 100th year after they are forged. Not many swords really last that long but Derflinger here is definitely a specimen of a Tsukumogami. Or, maybe he has been sentient since he was forged. He looks really old and rusty but he's good with conversation.

* * *

The princess has come to visit the academy for the Familiar Exhibition. Of course in the dead of night after her arrival, she sneaks into Louise's room to meet her. I learn that Tristain's princess and Louise are childhood friends. Guess even the brat could have friends. Louise introduces me as her Familiar and I introduce myself by name, "It's Shiro Juuyon."

She's surprised that I'm a human Familiar. I feel insulted to be referred to as a human but I'm not about to be rude to this woman. She was a looker.

* * *

For the Familiar Exhibition, I decided to use Cyber Leader and DALEK Gary for the show. Just some tricks for the audience. I think I was able to amaze them when I summoned my two servants before we proceeded to do our performance.

I order my two cybernetic servants to attack me and I fight using Derflinger. I deflect their shots with the blade, making sure that the deflected shots didn't hit the audience. I didn't need people arresting me for the murder of nobles. I make the show as exciting as possible. The Cyber Leader punches at me and I catch his fist before pushing him back. DALEK Gary tries to tackle me from behind but I spin out of the way and he hits the Cyber Leader instead. Both collapsed onto the stage in a heap and try to get up as I salute the crowd. That is when DALEK Gary begins to fly using his Anti-Gravity technology and hover over me. He shoots at me and I deflect again with Derflinger. DALEK Gary keeps screaming, "Exterminate! Exterminate!" as he fires on me but I am skilled with a sword. I'm not one to brag but I am quite good with a blade. I then decide to finish it and jump an impressive height into the air and hit DALEK Gary's head with the flat side of Derflinger's blade. DALEK Gary crashes onto the stage. The Cyber Leader is coming at me and I thrust, the Cyber Leader, stopping with the blade's tip an inch from its neck.

* * *

We did put on a decent show for the audience. I do like the attention but in the end we could not compete with Tabitha and her dragon. I hate to admit it, but she's really good with her Familiar.

* * *

I have the Cyber Leader at my side as DALEK Gary floats in midair, firing its death ray at the cloaked thief but his energy weapon is unable to penetrate the golem's thick hide. The Cyber Leader couldn't even hit Foquet because it is unable to target the thief. Of course, I just need one lucky shot.

"Fireball!"

Oh, fuckberries.

A part of the tower explodes and dust blinds me. Focusing my vision, I see Foquet carrying a box under her arm. It is obviously something from the tower.

I am furious, and I make sure Louise knows it too.

* * *

I summon forth the Cyber Leader and DALEK Gary. I glare at the army coming at me. I had sent Louise away with the others to safety. I wonder what made me become so sentimental.

It doesn't matter. It's time for me to show my true power.

"Cyber Leader, DALEK Gary," I begin. "Dark Xros Fusion," I commanded.

The screen of my Dark Xrosser releases a burst of dark energy which engulfs my two servants, breaking them down into molecules to bond to my body. I slowly feel myself change as the Cyber Leader's armor grafts itself to my body. I think they notice. Good, I want my enemies to see this. DALEK Gary's parts assimilate to my new armored form.

Once the darkness around me evaporates, I stand in my new form. I am clad in Cyber-Armor, a silver-grey with a helmet that sports the handlebars that all Cybermen possess. My face remains visible, but only for now. From the knees down I wear boots that were big and thick like elephant legs. They are colored black with silver semi-spheres covering them like. Mounted on my left arm is a cannon which is actually a gigantic version of DALEK Gary's death ray gun stick. Grasped in my right hand is a staff topped with a suction cup. On my chest is a circular crest with an image of 8-heades snake on it.

Cyber-D Shiro has been born.

"Now, it's time to fight," I say as a black faceplate covers my face and over my eyes are eyepieces which resemble the one on DALEK Gary's eyestalk. "**EXTERMINATE!**" I roar as I flew into the air and fire my Death Cannon at the army.

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: As you know, I did not do summarize every major moment in Zero no Tsukaima. Just stuff I thought would make Shiro look badass. This isn't canon and was written just for fun. If anyone wishes to borrow this idea, let me know. I'd love to see what you can do with Shiro Juuyon.**


	150. Z DAY

**KR Chrome: OK, so I got into High School of the Dead and decided to see what I could do if I did a sort of crossover with School Days. Now, not all of the HOTD characters will be used, of course. But a few of the characters we have will fill in some of the roles. Hopefully, this will satisfy fans of School Days and HOTD.**

**SCHOOL DAYS OF THE DEAD!**

**Chapter 1: Z-Day**

The hallway was crowded with zombies as two young men stood back-to-back with a girl. The girl was named Katsura Kotonoha and the two young men were named Hasuma Ryūji and Fudo Yūji. Ryūji wore the standard uniform, but without the uniform jacket. Instead he wore a leather bomber jacket. His black hair was long and wild. It was tied at the base of his skull. Yūji wasn't dressed in the standard uniform either and he had his hair spiked in almost an impossible way with red streaks.

Ryūji's weapons of choice were a pair of Chinese broadswords. Yūji, on the other hand, was armed with two guns in his hands, picking his targets and taking aim.

"You know, Fudo. This was not how I wanted my day to go," said Ryūji.

* * *

**Two hours earlier...**

It was a week into the start of the spring term and both Ryūji and Kotonoha were in Class 2-4. Many months had passed since they became a couple and their relationship had only grown strong since the school festival. There was a legend that a couple who kissed at the bonfire would always be together and it seemed that it was a reality for them.

"Four months to summer vacation," Ryūji countered as he stretched in his seat. "That's what I'm looking forward to."

"Don't forget to study, though," she reminded him.

"Right, right, gotcha," he dismissed her playfully. "It's great that Katou and her little gang aren't with us this year. Neither is that creep Sawanaga. However..." He glared at Makoto and Sekai who sat nearby. "Couldn't they be assigned to a different class?" he asked, frowning.

Makoto and Sekai were people that Ryuji didn't like. To be honest, he didn't like people in general. He tolerated them, to a degree, but he hated Itou Makoto and Saionji Sekai because they had betrayed his girlfriend. And that was something he was unwilling to forgive.

* * *

Meanwhile, something was going on outside in front of the main gate. A man was bumping in front of the main gate. Some teachers went to the gate to investigate. However, they were unaware of the man's condition and that a huge chunk of his left lower back was missing, some flesh and bone exposed. His skin was grayed, eyes clouded to an almost white as he was moaning.

From above, in an external stairwell, a student was watching the scene transpire. His skin was fair as he scanned the situation with his blue eyes, staying focused on what was going on. His hair was a rich black and spiked like horns covering his head, with four streaks of his hair was naturally red. He didn't wear the school jacket; in fact, he wasn't even wearing the school uniform. He was dressed in blue jeans and a jean jacket over a black shirt. On his feet were a pair of black shin-high boots. Not his fault they hadn't mailed him his uniform yet. He was Fudo Yūji, a transfer student that came here just a week ago.

"Wonder what's going on down there," he muttered to himself as he continued watching. He then blinked in surprise when a teacher at the gate had his arm bitten, dying on his back just seconds later. "That can't be good." His eyes then widened when he witnessed the same teacher rise again and bit a female teacher, killing her next. "And...that's just bad."

* * *

"OK, why hasn't our homeroom teacher shown up yet?" Ryūji asked in a bored tone. If he wanted to waste time he would've stayed at home.

"Maybe he's just running late," suggested Kotonoha.

That was when the PA system turned on, "_To all students and teachers, it seems that an emergency situation has taken place. Please, stay calm and evacuate in a...wait, what are you doing here?-! No! Stay back! Stay back! Get away from me! No! Stay away! No-AAAAAHHHHHHHH!-!-!_"

The scream from the PA system was followed by silence.

The students in the classroom were frozen, looking freaked out. Ryūji's eyes narrowed as he took Kotonoha's hand.

"Ryūji-kun?" she asked worriedly.

"Wait for it," he told her, preparing for what was to come next. Moments later, it all sunk in, and pandemonium followed as the students in class 2-4 screamed in terror and started running out of their classrooms. Students from other classrooms were also panicking as they started to flee, pushing aside anyone in their path.

Ryūji, however, did not panic as he held Kotonoha close and wait for the sea of students to leave. Once they were gone, Ryūji led her along. "Come on!"

"What's going on?" Kotonoha asked as she was led along by Ryūji.

"I don't know!" he said. "I can guess, but I just hope I'm wrong!" His feet stopped and he looked ahead. "Fuck!"

"Huh?" Kotonoha peered over his shoulder to see it was one of the teachers, except his eyes were rolled up, his skin was grey, he had blood trailing down his pants and his mouth was gaping. Ryūji could smell the stench of decay coming from him.

"Walking dead," Ryūji hissed as the zombie spotted them and lunged. Ryūji pushed Kotonoha back and pushed the zombified teacher away with his feet. He reached inside his jacket and steel flashed as he pulled out his matching pair of twin Chinese broad swords. The zombie went for Ryūji but never got a chance to take a bite out of him as Ryūji's swords slice through the air, into the flesh of his neck, sawing through the bone, before exiting the other side.

Kotonoha paled as she saw the spectacle when the teacher's head rolled along the floor and the body fell.

"Ryūji...kun...?" she questioned. "You killed him." She was horrified by his action, but she also knew he wouldn't do something so extreme without reason.

"He was already dead," said Ryūji.

"What?"

"He was already dead. Remember that movie we saw on our first date? It's happening, now, for real," he told her.

"But that was just a movie!" she cried in protest. Zombies weren't real, they couldn't be.

"I know, but right now all I care about is getting the both of us out of here alive." He put away one of his swords and took hold of Kotonoha's hand. He wasn't going to lose her. Not ever. He then heard gunshots ring trough the halls, startling Kotonoha as she jumped.

"What was that?-!"

"It's close. We better check it out," said Ryūji.

* * *

Gun shots went off every time he pulled the trigger. Before he knew it, Yūji had been in a swarm of undead and had decided to fight back. He'd seen the movies and realized what was going on. The dead had risen, sort of, and were now attacking the living for reasons unknown. Food? Vengeance? Whatever, it didn't matter. Nothing did, aside from staying alive. In Yuji's hands was a pair of Browning Hi-Power handguns. Shooting to the left, the right, the side, from behind; Yūji was moving around swiftly as he gave out nothing but head shots before he was clear of targets, his barrels smoking and shells strewn about the floor.

"Something is wrong," he frowned as he talked to himself. "What could have caused this? _Who _could have caused this? And _why_?" Continuing down the hall, he started muttering to himself as he checked his ammo and reloaded as necessary, "1) Find survivors. 2) Evacuate the school. Mission accepted." He heard footsteps coming around the corner and coming fast. "Great, they can run now," he grimaced, "Fantastic." Running to the corner, he turned and took aim when...

* * *

Ryūji saw a figure walking out of the corner and when he had it in his sights he swung his sword, only to stop before it could connect. A gun barrel was aimed at him in exchange as Kotonoha gasped.

"Fudo?-!" Ryūji withdrew his sword. "Fucking Christ, man! I nearly chopped your head off!"

Yūji countered, " And you would've had a hole in your chest! I just heard footsteps down this way and came down here to investigate. Good thing my gut was right."

"And what are you doing here?" Ryūji asked.

"Transferred just this week," said Yūji.

"Well, you chose a bad week to transfer," Ryūji grimaced.

Kotonoha tapped Ryūji's shoulder and drew their attention to her. "Ano...Ryūji-kun, who's this?"

Ryūji realized that introductions needed to be made. "Oh, right. Fudo, this is Katsura Kotonoha. Kotonoha, meet Fudo."

"Hi, I'm new," Yūji greeted.

Ryūji warned, "Don't get any ideas, Fudo. She's _my _girlfriend."

"Oh relax, we just met...like _now_," he shot back. "Why waste my time hitting on a girl when we've got the walking dead roaming around and having an all-you-can-eat buffet with us as on the menu?"

"Damn, makes me regret the time I laughed at my old friends for making up stupid zombie plans," Ryūji frowned. "We better keep moving."

"Damn right," Yūji agreed. "They're starting to multiply."

"Zombies tend to do that," Ryūji agreed. The three ran to find a safe exit out of the school. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy.

As they ran, Kotonoha asked, "So, how do you know each other?" To her knowledge, Ryūji had never made the effort to try and befriend anybody so seeing him on amicable terms with anybody in school was just a huge surprise for her.

Ryūji answered, "You know how I love to race, right? Well, I met Fudo at an underground street race."

She couldn't help but frown, "Aren't those illegal?"

"I needed the money," Ryūji shrugged. "Raced with Fudo one time and we tied."

"So, Fudo-san also enjoys breaking the rules," Kotonoha observed. Maybe that was why Ryūji could befriend him.

"It's just one of my hobbies," Yūji responded as he ran with them. "Besides, my Uncle Crow taught me that it's only breaking the law if you get caught. And it's like that song by Judas Priest. _Breaking the law, breaking the law..._"

"Hey Fudo, not that I'm complaining, but how did you manage to smuggle guns into this place?" Ryūji asked.

"Well, I have my ways," he answered, "But I got a license and everything! Honest! Know how to use them too!"

"Well, I trust that you do," Ryūji nodded. Kotonoha suddenly realized something and tugged onto Ryūji's hand to make him stop. "What is it?"

Kotonoha exclaimed, "Ryūji-kun, we need to find the others!"

Yūji cocked an eyebrow, "Others?"

Ryūji sighed. He knew who she was referring to and said, "Koto-chan, they're not even our friends. Besides, they might be zombie chow by now."

"Who does she mean?" Yūji asked.

Ryūji answered uncaringly, "Oh, just some people I don't like; her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend."

Yūji nodded in comprehension, "Ah, they don't sound like fun."

Ryūji agreed, "Yeah, and last time I checked they were running for their lives." He then heard running and put up his guard when the last person he expected to see came running towards them.

"Hasuma!" shouted Itou Makoto.

Ryūji cursed, "Oh, fuck me! He survived!" He'd been hoping that Makoto had either been killed or turned so he could have the pleasure of killing his zombified husk. And Makoto wasn't alone. Shambling after him was a pack of those zombies. "And he's leading them right towards us."

"Hey, get down, kid!" Yūji called out to Makoto as he took aim. The boy panicked and dove down, with Ryūji grabbing Kotonoha and diving as well.

**BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**

The zombies that tailed Makoto received heads full of lead as Yūji unloaded on them, their heads turning into Swiss cheese before falling back lifelessly. Yūji took this chance to reload his weapons as he fished magazines out of his jacket.

Ryūji, witnessing Yūji's skill, admired, "Hm, headshots. You're really good with that, Fudo."

"I had training," Yūji answered as he walked towards Makoto and helped him up. "Hey, you OK man?"

Makoto looked around panicked, shaking uncontrollably in Yūji's grasp, "God, they're everywhere!"

Kotonoha was at Makoto's side to comfort him, which caused Ryuji to glare in jealousy but he held his tongue. No reason for him to snap at the guy. He looked like a complete wreck. "Where's Saionji-san?" she asked worriedly.

Makoto yelled, "I...I don't know! We were running and I lost her! I think she might be dead!"

Ryūji couldn't help but interject, "Good."

Kotonoha yelled at him, horrified, "Ryūji-kun! That's a horrible thing to say!"

Ryūji remarked, "What? Odds are she's dead already."

"Stop saying that! We need to find her and save her!"

Ryūji argued, "No way! My first priority is you! You and..." He paused when he noticed blood dripping from Makoto's left arm, drenching his sleeve. "Itou, why is your arm bleeding?"

"One...of them bit me. I managed to shake it off but I lost my jacket," he answered. He suddenly started to cough. "I don't...feel too good."

Ryūji gripped his twin swords tightly as he looked at Makoto with a very serious expression. This did not escape Kotonoha's notice.

Kotonoha questioned, " Ryūji-kun?" That look in his eyes frightened her.

Ryūji stated, "Itou, you've been infected."

Makoto gaped at him, "What...?" He took a step back.

Ryūji continued, "In a few moments you'll be like them." He drew out his second sword and crossed his blades against Makoto's throat. Makoto froze as the swords were held close to his neck.

"Ryūji-kun, yamette!" Kotonoha cried out but was ignored.

"Wait! I'm not like them! I'm still alive!" Makoto argued desperately.

"Not for much longer. You were bitten and in a matter of moments you'll turn into a zombie. Before that happens, though, I'm going to kill you and even if you don't deserve it I'm going to make your death as quick and painless as possible."

Yūji took this chance to step in and interject, "I'm sorry, but many films have provided evidence that a bite from an undead subject induces infection and transformation of the target. There isn't anything we can do for him. These creatures are like walking viruses, targeting the freshest source of food."

Makoto pleaded, "...I don't wanna die." Tears were falling from his eyes.

Yūji looked the young man compassionately, his hands on his shoulders as he remarked, "If there were some kind of cure I wish I would have it with me right now, but I don't. Being changed against your will is something no one deserves."

Ryūji added, "Can't say you never had this coming, Itou. At least this actually gives me a decent excuse to kill you, asshole."

"No, you should tend to Katsura," Yūji objected. Ryūji looked to him. "It's not my place to give orders but we don't have much time. Right now, finding other survivors is our collective priority and then procuring transportation in order to leave this school. Also, traumatizing Katsura is not the best thing to do in this situation."

Ryūji wanted to argue but one look at Kotonoha's face made him reconsider. He took his swords off Itou and nodded before he took Kotonoha's hand and led her away before turning a corner, away from what was about to happen. They just waited.

Yūji sighed dejectedly and helped Makoto down, taking a seat on the floor as he had relaxed somewhat, though still in pain as he could barely feel himself fading. "I need you to listen to me," he called as Makoto looked up to him.

"OK..." Makoto heaved as he tried to stay calm.

"If there was a way I could cure you, I would do it right now and we'd all be on our merry way. We don't know anything about each other, that much is true, so I won't ask why Hasuma hates you. Personally, that's none of my concern. If there is anything I should know about Saionji, please tell me now. With any luck, she could still be alive."

"I got...her picture...my wallet," he strained as he dug in his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

Yūji took the wallet and found a picture of her, brown hair and blue eyes and smiling, "That's good. Is there anything you want to say to her? A message I can give her?"

Makoto coughed and spoke softly, "Tell her... I'm sorry...I love her..."

He only nodded and patted Makoto's shoulder, "I understand. I will do my best to find her and protect her to the best of my ability. Now, soon you will change and you will be like these...monsters. I'm sure you don't want that, right?"

"I don't...don't wanna die..." Makoto strained as he started to cry.

Yūji couldn't help but feel bad for his fellow student, hanging his head low, "I'm sorry, but once you change, you won't even be considered alive. I can only offer you an ease of death."

Makoto looked up again and strained a smile as best he could. "Just make it quick. And I'm glad it isn't Hasuma...he'd enjoy it too much."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Yūji asked. "Family to watch out for?"

Makoto struggled to answer, feeling a bit more of him fading away, "My mom...little sister...Itaru...Gah..."

Yūji gripped his shoulders, shaking him softly, "Try to stay focused for as long as you can." Makoto vomited blood, making Yūji frown as he stood, aiming down at Makoto's head. "Goodbye then."

**BLAM!**

Blood splattered on the wall behind Makoto as he slumped over, now dead as Yūji's clothes were stained with the blood of an innocent young man.

"Fucking...shit," Yūji growled as he felt his rage boiling inside. "RRAAAGH!" he roared as he punched a hole in the wall, the structure cracking before he pulled his arm out. "Relax...just relax," he chanted to himself, trying hard to fight back the tears from escaping. _**"Never again,"**_ he swore.

* * *

Yūji met up with Ryūji and Kotonoha and they locked themselves in one of the empty classrooms. Kotonoha had broken down emotionally and needed some time to gather herself before they could get out of the school. Ryūji was at her side, as always, providing comfort.

She knew that Makoto was dead. The gunshot had made things clear. Then they came, forcing the three students to find a place to hide.

Ryūji was looking out the window as he saw the walking corpses shambling around. "They're everywhere."

Yūji added, "And not too long ago, everything was quiet...normal. Something's wrong about all this."

Ryūji questioned, "Voodoo spell gone wrong, or something biological like a virus?"

Yūji answered, "I don't know. What I do know is that one minute everything is peaceful when all of a sudden an infected man was found outside the school gates. I saw what happened. He bit a teacher and then he was infected and attacked the staff members around him. I think this whole thing was staged."

Ryūji remarked, "Well, staged or not we need to get someplace more secure. There are zombies in the hallways and they could come in here at any moment."

Yūji nodded, "Agreed, but finding survivors should come first."

Ryūji scoffed, "You can waste your time, but I'm only interested in getting Koto-chan out of here, finding her family, and trying to get someplace safe. Or at the very least protect them. Besides us, every other student and teacher is either dead or one of them now."

"And how can you be sure of that?" Yūji challenged. "For all we know there could be some resourceful individuals holding up somewhere. And for the record, take another look outside."

Ryūji looked outside as many infected were roaming the grounds outside. "Looks like we might have to fight our way through. "

"There's far too many outside right now. Even with your swordsmanship skills, they'll swarm you like ants at a picnic."

Ryūji retorted, confidently, "Fudo, there's something you might wanna know about me. I can't get infected."

Yūji considered Ryūji's words. What did he mean? Was he just boasting that he wouldn't allow himself to be infected or was there a deeper meaning to his words? He would wait for Ryūji to elaborate some other time. "Good to know, but Katsura here isn't immune. What we need to do is-" He was cut off by a shrill scream.

Ryūji exclaimed, "Who the fuck was that!"

Kotonoha identified, "That sounded like Saionji-san!"

Yūji added, "And it came from the infirmary! Time to go!"

Ryūji, not wanting to leave Kotonoha defenseless, handed her one of his swords. "Ryūji-kun...?"

"Just try to protect yourself, OK?" he asked.

Kotonoha nodded and they made their way to the infirmary, finding zombies crowding the entrance, trying to get inside.

Ryūji flicked his wrist and threw his sword, sending it flying like a boomerang. It lobbed a couple of heads off before returning to his hand. "Hey, zombies! Look at us! Fresh meat!"

"Oh sure, call them over to us," Yūji deadpanned as he took aim. "Ruin the element of surprise. Thanks a lot, Hasuma."

**BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**

He'd gunned down every infected corpse in the room, shocking the living attendees as they shut their eyes and covered their ears from the gore, hearing only the muffled, booming sound of gunshots.

Ryūji retorted, "You were the one who wanted to protect people! Sides, if there are survivors in there, then it all works out anyway, doesn't it?" Several zombies came for him only to meet their end as he swiftly and efficiently sliced their heads off. "OK, all clear. Now, let's see who we saved."

"Well, hello there," Busujima Saeko greeted. She was a third-year student, captain of the kendo club and skilled with a sword as she had done her best to protect her companions minutes before their saviors arrived. Her long, purple came down like a curtain and blue eyes seemed to glow as the sunlight rest behind her.

Yūji walked in, holstering his weapons into his jacket. "Is everyone OK? No bites, scratches or anything similar?"

"We're fine!" Sekai exclaimed, still coming down from her panic attack and realizing she was safe now. She didn't recognize Yūji, but was glad he was here now. She was surprised that Ryūji and Kotonoha had found her as well though.

Marikawa Shizuka, the school nurse, glomped Yūji and held his face to her chest in a thankful manner as she was now relieved to be rescued. The blonde school nurse was crying happily as she choked the transfer student with delight, not knowing that he was losing breathe and consciousness. "Oh, thank you! Thank you!"

"Um...you're welcome..." Yūji tried to say, his voice muffled and face turning red as he was losing his life.

"I see you managed to survive up until now, Busujima," said Ryūji. He wasn't the type to use formalities or honorifics most of the time. It may sound rude but the 3rd year didn't seem to mind.

"Considering the fact that I'm captain of the kendo team and well-trained at the art, that shouldn't come as a surprise," said Saeko as she shouldered her bokken. "And I'm glad to see you alive as well."

"What can I say? I'm a survivor," Ryūji answered. Kotonoha tugged on his sleeve and he turned to see his girlfriend narrowing her eyes at him.

"Ryūji-kun, how do you know Busujima-sempai?" Kotonoha asked. Saeko was famous for winning many kendo tournaments so it was impossible not to know her. Was Kotonoha jealous or something? She didn't have to be. Ryūji wasn't going to leave her for some other girl.

Ryūji answered, "She saw me practice with my swords. We sparred. She invited me to join the kendo club. I declined since my style isn't the same as kendo"

"My invitation still hasn't expired, not that it means anything now," said Saeko, sighing. "The entire school has gone nuts."

"It's a zombie outbreak. It'll get crazier," Ryūji remarked.

Yūji approached Sekai, showing her a small picture of herself. "You're Saionji Sekai, right?"

"Yes, that's me," she confirmed.

"Oh, right," Ryūji remembered. "Itou's dead," he stated bluntly.

"WHAT!-?" she shrieked.

"That was unnecessary," Yūji frowned at Ryūji before turning to Sekai, "And please, keep your voice down."

Ryūji sighed as he justified himself, "Look, it's best to just get straight to the point. It's like ripping off the band aid. Sides, what do you want me to say? That _you _shot him?"

Yūji palmed his face at Ryūji's lack of tact as Sekai shrieked, "WHAT?-!" before she turned to face Yūji. "You killed him!" she accused.

"To be fair, he had one foot in the grave already," continued Ryūji.

"Hasuma, please...stop helping," Yūji groaned as he tried to placate the horrified girl.

Kotonoha chided, shaking her head, "Ryūji-kun, you lack delicacy."

"Listen, Itou Makoto had been bitten by one of those monsters," Yūji clarified as he addressed Sekai. "It's an infection and he was on his way to change. I talked with him, learned about you through him, and I gave him the courtesy of death while he was still human."

Ryūji muttered, "Which is more than he deserved." Suddenly, Kotonoha slapped him, much to his surprise. He never saw it coming and was stunned. He focused his eyes on her, her angry face and the tears welling up in her eyes. "Koto...chan?"

"Ryūji-kun, I love you, but please stop speaking ill of the dead. Even though Makoto-kun...even though he did break my heart...please...just don't speak ill of him," Kotonoha told him as she started to cry before burying her face into his chest. "Please..."

Ryūji slowly and tentatively put his arms around Kotonoha, holding her close. Today had been a huge shock for all of them. The dead were walking like some bad zombie movie, except this was reality and someone they knew was dead, along with so many others like classmates and teachers.

"Koto-chan...I'm sorry," he apologized as he rubbed her head. She wasn't just thinking about Makoto, but she was wondering about her own family too. She had tried calling but the phone lines were dead.

"There's more, Saionji," Yūji spoke up.

"Huh?" What more bad news could she take.

"Before Itou's passing, he left with a message directed to you."

"What message?" she asked.

Clenching his teeth, his fist shaking, "He said he was sorry for everything...and that he will always love you."

Sekai's eyes widened, finally understanding that Makoto was gone. He was gone, but he would always love her. She broke down and fell to her knees and crying. Yūji kneeled in front of her, holding her close as she cried into his chest as she processed the loss of her boyfriend.

Ryūji, while still holding Kotonoha, said, "We're wasting time here. We need a way to get out safely and with the walking dead everywhere there's no way all of us will survive. We need some kind of transportation."

Shizuka chirped in, "Like a bus~!"

Ryūji agreed, "Yeah, like a bus." He paused. "Wait...you have bus keys?"

"Well, not me. They're in the faculty office," said Shizuka.

"In all honesty, I wish we had a tank," Yūji admitted, "But a bus is the next best thing. We'll go with you, Marikawa-sensei." Someone had to watch her back since there were a lot of the zombies still stalking the school, inside and outside the building.

"Koto-chan, you and Saionji stay here with Busujima. Busujima, take care of my girl," Ryūji instructed.

"You have my word," Saeko promised as Ryūji and Yūji accompanied the school nurse to the faculty office, armed and ready for anything.

* * *

As Yūji, Shizuka and Ryūji were carefully making their way towards the faculty office, Ryūji thought he heard some noise coming from a nearby room. He looked inside and his eyes widened as he watched Otome drilling a hole through a zombie's head with a handheld power drill. Taisuke, however, was curled up in a corner, terrified.

Otome removed the drill and scowled, her clothes dirtied by blood as she clenched the power drill in her hand, breathing hard. The day had not been kind to her. For instance, her friends were gone. They were either dead or had unwillingly joined the walking dead.

She remembered as they were fleeing and they had to leave Kumi behind when she was caught. Then Minami was next but only because Natsumi had sacrificed her in order to buy themselves more time, which didn't last as she paid the price for her betrayal as she was mauled and eaten. Otome ran as fast as she could, not looking back. The death of her friends pained her, but not as much as their betrayal towards one another.

She managed to find Taisuke and they hid in the shop classroom. A zombie had broken in and a desperate Otome decided that enough was enough and grabbed the closest tool she could find, which just so happened to be the drill in her hand right now.

Ryūji didn't like these two. Taisuke had nearly raped Kotonoha last year and Otome had bullied Kotonoha for the most of last year. He was surprised that they had survived, Taisuke the most. Otome, however, was just too stubborn to die.

"Didn't expect to find you together," Ryūji remarked. "What happened to your gang?"

"They're dead," she answered coldly.

Ryūji wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut. He decided that, for Kotonoha's sake, he should show some sympathy. He sniffed and accused, "OK, who just peed?"

"That's just wrong," Yūji repulsed as he figured out who it was.

"Not my fault," Taisuke squeaked.

"Katou, since you at least know how to defend yourself, you should come with us," Ryūji all but ordered.

"Who made you boss?" she snapped. Ryūji groaned. Stubborn and annoying.

"Look, the place is overrun with zombies and I don't think that drill will help against a whole bunch of them," Ryūji said. "Besides, we're trying to find survivors and get them out of here." He pointed to Yūji, "His idea, really."

Otome didn't hesitate, "Well, to be honest I can't stand that guy over there." She was referring to Taisuke. "He's got no balls."

"Something we can both agree on," smirked Ryūji.

"Hey! Hey!" Taisuke exclaimed. "Don't leave me here!"

"Then make yourself useful and walk ten paces away from me. I don't wanna see or smell what's in your pants right now," Ryūji scowled.

"Where are we going?" Otome asked.

"To the faculty office to procure some keys," Yūji said. "Fudo Yūji, by the way."

"Katou Otome, and the idiot who wet himself is Sawanaga Taisuke."

"Oh, just so you know, Itou's dead," Ryūji reported as blunt as ever. Yūji palmed his face.

"Again?" Yūji asked.

Ryūji watched Otome and Taisuke's reactions. Both were horrified by the revelation, Otome the most. "Makoto...? He's dead? How?"

Yūji gave Ryūji a warning glare and Ryūji answered, "How do you think?"

"Makoto! You were so young!" wept Taisuke.

"Hey, if we get chased by zombies, is it OK if we let them have Sawanaga to buy ourselves more time?" Ryuji whispered to Yūji.

"Let's hold onto him for now," Yūji whispered back. "I like my meat shields to be within bullet-blocking distance."

"I bet people living in the North Pole don't have to deal with this," said Ryūji.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the North Pole, the zombie outbreak had just frozen, literally. The undead could not handle the cold and had turned into _corpsicles_.

* * *

"Just hope Santa Clause will be alright," Yūji joked as he approached Otome. "You can put down the drill now," he placated as he gently pried it from her grasp. "You're going to be alright."

"Right...here you go," she surrendered as she handed Yūji the drill. She was trying hard to hide her blush, thankful that Yūji turned away to move the tool to a safer location.

"She'll need to arm herself," said Ryūji. "Here's a nail gun."

Yūji shook his head. "That'll only work if her aim is good and I doubt she's been trained. Hand it over. I'm gonna modify it."

"Do we have time?" Ryūji asked.

"We'll make time. You go on ahead and get the keys with Marikawa-sensei. I'll look after Katou and Sawanaga."

Ryūji nodded and left with the school nurse.

Yūji looked down at the weapon in his hands, shifting his gaze to nearby supplies before grinning, "Now, time to turn this thing into a real weapon."

* * *

Saeko, Sekai and Kotonoha were watching the television and were shocked by what they were seeing what was happening all over the world.

"It's happening everywhere," Kotonoha uttered in despair. New York, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, Paris, and every other major city was experiencing what they were going through. It wasn't an isolated incident and it would appear the military was getting involved as well.

"Is this the end?" Sekai asked. "Is this Hell?"

"Not if I have something to say about it," said Saeko. She hoped they got back with the keys for their escape. Saeko had a feeling that things were about to get much worse.

* * *

The faculty office was swarming with the undead. Fortunately, Ryūji was able to deal with them fast before they could even react to their presence. He just fought as Shizuka searched for the keys. The zombies seemed to be ignoring her in favor of him.

Ryūji's sword cut into their neck, severing their heads, one at a time. He also drove them back with punches and kicks, making sure they wouldn't grab and take a bite out of him. "Have you found it yet?-!" Ryūji shouted.

Shizuka found the key that opened the cabinet where the bus keys hung on a hook. "Yay, I got it!" she cheered.

"Great," Ryūji said and Shizuka shrieked as one of the zombies was right behind him. He turned but before he could kill it...

**BLAM!**

Its brain was splattered all over him.

"You should really pay attention," Yūji admonished. Otome was behind him with a modified nail gun, looking more like a 2x4 toy rifle in her hands. Taisuke was in the back.

"I could've handled it," Ryūji defended himself.

"I know, I just like wasting lead to save people," Yūji remarked, "Makes me feel good that I can contribute to our marvelous community by slaying the Walking Dead for free."

Otome cocked an eyebrow, "Are you guys friends? Because Hasuma here doesn't have that many."

"We're just acquaintances," Ryūji said. "At least he's more tolerable company compared to most of the people around here."

"Do we have time to argue?" Yūji asked. "You got the bus keys, right?"

"Yes, we do," Ryūji nodded.

"Then let's round up the ladies and get the fuck out of here," he beckoned.

* * *

The TV only showed static now as Kotonoha sat on the bed with Sekai. The short-haired girl was still coming to terms with the fact that Makoto was dead. According to Yūji it was already too late for him and she believed him. She had seen Hikari and Nanami as one of them now. They were no longer her friends.

"We're all going to die, aren't we?" Sekai asked.

"Saionji-san, we're not going to die," said Kotonoha. "Ryūji-kun and Fudo-san will save us."

"How can you be so sure?" Sekai questioned. She and Kotonoha had not been friends since Makoto became her boyfriend. Kotonoha had started dating Ryūji and was so much happier and no longer did she hate Sekai. Of course, she wondered what Kotonoha saw in Ryūji.

"Because Ryūji-kun's reliable and he never breaks his promises," said Kotonoha.

* * *

Meanwhile, hiding around a corner, Ryūji, Yūji, Shizuka, Otome and Taisuke watched as the zombies were walking in the hallway, close to the infirmary. One of the zombies was walking into a wall, repeatedly.

Taisuke peaked around the corner, shivering, "What's it doing?"

"I don't care, and I don't wanna find out," Otome dismissed, "I don't wanna end up like the others."

Yūji got an idea and held up a fist as a signal to stop, "Wait, this could be a chance to find out what they're really capable of." He fished a bullet casing from his pocket and lobbed it in his hand , giving it a good-luck kiss before tossing it. It hits the head of the beast and drops, making some noise. The zombie went down on the floor, looking for the source of the sound. "Well now," he muttered.

Ryūji observed, "They follow the sound. They're blind but they have enhanced hearing to make up for it."

Yūji was jotting down notes on a PDA as he shifted his gaze between the screen and the creature. "Interesting... Dead nerve centers, heightened hearing for hunting, blindness and without control the human bite force isn't something to laugh at."

Otome questioned, "So? How exactly does that help us?"

"We can use their affinity for sound to our advantage," Yūji explained. "Make a distraction to draw their attention and move once they clear a certain area. But right now, we need a way to take that one out now. We can't risk gaining attention and ringing a dinner bell with the infirmary as the restaurant." He looked to Ryūji, "Would you mind doing the honors?"

Ryūji smiled, " I thought you'd never ask." He gripped his sword. "I'll hold them off. When things are clear, I'll catch up. Just make sure nobody dies, especially Kotonoha."

"Understood. We'll make our way to the bus and come back around for you," Yūji informed.

Ryūji retorted, " Just focus on escaping when you have the chance. Just give me at least five minutes, but if I don't get there in time, drive."

Yūji nodded, "I understand. Hope I don't lose a racing rival by the time this is over."

Ryūji fearlessly walked to where the zombies were and waited for Yūji, Otome, Shizuka and Taisuke to head to the infirmary. Once they were at a safe distance, he shouted, "Hey you undead fuckers! Hungry?-! Well how about you try me on for size?-!"

"He's insane," Otome admitted.

"People do crazy things when they're in love," Yūji said, knowing that Ryūji would sacrifice his life if it meant Kotonoha could live.

* * *

Yūji, Otome, Shizuka and Taisuke rejoined the girls with Kotonoha inquiring, "Where's Ryūji-kun?"

"He's buying us some time but now we have to leave," Yūji told her.

"No, we can't leave him!" Kotonoha denied.

"He asked me to make sure you were safe," Yūji told her. "Don't worry. He'll be right behind us."

"Everyone, follow me!" Shizuka called. They were going to the parking lot where the bus was parked. Kotonoha still looked worried but she knew that she would see him again. Ryūji was a fighter.

* * *

Ryūji crushed a zombie skull under his foot and wiped the sweat off his brow before stabbing one coming behind him. He flicked the blood off his blade. He then heard moaning and groaning as more zombies came for him. He recognized a few from his class but now they were no longer human.

Without any witnesses, Ryūji could now cut loose. He flexed his fingers and flicked his wrists as the horde came at him. His eyes flashed blue as he grinned wildly. He tapped his foot and once they lunged he reacted. He swung, slicing a zombie's head off before spinning around to do the same to the closest one. he jumped, knocking them down with a tornado kick before charging at them.

As he fought, strange markings appeared on his face as his hands changed, becoming grey with some kind of armor and tuffs of fur around his wrists that were not part of his jacket. He then roared as his teeth became sharp and he unleashed what could be arctic winds from his body, freezing the zombies as they came close. He then rushed at them, their brittle bodies shattering under his attacks. One zombie grabbed his jacket from behind but he slipped out of it and at the same time spikes shot out from his forearm as he spun and stabbed them into the zombie's head, withdrawing in time to slice a zombie's head in half like a melon.

A zombie tackled him and was trying to bite at him but he opened his mouth and fired a gout of blue flames from his throat, freezing the zombie's head. He shoved the undead off and its head shattered as it landed on the floor. Spitting out blue flames from his mouth and licking his lips, he allowed the claws from his free hand to lenghten. Lunging forward, he slashed, and blood splattered the walls and floor in a vicious display of violence.

* * *

Shizuka planted herself in the driver's seat. "OK, let's see..." she said as she looked over everything. "This is so much different than my little buggy."

Yūji was at her side. "Just focus on getting us out of here, Marikawa-sensei," he told her. He saw that everyone was sitting down but Kotonoha wasn't calm. She was fidgeting while holding Ryūji's second sword which he'd left for her to protect herself. Saeko was sitting next to her. Yūji looked out, waiting for Ryūji to appear, when he spotted more survivors. He saw a handful of students running towards the bus as the zombies chased them and they were being led by a bespectacled teacher in a black pinstriped suit.

"Wait! Don't leave without us!" the teacher shouted.

"That idiot!" hissed Otome. "He'll lead those things right for us!"

"Well, can't leave him or those other students behind," Yūji said. "Hurry up!"

The students went into the bus with the teacher being the last to enter.

"Thank you so much," the teacher said to Yūji.

"Glad to help," Yūji nodded.

"Oh, so it's you, Shido-sensei!" Shizuka gasped.

"Ah, Marikawa-sensei. I'm so glad you survived," Shido said as he wiped his brow. "Today has just been dreadful but now that we're here we can drive to safety."

"Not just yet," Yūji objected.

"What?" Shido gaped. "But we must! They're coming!"

"We need to wait for someone."

"It's unfortunate but they must already be dead," Shido argued.

"Not this guy," Yūji rebutted. "Marikawa-sensei, don't drive yet. We need to wait just a few more minutes."

Shido pleaded, "Wait for what? We need to go now!"

Yūji muttered, "Hasuma...hurry your ass up..." The zombies were coming closer and Yūji immediately shot down the ones which were coming too close. Then, he looked and saw who he was waiting for and smiled.

There he was, Hasuma Ryūji, with a single sword and swiping his way towards the bus. The zombies couldn't even touch him. His clothes were stained in blood but fortunately none of it was his. "Why didn't they drive?" he muttered as he saw the bus still stationary. "Idiots," he spat.

"Heads up!" Yūji called as he tossed him a grenade. Ryūji caught it, pulled the pin out with his teeth and tosses it before reaching the bus. Yūji grabbed his arms and pulled him in before the door shuts.

**BOOM!**

Some body parts and blood hit the window, scaring the other students inside as they lowered their heads.

Ryūji glared, "Didn't I tell you guys to leave without me?"

"Bad habit of tuning people out when I want!" Yūji shouted as he looked to the front. "Marikawa! GO! GO! GO!"

Shizuka stepped on the gas pedal, shouting, "GOING!" The bus sped out of the parking lot. However, there were zombies in the way.

"Run them down!" Ryūji ordered. "They're not human anymore!"

"Hai!" Shizuka screamed as she continued and sent zombies flying as she drove for the gate which the bus smashed through in order for them to escape. It was a bumpy ride but nobody was hurt, fortunately.

Ryūji went and put himself in a seat before Kotonoha flew over and hugged him, relieved, "You're OK! You're OK!"

"Hey, was there any doubt?" he smiled. Of course he added, "But I'm not all OK. One of those undead bitches snagged my favorite jacket so I'm a little pissed."

Yūji offered, "You can have one of mine. I always carry a spare jacket in my bag."

Ryūji politely refused, "I only wear the ones with fur lining. No offense."

Yūji nodded, "Ah, understood then."

Ryūji counted the people in the bus who were a lot more than he expected. His ice blue eyes fell upon Shido-sensei and he frowned. "OK, I get why you let Katou and Sawanaga on board. But why did you bring _him _in as well?"

Yūji looked back and realized Ryūji was talking about Shido, "Um...I didn't exactly bring him in. He just showed up with a few more survivors."

"Well, you should just kick him out," Ryūji added.

"You know him?" Yūji asked.

"He teaches English and he likes to leer at Koto-chan. But he'll just deny it," Ryūji answered. "He also makes it clear that he doesn't exactly like me. He doesn't think I'm right for Koto-chan."

"OK, so he criticises your relationship with Katsura," noted Yūji. "But that's not a really good reason for me to just let him die."

"I just get bad vibes from him, that's all. Plus students talk. He likes to bully students and he's a sleazeball," Ryūji concluded.

"Oh," Yūji nodded. "So, he's one of those guys..."

Ryūji said, "Well, once we get someplace safe then maybe we don't have to stay with him for long. Though, if we need bait or a distraction we can always use him."

Yūji nodded, "Good point."

"Ryūji-kun, don't worry about Shido-sensei," said Kotonoha. "He might be a bit creepy, but he's perfectly harmless."

Ryūji watched as Shido gave a speech about working together in order to survive this whole new world. "Yeah...harmless."

* * *

Hasuma Ryūji: "_In only a few hours the world had changed into something truly horrible. The dead now walk the Earth, attacking, killing and eating the living. It was like a bad zombie movie, only it was really happening. What could we do besides try and survive? They were everywhere. However, if you ask me, the only sensible thing to do is to fight because if we don't fight there is no possible way we can survive."_

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: All School Days and High School of the Dead characters belong to their respective creators and distributors. Only I own Ry**ū**ji and what he can do. Well, this is just a first chap of a whole new series. I hope you guys will give us some support to continue. Remember, just post a comment and we'll see if we can continue. For now, this is just a test chapter. Oh, and Bushido helped me with it. Thought I should let you guys know.**


	151. Yuri's Guardian Angel

**AN ANGEL BEATS ONESHOT**

**YURI'S GUARDIAN ANGEL**

It started as a typical day for her. Her parents were out and she was tasked to look after her three younger siblings; two younger sisters and a little brother. Then, three men in ski masks and armed with guns broke into their home. They were held at gunpoint and forced to kneel and be silent as the men tore the place apart looking for money and anything of value. However, they couldn't find a thing and grew angry.

Now, she was the eldest so they assumed that she would know where all the valuables were kept. She didn't know but they threatened to kill one of her siblings every ten minutes. If she didn't find anything for them, then she'd lose her brother and sisters.

She was terrified and desperate and needed to protect. What else could she do? There was nothing else to do but to get these men what they wanted or lose her siblings.

Then all of a sudden she heard a strange sound, which she would call the most wonderful sound she had ever heard.

**VWOORP! VWOORP! VWOORP!**

Right in the middle of the living room, something began to appear. It was see-through at first but slowly became solid. She could make up the color red when it began to appear.

In a matter of seconds, out of thin air, a tall red box appeared in the middle of her living room, surrounded by her, her siblings, and the armed burglars. They were just as confused as she was. It had windows on all four of its sides and was made of metal. What was a phone booth doing in the middle of their living room and how had it appeared. She couldn't see inside as the windows were tinted black.

The door opened and a man with silver hair and violet eyes popped his head out to see. "I guess I miscalculated a bit. But that's OK!" He turned to look at her. "Well, hello there!" He opened the door fully and stepped out. He wore a black buttoned shirt with a green neck tie, blue jeans and green sneakers. He then studied his surroundings. The living room looked ransacked and then he saw the three men standing around with ski masks and guns. He then saw the three smaller children staring up at him and the red box. They were kneeling on the floor, confused and terrified.

He smacked his fist upon his palm and correctly concluded, "Oh, I see! This is a burglary!"

"Shoot him!" the leader of the three burglars aimed their guns. They didn't know what the heck was going on but they sure didn't want this guy around to stop. They squeezed their triggers.

**Click!**

No bullets came spewing out of their weapons. They tried again.

**Click! Click! Click!**

"Looking for these?" the mysterious man asked as he revealed that he held their bullet clips between their fingers. "And now, for my next trick!" He held the clips between his hands and crushed them together into a ball. The burglars' eyes widened at the impossible and so did the children who were speechless. "Ta-dah!" He tossed the balled up clips to the eldest sister who caught it and nearly dropped it. "Souvenir!" He then confronted the burglars who took several steps back in response.

The mystery man spoke in a low and dangerous tone, "Now, I think I can guess what might've happened if I didn't show up. Thank the TARDIS I arrived. Let's see…you were gonna threaten the oldest to find you valuables or else you'd do something horrible to her siblings. Now, there's a lot of things that piss me off, but scaring and threatening children is at the very top. Besides that it's people laughing at my fashion sense! But at the top, I do not like grown men threatening kids with guns!"

He struck and knocked the first burglar out with a punch. The others weren't able to react in retaliation in time because he was faster, faster than they could see. The other one was knocked out by another punch and the third was knocked out the same way. They collapsed in a heap and the mysterious man dusted off his hands. "Now, I think I'm missing something." He then remembered and turned to face the four children. "Are you three alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Mister, who are you?" the youngest, the boy, asked.

"Oh, my name is-"

* * *

"Hey, Yuri! Wake up! You're gonna miss gym if you don't wake up!"

Yuri Nakamura woke up and sat up, yawning as she stretched her limbs. She had just taken a bit of a nap before gym class. She just felt so tired. Massaging her shoulder, she thought back to her dream. Actually, it was more like a memory. She'd been ten years old and that had been six years ago. That man, whoever he was, was the reason why her siblings were still alive. She never got the chance to truly thank him before the cops arrived. When they did, he just disappeared along with his red box and the burglars were arrested.

Her parents had been so relieved. However, they had not believed their story. Still, it didn't matter to them as much as seeing all four of their children safe.

Yuri wished that one day she could see that man again. Just one day.

She just wanted to thank him for saving her and her siblings.

Maybe that day would come sooner than she thought.

**-END-**

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Hi, I watched Angel Beats and considering what happened in Yuri's life, which was so tragic, I decided to write this. If you'd read what I wrote on my "A Series of Oneshots: Ideas for Adoption", you know that one day Alan builds himself a TARDIS and goes traveling through time, space and the Multiverse in a red box, emulating his hero 'The Doctor'. Over here, he pretty much saved children. He loves kids so when he sees them threatened you know he'll go superhero. Well, that's my justification on the subject. I wonder what you think of this yourself,**


	152. First 5 Chapters of Heroes Fall Arc

**"Special Weapon-The Obliterator"**

One night, while everyone in Hinamizawa was sleeping, the silence of the night was disturbed by what sounded like metal footsteps. The footsteps were loud, echoing in the night. The owner's features were hidden by the blanket of night but what could be discerned from its features was a pair of cold blue eyes that shone in the dark.

The mysterious figure was making its way towards a familiar house where a brother and sister resided, namely Satoko Houjou and Satoshi Houjou. The siblings were fast asleep but their rest would soon be interrupted when all of a sudden…

**CRASH!**

The front door was smashed wide open.

Startled and alarmed, Satoko and Satoshi jumped out of their respective futons and cautiously went to investigate. What they saw was something they hadn't expected to see.

It was a Cyberman.

"**Sa…Sato…Satoko…Sato…shi…"** the Cyberman spoke, its voice cracked but still in monotone.

"What the…?" Satoshi uttered in confusion. How did the Cyberman know their names? What was it even doing here? As far as they knew, the Cybermen were gone. The others said so.

The Cyberman grabbed a piece of the broken door which had jagged edges, and tossed it at them. Satoshi ducked while pushing Satoko down before they got hit and were injured. Spotting a table, it grabbed it and raised it up before throwing it at the Houjou siblings. They dodged again and the table smashed against the wall, breaking to pieces.

They distanced themselves from the insane cyborg who seemed to be obsessed with killing them. It wasn't even giving them a chance to fight back.

The Cyberman threw a lamp and other objects at the siblings, forcing the two dodge every thrown item.

"OK who do you think you are coming into this house and trying to kill us?-!" Satoshi demanded.

**"Don't pretend... you don't know... me"** the Cyberman stated still in a monotone voice but its stance was quite hostile.

"We don't know you, you tin psychopath." Satoko shouted.

**"I see... maybe this will... jog your memory. Remember... the... time... we...spent... together? Remember.. when... I...used...to...beat you kids up when you were in my care?**" the Cyberman said, slowly giving the siblings an idea of its true identity.

"Uncle Teppei?!" Satoshi shouted.

"But how did this happen?!" Satoko added.

"A white-haired, red-eyed bastard turned me into this thing! That's how! This is all your fault!" Cyberman Teppei shouted.

"You're one to talk!" Satoshi shot back as he dodged a swing from Cyberman Teppei, "You should be blaming yourself instead of others!"

"That's right!" Satoko agreed and smirked, "Besides the Kamen Riders were the ones who put you in jail again, not us."

"**That may be right...punks. So...I am here...to kill you and those...masked freaks for...letting this...happen!**" Cyberman Teppei roared. He swung his arms down on the siblings. They dodged the blows and have the ground splinter from impact.

"Sorry, Uncle Teppei, but we're not the weak kids you can push around and beat up anymore," Satoshi stated.

"This time we can fight back," Satoko explained. "Henshin!" The Houjou siblings called. Cyberman Teppei attacks, ignoring the flashing lights the Houjou siblings were covered in.

Suddenly, Cyberman Teppei was punched in the chest by V3, sending their demented uncle stumbling back. Cyberman Teppei then received a flying kick to the face courtesy of Riderwoman.

"**What the hell?!**" Cybermen Teppei exclaimed. "**What are you?!**"

"I am Kamen Rider V3!" V3 posed.

"And I am Riderwoman!" Riderwoman posed.

"**Che, even if you have some fancy suits, I can still kill you brats!**" Cyberman Teppei exclaimed as he charged at the two siblings, thinking he could take them.

Oh how wrong he was.

Cyberman Teppei charged forward only to be pelted by bullets from Riderwoman's Machine Gun Arm. Riderwoman then moved in to kick Cyberman Teppei in the chest, sending him staggering backwards.

The Cyberman made a move to punch the female Rider but she ducked, and got on her hands and knees. V3 ran up to his sister and used her back as a springboard. Leaping into the air, he smashed both his feet into Cyberman Teppei's face, sending the evil cyborg flying out of their house.

"**You little shits!**" Cyberman Teppei cursed as he got up.

"That's what you get for underestimating us," Riderwoman smirked as she stood beside V3.

"Time to send you where you belong! To the junkyard!" V3 declared. The siblings Riders charged at Cyberman Teppei who swung clumsily at them. With her Power Arm, Riderwoman took swipes at the Cyberman, cutting chunks off his plate armor. V3 also assisted by knocking the Cyberman back with a vicious uppercut. Jumping up, Riderwoman used a reverse roundhouse that threatened to knock the Cyberman's metal head off.

"Let's finish this!" announced Riderwoman as she formed her Drill Arm and darted towards Cyberman Teppei. "THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU DID TO US!" She drove her Drill Arm into his chest, causing him to scream. Withdrawing her weapon, she spun away as Satoshi came down with his own finishing move.

"V3 KICK!"

His kick connected with Cyberman Teppei's body and sent it skidding backwards. He collapsed onto his knees, his body trembling and sparking all over before exploding into metal shrapnel.

"He's...he's gone...he's finally gone..." said Riderwoman, in relief. They had once believed that he would be gone from their lives after being sent to prison, but then he somehow returned as a wreck of a Cyberman. Now, he was nothing more than pieces of scorched scrap metal. The only thing that remained intact was the head. The neighbours had come out and witnessed the Cyberman's destruction. No way a commotion like that could be ignored.

"We better go," said V3. No doubt one of the neighbours had called the police. The two pseudo-Riders needed to get away and hide somewhere before they could revert back to human form lest they be questioned.

Meanwhile, another entity had been watching the brother and sister. Hidden in the grass, and in the dark, nobody noticed the single glowing red eyes. Rising up on four spindly legs, the entity crawled away as there was nothing else of interest in the area to see.

(LINE BREAK)

Yuji yawned as he entered the bathroom to get himself ready for the day. As he entered the shower, he did not notice that something was watching him, its red eye focused on the centre of his forehead. It climbed up the shower head and was ready to pounce as he shampooed his hair. It bent its joins and prepared itself before leaping for him. Yuji ducked to grab his soap and his assailant went flying over, slamming into the wall. Yuji, not noticing the sound of metal striking the wall due to the sound of the shower, turned off the shower and dried his hair. He then proceeded to brush his teeth. Once he was done, he opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the floss and mouthwash. Using the floss first then the mouthwash, he gargled and spat into the sink. He put the items away and closed the medicine cabinet only to see in the mirror, behind him, was a spider-like automaton preparing itself for a jump.

It jumped at him as he spun around. It managed to dig the tips of its legs into the skin of his face as he struggled to get the thing off. "Get off!". Yuji struggled with the creature as a spike came out of the underside of its body, spinning like a drill. His eyes crossed as they were focused on the drill that was aimed between his eyes. Its legs were trying to dig their way deeper into his head as he gripped it. "God...damn it...!" He finally managed to tear it off his face, scratching his skin.

He exited the bathroom in a haste and called out, "Scrappy, breakfast!" He tossed the mechanical spider into the air and their pet scraplet, Scrappy, leapt and caught the creature in its mouth, chewing and, eating up the menacing creature. Scrappy happily bounced up and down after receiving the delicious treat.

"There," he dusted off his hands. "That's better." He felt a draft and looked down at himself. His towel had fallen off. "Oh..." He wasn't alone either. Yuji realized he was giving all the girls a free show. Maria and Wendy's eyes were being covered by Misato to spare them the sight as they were too young. "Uh...oops?"

(LINE BREAK)

"Ah...ahh...ahhh...pushing. Ahhh...hernia," Yokoshima grunted as he pushed a crate outside of the base. Battler stood nearby, watching.

"Battler!" Battler turned his head to see Washam looking at the spectacle in annoyance.

"Hey, Dr. Washam!" Battler greeted. "What's up?"

"What the hell are these crates doing outside the base?" Washam demanded.

"Don't ask me. He was doing this when I got here. I think Yokoshima's been pushing them all morning," Battler answered, pointing at the Pillbug Cyborg and bearer of the Blue Scarab.

"Yokoshima! What the hell are you doing?" Washam yelled at Yokoshima.

As he stopped pushing the crate to catch his breath, Yokoshima replied, "You told me to clean up the storage room, Dr. Washam."

"Yeah, but all these crates can't be just laying around outside," Washam retorted, gesturing to all the crates.

"Why not?"

"What do you mean why not? They're outside!"

"He's got a good point, Dr. Washam. These crates are waterproof. Who cares if they're outside?" Battler questioned.

Washam ignored him as he reminded Yokoshima, "I told you to organize the crates. I told you to stack them in rows, remember? I said that it's just like Tetris."

"Well I did stack them like in Tetris. But every time I made full row they didn't disappear like they're supposed to!" Yokoshima snapped.

"That's not how it works!" Washam snapped.

"Actually that's exactly how Tetris works. What, you haven't played the game before?" Battler questioned.

"This is real life, Battler!" Washam shouted in annoyance.

"The only way to win is not to play," Yokoshima quoted.

Battler suggested, "Hey, Yokoshima. Maybe you should try humming that Russian song from the game. That might make them disappear."

"Well that's worth a shot." Yokoshima said. he cleared before beginning to sing "Dee dee dee, dee dee dee, deedeedee, deedeedee... Deedeedee, deedeedee!"

"Stop that," Dr. Washam hissed.

"Deedeedee, deedeedee deedeedee, deedeedee deedeedee."

"Yokoshima," Dr. Washam said in a warning tone.

"Dee dee dee deedeedee dee dee dee! Dee Da Dai! Didon don dondondon... dondon!" Yokoshima continued.

"Yokoshima!" Dr. Washam snapped.

"Sorry..." Yokoshima apologized.

Dr. Washam spoke, "Okay now that that's over with. We can't just leave everything from the storage room out in the middle of the canyon. Where are we going to put all this stuff?"

"Well, the storage room is empty," Yokoshima suggested.

Washam slapped his forehead "Uh! Okay, great. Let's put it all in there."

"And I'll get back to work!" Yokoshima sang, "Deedeedee deedeedee dee dee dee."

"YOKOSHIMA!"

"Sorry..."

"Well, if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna go and see Junior. Later!" Battler said before entering the base. "Hey, Junior!"

"Honk!"

(LINE BREAK)

"Alan, Shinichi, thanks for coming on short notice," said Inspector Akasaka as he welcomed Alan and Shinichi into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The young Lantern was wearing a visitor's pass.

"So, what is it about this time?" Alan asked. Whenever Inspector Akasaka would call them, it was always to help solve cases which were beyond what the department were used to dealing with.

"My guess is that it's something freaky as usual," commented Shinichi.

"Come with me," said Akasaka as he brought Alan into the coroner's office. "I don't normally do this, but since I've gotten some pretty weird cases, I know that I can only turn to you."

"So, what is it you want us to do?" Alan inquired.

Inspector Akasaka gestured towards the operating table where a body lay. Over the body was a sheet of cloth which covered everything but the feet. A tag was tied to one of the toes. "I want you to take a look at this body here."

"A murder?" Alan asked.

"Not exactly," said Inspector Akasaka. "He and two others were involved in a bank robbery the other day. The other two escaped but this one was killed at the crime scene. His weapon is stored in the evidence room right now but I can show it to you later."

Akasaka pulled the cloth down to reveal the man's face. He was pale, with sunken eyes. Of course what got Shinichi & Alan's attention were the piercings done on the sides of the head as well as the hole on the top.

"Damn, this looks like a bad piercing accident," commented Shinichi. "What happened to him?"

Alan asked, "And who was he?"

"Fingerprint and dental records identify him as Takuya Yagami," Akasaka said as he looked at the clipboard. "He was reported missing 5 weeks ago."

"5 weeks ago?" Alan asked. "Then he turns up at a bank robbery, holding it up with two others?"

"That doesn't seem normal," Shinichi added.

"It isn't normal," Akasaka said. "But there's something else." There was a tray covered by a sheet of cloth and Akasaka took off the cloth and Alan's eyes widened. "He was wearing this on his head." It was metal, saucer-shaped, with four spider-like legs sticking up in the air as it was lying on its back. A blood-stained spike stuck out of its body, pointing up like its legs.

"It's a Cyberdrone," Alan identified.

"So, both of you have seen one of these things before?" Akasaka questioned.

"Yes, a long time ago," Shinichi said.

Alan studied the dead Cyberdrone and looking at the bloodstained legs and spikes siad,, "This thing was attached to his head, the spike and legs going into his brain. It was controlling him, like a puppet." He saw the bullet hole, which had pierced the eye.

"Nice shot," admired Shinichi. It had gone clean through.

"It was. No matter how many times we shot at him, he wouldn't go down. It took a direct hit to the thing on his and he just died," Akasaka added. "I lost a lot of good men too."

"That means he'd been dead ever since this thing attached itself to him," Alan concluded. "He was reported missing for five weeks, right? That was how long he's been a puppet."

"Where did it come from?" Akasaka asked.

"Remember the DALEKs?" Alan asked and he saw Akasaka's eyes widen. The DALEKs, even though their worldwide attack had been short, still left plenty of people emotionally scarred and traumatized. They had appeared and attacked, following Shiro's orders to cause as much death and destruction as they possibly. The attack had been a distraction so Shiro could destroy another one of the sealing stones in Kyoto. It had been effective on another, planting the fear of DALEKs into the memory of the people who'd survived. The mention of the name 'DALEK' could bring up feelings of terror in the weak and strong-hearted alike. The name, however, brought nothing but anger, hatred and disgust to Alan. "Well, this thing was made by the same guy who built those things."

"You mean the person who made those _things _made this?" Akasaka asked and Alan nodded to confirm.

"Yeah, but he's supposed to be dead," Shinichi told him. Alan was visibly upset and angry too. He was a Green Lantern and his job was to protect the innocent. To see this happen to someone made him sick.

"Could I see the weapon?" Alan requested.

Akasaka took Shinichi and Alan to the evidence room and after signing in, the three of them found the section for recently acquired evidence. "Here it is," said Akasaka as he took down the box. Putting it down, Akasaka opened it up and took out a zip lock bag and handed it to Alan. Alan held it and his eyes widened as he examined it.

"I've seen this before," said Alan. It was a pistol with a barrel shaped like a DALEK gunstick. The only wielder. He took out his Sonic Screwdriver and pushed the tip up to increase its power. Akasaka cocked an eyebrow as he watched Alan hold the tube-shaped device over the bag, a green light shining on the tip as it made a faint buzzing sound.

"What is that?" Akasaka asked as he'd never seen Alan use the device before.

"Sonic Screwdriver," Shinichi answered. He noted Akasaka's skeptical look. "Yes, I know it doesn't look like a screwdriver but it's sonic and way beyond anything that can be built here on Earth, at this time"

"So, it's alien?" Akasaka asked.

"The screwdriver or the gun?" Shinichi questioned.

"Both," Akasaka clarified.

"Oh, both were built on Earth but the Sonic Screwdriver is made using alien technology," Shinichi answered. Lala had built the original for him, which got destroyed, but then Alan built a new one.

"The gun's advanced but it's not alien." Alan grimaced. "It's the same." He then used his Sonic Screwdriver to permanently disable the gun. It was still charged and could become dangerous. "Here, I disabled it for you. It will never fire again," informed Alan as he handed the bag back to Akasaka.

"So, the guy who built that spider-drone-"

"Cyberdrone," Alan interrupted, correcting the inspector.

"Right, so the guy who built that Cyberdrone and this gun is the same one who made those DALEK things."

"Yeah, but he's dead," said Shinichi .

"How can you be sure?"

"We were there," Shinichi and Alan answered in unison.

"He got absorbed by a eight-headed dragon," Alan added. "Then I blew up the eight-headed dragon."

"Nothing could've survived that. Not even him," Shinichi added. "You can bet on that."

"So, the big question is, how did these things get here?" Alan asked.

(LINE BREAK)

After Yokoshima had returned the crates to the storage room, he and Battler were summoned by Dr. Magi. He needed them for a mission.

"Now, as you know, GIN-SHOCKER has warehouses hidden all over the world. It is where equipment and weaponry is stored away for safe keeping and later use. Since the organization disbanded, I've been taking advantage of the situation by getting replacement equipment from there," Dr. Magi explained.

"Wow, that explains how you can run this place so well without going bankrupt. That's a money saver," Battler commented, impressed.

"Yes, even though ARMOR did help build this base for us, GIN-SHOCKER technology should be compatible. If not, it could be modified to be compatible," Dr. Magi replied.

"So, you want us to go and get you some stuff, huh, Pops?" questioned Yokoshima. "Piece of cake."

"There's more. You see, I also want to send two others to keep an eye on the both of you," answered Dr. Magi.

"Keep an eye on us?" Battler asked, feeling slightly offended by the lack of trust. "What for?"

"Dr. Washam informed me that Yokoshima misunderstood his orders to clean up the storage room by taking out all the crates and leaving them out in the canyon," Dr. Magi answered.

"Anyone could make that mistake. Besides, how was I supposed to clean the storage room with all those boxes in the way?" argued Yokoshima.

"And what about me?" Battler asked.

"Well, you just watched and didn't help," said Dr. Magi.

"I was looking after Junior," Battler retorted. "Little guy needs my attention or he gets cranky!"

"Yes...cranky..." sighed Dr. Magi, knowing that a cranky Junior tended to bite people. "Still, you're going to need help." He handed the two a list. "Here's the list of things I want you to bring back."

"Damn!" Yokoshima exclaimed after reading it. "Wait, is that a decimal or comma?"

"A comma," Dr. Magi clarified.

"Damn!" Yokoshima repeated.

Battler read the list, "There's no way we can carry all that stuff back here ourselves, super strength or not."

"Which is why I said you'll need help and supervision. Fortunately, the twins were free and they were happy enough to help out," Dr. Magi informed them.

"Twins?" echoed Yokoshima and Battler in unison.

(LINE BREAK)

The Teleportal opened allowing Battler, Yokoshima and the twins to step out and stand in the middle of a forest. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere near the warehouse," said Yokoshima.

"Couldn't he have opened the Teleportal _inside _the warehouse and save us the trouble?" Battler complained.

"The warehouse has a sort of disruption field around it preventing a Teleportal from opening inside. We can't get a lock on to the exact coordinates because of it but we can set coordinates nearby," Yokoshima explained.

"Hey, we're wasting time here," said Mion Sonozaki. "Dr. Magi did tell us he needs all the stuff on the list.

"Yes, and it wouldn't be nice to keep him waiting," agreed Shion Sonozaki.

"Right, let's go," Yokoshima said as he led the way.

"The warehouse is that way," Mion pointed to the opposite direction.

Yokoshima turned and walked in that direction, "Like I said, let's go."

"Why do I get the feeling this won't be an easy job?" mumbled Shion.

"I'm getting the same feeling, but I doubt it'd be _that _bad," said Mion.

It didn't take long for them to find the warehouse, which was camouflaged. "OK, if I remember correctly..." Yokoshima murmured as he entered the entry code on the keypad. "Aha! Open Sesame!"

The door opened for them.

"What was the code?" Battler asked.

"No way can I tell you that!" Yokoshima huffed defensively.

"Come on, I wanna see what's inside," said Mion eagerly. She had never seen a GIN-SHOCKER warehouse up-close or the inside of one before.

"Onee, you can be such a kid," Shion giggled. They entered and the door shut behind them, leaving them in total darkness.

"Wow, it's dark," said Battler.

"Don't worry. I'll find a light switch," said Yokoshima. He felt around and his hand landed on something soft.

"Hey!" Mion yelled.

**SLAP!**

"OK, that wasn't it," Yokoshima said as he felt around again and his hand landed on something soft again.

"Stop that!" Shion yelled as she smacked him.

**SLAP! **

The lights turned on. "Oh yeah, it was a clapper," Yokoshima realized. He saw that Shion, Mion and Battler were frozen, eyes wide. "What?" He blinked and drawled, "There's something horrible behind me, isn't there?" He turned and his eyes widened in horror as he stood face to face with a DALEK. Backing away in fright, he realized that they were standing in a room filled with DALEKs.

"DALEKS!" Battler aimed his gun hand at the DALEKs as Yokoshima's arms turned into energy blasters which he aimed at the mechanical menaces. They were ready to fight. However, the DALEKs weren't moving. They were just standing there, motionless. Their eyestalks were hanging along with their plunger and gunstick arms.

"OK, why are they just standing there?" asked Shion as she and her terrified twin hugged each other.

"Wait a minute," Yokoshima said as he scanned them. He was relieved when he discovered something from them. "Everyone, relax. They're just empty shells." He demonstrated by rapping one on the dome with his knuckle. It did not respond to it. "See?" He lightly shoved it back. No response.

"Empty...?" Battler cautiously poked one in the eye. It didn't react. "Empty..." he repeated as he breathed in relief.

They don't even have active power cells," added Yokoshima.

Mion asked, terrified, as she demanded an explanation "But what the are these things doing here!?"

"My guess is Shiro must've found this place and used it for extra storage space," Yokoshima assumed. Looking closer, he noticed that the DALEK units were covered in a thin layer of dust. "Must've been here for months."

"How much extra space would he need?" Shion questioned. "Didn't he have a giant pyramid-shaped base?"

"You can never have too much storage space. Ask my dad. He had to have an extra storage shed built just for his collection of cowboy movies he loves so much," said Battler.

"Come on, let's just go find whatever it is Dr. Magi wants and get away from these killer saltshakers of death," said Mion, uncomfortable at the sight of DALEKs. Even if Shiro's ultimate plan had failed, the plan to cement DALEKs as an object of fear in people had succeeded.

"The sooner we get home the better," said Shion, rubbing her arm. She just felt a chill as she looked at the DALEK units. These things had attacked Hinamizawa and attempted to exterminate all of the villagers. Shinichi had come in time to prevent that. They walked deeper into the warehouse, avoiding the DALEK units out of discomfort rather than fear.

"Let's split up," suggested Mion. "We can cover more ground that way and get Dr. Magi what he needs faster."

"Good idea," Yokoshima agreed.

"You still have to do the heavy lifting, though," Shion added. "Bye." The twins walked off.

"Women, huh?" Battler remarked, recalling his his mom and Beato would get him to carry their shopping bags.

"I hear ya," Yokoshima agreed. "Still, we are the men. We bring home the bacon and carry the heavy stuff."

(LINE BREAK)

"So, which crate are we supposed to be looking for?" Battler asked. Yokoshima looked it up on a sheet of paper.

"GS-098G-XG-556," Yokoshima read.

"Geez, couldn't they just label this stuff with simple words," said Battler as he looked around for the crate marked with that serial number.

"They just think putting a random combination of numbers and letters together would be-" Battler suddenly shushed him, which Yokoshima thought was rude. "Hey!"

"Do you hear something?" Battler asked.

"Sorry, but not all of us have your super-sensitive hearing, Battler," Yokoshima remarked. Battler put a finger to his lips and did a 'follow me' gesture. The Pillbug Cyborg followed the the redhead and they turned a corner before stopping.

It was another area filled with DALEKs, which were hopefully dead. However, one of them was not dead as it was moving.

"Crap..." groaned Battler.

The DALEK was different from the ones they had faced before. It was completely black with silver hemispheres decorating its skirt-like lower half. Instead of appendages in front, it had them attached to the sides. It had a pair of chain-guns for arms that looked extremely deadly. It also appeared heavily armored.

It was swiveling its head around, examining the DALEK units before coming across one which drew its interest. It glided closer as the centre of its chest opened up and a plunger extended. The plunger attached itself to the back of the immobile DALEK and began to siphon energy from its power cell.

"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING DOING!?" Yokoshima shouted. The DALEK's dome head swiveled around and it leveled its eye at them as it removed its plunger.

"**TARGETS SIGHTED! OB-LIT-ER-ATE!"**

Battler deadpanned, "Nice going, dumbass."

An energy cannon extended from its chest. It was big, badass, and capable of brutal destruction. Firing off, it let loose a barrage of lethal energy bullers from its chainguns as it also fired energy blasts from its cannon. The Special War DALEK, codenamed the 'Obliterator' was aiming to kill them. Battle and Yokoshima jumped and dodged the assault, doing their best not to get hit.

"What the hell?-!" Battler shouted. "Since when do DALEKs have machine guns and laser cannons?-!"

"I don't know but it's about to get sent to the scrapyard!" Yokoshima shouted as he transformed into the Blue Beetle, forming his own laser cannon with his arms. Taking aim and powering up his weapons, he glared at the prototype Dalek. "Suck on this, ya evil metal bitch!"

**BOOM!**

Blue Beetle and Battle stared at the cloud of smoke and the sounds of metal hitting the floor. The two looked at one another, giving eachother a high five until a new sound made them gap at the smoke cloud in fear.

**"TARGETS HAVE BECOME HOSTILE! TARGETS ARE NOW A LEVEL 4 THREAT! TARGETS SHALL NOW BE DEALT WITH!" **it shouted as it came out of the smoke cloud, its body only slightly singed from Blue Beetle's attack. **"OB-LIT-ER-ATE!"**

"What the fuck?-!-!-!" Blue Beetle screamed as he and Battler dodged more gunfire. "What is this thing on!? Steroids?-!"

Mion and Shion had heard the commotion and the eldest twin asked, "What's going on?"

"Never mind that right now!" Battler shouted "Everyone, hold hands and brace yourselves!" They didn't question or hesitate as they did as told before they were teleported away to safety.

(LINE BREAK)

"That's strange," said Dr. Magi. "It seems as though I've lost contact with them."

"Is something the matter, Dr. Magi?" Rika asked as she walked over with her boyfriend Kai. She and Kai had been using the training room for some sparring.

"It seems that I've lost contact with the team I sent to the warehouse," said Dr. Magi.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Kai questioned.

"Considering their luck, and statistics, they probably are," said Dr. Magi. He could be exaggerating, but numbers don't lie. "They probably need assistance."

"Then send us," Rika volunteered.

"If they're in trouble we should help them," agreed Kai.

"OK," Dr. Magi accepted. "I'm setting the coordinates for the warehouse."

(LINE BREAK)

As the warehouse was large, Battler had teleported himself, Mion, Shion and Blue Beetle to another area, as far away as possible from the Super DALEK trying to kill them.

"OK, we should be safe for now," said Battler as they hid behind several large containers.

"That was a DALEK! A living, moving, homicidal DALEK!" babbled Mion.

"We kinda got that while it was shooting at us!" Yokoshima shot back.

"Which it wouldn't have if you hadn't made so much noise!" Battler argued.

"OK, but why is it moving while the others aren't?" Shion asked.

"It looked like it was siphoning energy from the other inactive units," said Battler. "I don't know how long it's been active itself but long enough to drain almost every single DALEK here dry."

"So, why don't we just get out of here and bring backup?" Yokoshima asked.

"Why can't you guys just destroy it?" Mion asked.

"If we could, we would've," answered Yokoshima. "I blasted it but I didn't even make a dent. That thing seems to have been made to withstand anything and that's just its armor. It's armed to the teeth too." The chainguns and cannon were intimidating and deadly.

"It looked different too. Must be a new prototype or something," Battler added. The DALEK they had escaped from hadn't shared the standard design. Up until now, all the DALEKs had looked the same.

"I vote that we leave and lock this thing up in the warehouse permanently," recommended Mion. She really didn't want to face a DALEK.

"I thought you guys have been trained to fight DALEKs," Yokoshima pointed out.

"In the simulator, where it's safe, and the worst we have to worry about are just aches and pains!" Mion exclaimed. Battler shushed her.

"Keep it down," Battler scolded. "Now that it knows we're here it's going to come looking for us."

"It's the hunter and we're the prey," Yokoshima added.

"So, are we just going to hide?" Mion shot back.

"No, we're going to have to destroy it. It's too dangerous to leave it here alive. Who knows how long before it breaks out of this place and goes on a rampage?" Battler said. "But first, what do you girls know about DALEKs?"

"Well, they were built to kill humans," Shion answered.

"Their armor is bullet proof and they have a force field too for added protection," continued Mion.

"And their weak spot?" Battler asked.

"The eye!" the twins answered in unison.

"So, aimed for the aid and it's blind, but we still have to worry about weapons," said Yokoshima.

Now, here came Battler's 'flip the Chessboard' strategy which his mother had taught him. "Guys, I have a plan."

(LINE BREAK)

The Obliterator DALEK was seeking out its prey. Turning right into an aisle of crates and containers, it swiveled its head around, the pupil in its eyeball dialating as it focused to find and obliterate its targets.

"Hey ugly!" The Obliterator DALEK's head spun around 180 degrees and it spotted Yokoshima standing behind it. "Yoohoo! Over here!"

"**TARGET SIGHTED**!" the Obliterator DALEK screamed as it turned its body around. "**OBLITERATE!**" It began to fire its payload, a deadly salvo of energy bullets being expelled by the chainguns. Yokoshima screamed as he ran to the right with the DALEK in hot pursuit. "**CEASE RUNNING! CEASE RUNNING AND BE OBLITERATED!**"

"I'm not that stupid!" Yokoshima shouted as he dodged the chainguns. The energy cannon came into play and was fired. Yokoshima immediately laid flat on the floor as the energy burst flew over him, hitting and destroying several crates and containers in front of him. "Yikes!" He stood up and continued running, dodging the Obliterator DALEK as it continued to fire.

Once Yokoshima had led the Obliterator DALEK into an open area of the warehouse. Battler, standing atop a container, shouted, "NOW!"

Mion came out of hiding from between two containers and aimed a high tech gun at the DALEK's back. It resembled a rifle, but with a capsule-shaped container attached on top. She'd gotten it from one of the crates. "Hey, trashcan! Check me out!" The Obliterator DALEK spun its head around to look just in time as Mion pulled the trigger. The gun fired a sphere of blue goo which hit the DALEK's eyeball, blinding it.

"**VISION IMPAIRED! VISION IMPAIRED!**" the Obliterator DALEK screamed in what appeared to be panic as it started to fire its chainguns in random directions.

"PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S MORE TO THIS PLAN!?" Yokoshima hollered as he and Mion ducked for cover.

The answer came in the form of Kamen Rider Nigo and Meta leaping off their perches and attacking the now blind Obliterator DALEK with a Double Rider Kick. The Obliterator DALEK was sent skidding out of control before it went crashing straight into a container.

"TAKE COVER!" Meta shouted as the container exploded.

**KA-BOOM! **

It had been a container filled filled with volatile explosives and the unstable contents had detonated when the DALEK smashed into them, consuming the DALEK in flames.

The four of them admired what they had done. They had stopped what had to be the most powerful DALEK they had ever seen.

"Yay, you killed it!" Yokoshima cheered but then he went pale as the DALEK came out of the smoke. "Oh hell, you didn't kill it!"

"You just had to jinx it," Meta grumbled. The blue goo in its eye was also gone now as the DALEK glared at them. Its force field had protected it from the blast but it had also been weakened as a result. The left chain guns were damaged, though.

"**OBLITERATE!**" it shouted as it fired its energy cannon and they leapt out of the way before they were killed.

(LINE BREAK)

Meanwhile, not too far away, a Teleportal opened up in front on the warehouse entrance. Rika entered the code and the entrance opened up for them. Going inside, they saw smoke rising into the air and the sound of laser fire as well as screaming.

"I guess Dr. Magi was right. They are in trouble," said Kai.

"Come on, let's go save their skins," said Rika as she donned Kamen Rider X's armor.

"Right behind you, Rika," Kai said.

(LINE BREAK)

Blue Beetle, Ichigo, Nigo and Meta were sent flying into the air by an explosion. They went sprawling all over the floor. The Obliterator DALEK studied their prone forms and compared their images to those in its memory banks. They were labeled as Kamen Riders and Kamen Riders were the enemy. Thus, enemies would be obliterated on the spot.

Training its cannon and charging it up the DALEK prepared to obliterate them with extreme prejudice. "**OBLITE-**"

A bolt of lightning struck the DALEK in the back, stunning it instantly as it went sliding forward, electricity crackling all over its body.

"Huh? Where did that come from?" Meta asked and he spotted Kai and Kamen Rider X.

"Rika-chan!" Nigo said in relief.

"Hey, dudes," Kai waved.

"Are you all OK?" Kamen Rider X asked.

"We're fine, for the most part. Still alive, definitely," said Meta.

"Is that a DALEK?" Kai asked. It didn't look like the ones they had found along the way.

"It may not look like the rest but it's just as nuts," said Blue Beetle. "It's been trying to kill us since we got here."

"Well, don't worry. I think I must've short-circuited it with my lightning," boasted Kai. With its force field weakened, there was no way for it to protect itself.

"**OBLITERATE!**"

"Or not," Kai corrected as the Obliterator DALEK stood in the distance. It aimed its energy cannon and prepared to fire. However, when it tried, nothing came out. The cannon was just spewing out nothing. "**WEAPONS MALFUNCTION! FIREPOWER IS INSUFFICIENT! FIREPOWER IS INSUFFICIENT!**"

"I think you damaged its weapon system," Kamen Rider X praised Kai.

"Yeah, that was so my plan," bragged Kai. Blue Beetle strode over to the Obliterator DALEK condescendingly.

"Look at you! Without your guns your nothing but a walking, talking trashcan! What are you gonna do now, huh? Huh?" He poked its eye. "Huh? What are ya gonna do now?"

"Yokoshima, I don't think it's a good idea to taunt the crazy killing machine," advised Ichigo.

"But it can't kill us now! How is it going to kill us without its weapons?" Blue Beetle questioned, mocking the Obliterator DALEK at the same time.

"**INITIATE SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE!**"

"Oh, _that_." Blue Beetle sweatdropped.

"**COMPLETE SELF-DESTRUCTION IN 30 SECONDS!**" If it was going to die, it was going to kill them as well.

"RUN!" X screamed.

"YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL ME TWICE!" Kai yelled.

(LINE BREAK)

"_Dr. Magi, open a Teleportal, NOW!_" Rika shouted from the other end.

"Alright!" Dr. Magi opened up the Teleportal. The instant he did, he saw them running for him, followed by an explosion. The explosion sent them flying out of the Teleportal, tumbling along the floor of the Hive's Main Hall. Dr. Magi closed the Teleportal after that and looked to see Mion, Shion, Rika, Kai, Yokoshima and Battler intact but spooked.

"So, what happened?" he asked. They gave him a very detailed report about what had happened. Dr. Magi listened and understood. "So, Shiro was using that warehouse to store his DALEKs and you came across a stronger and deadlier model."

"With BIG guns," Yokoshoma added for emphasis.

"Well, then it's a good thing that it's destroyed. It's a shame about the warehouse though. There was a lot of equipment there we could've used," lamented Dr. Magi sadly. He looked at the satellite image to see a huge crater in place of the warehouse. "A shame."

(LINE BREAK)

"Hey, Alan. Don't you think it's there's been a lot of coincidences lately?" Shinichi asked. He and Alan were sitting in a booth in Angel Mort with Celine and Alice, having cake and milkshakes.

"You mean like Cyberdrones attaching themselves to people's heads and turning them into meat puppets?" questioned Alan.

"And not just that. I mean Satoko and Satoshi told me that they got attacked by their abusive uncle who'd come back as a deranged Cyberman, and just recently I heard from Dr. Magi that some of the others found a warehouse filled with DALEKs and a new model of DALEK unit with new weapons and armor," Shinichi added. "Then Yuji told me he got attacked by a Cyberdrone this morning while in the bathroom. Not to mention I've been attacked by..." He paused as he chose his words carefully around children. "...Cyberman and DALEK hybrids." He originally wanted to use the term 'bastard children of a Cyberman and DALEK.' "I mean, the one thing they have in common is _him _and we both know what happened to him."

Shiro Juuyon had once been a cyborg of GIN-SHOCKER, created to replace Shinichi. He had been destroyed but then revived as a bio-android by the Religion of Crime. He had attempted to revive the Yamata no Orochi, building DALEKs and Cybermen to act as his soldiers. He had been killed though, a victim of his own hubris. However, even without him, his creations were still able to act independantly. The DALEKs had left Earth to become stronger elsewhere and the Cybermen had attempted to recreate their Cyber Master in Detroit. There had also been that Cybermen tomb but Shogo had blown it up.

"Shinichi, you and I both know more than anybody that in this line of work there are no such things as coincidences," said Alan grimly. He poked at his cake and repeated, "No such things as coincidences." It was no coincidence that they were still dealing with Shiro's legacy. Even when dead he still manages to be a menace. Alan let a out sigh as he added, "I miss the days when the worst I had to deal with was Black Hand putting me in a cliche death trap or Shark trying to eat me..."

(LINE BREAK)

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, the words "**SPECIAL WAR DALEK...CODENAME: OBLITERATOR...HAS BEEN DESTROYED**" went across a monitor screen.

"**A shame. It would have been useful. At least I still have my other projects,**" a deep, distorted electronic voice spoke.

(LINE BREAK)

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: The Obliterator DALEK here is based on both the Special Weapons Dalek from "Remembrance of the Daleks" and Dalek STORM.**

(LINE BREAK)

**"Eternal Winter"**

Kintaro Mitsuhide was reading a book in his study when he heard a knock at his door. "Enter," he allowed and it opened to reveal his butler. "What is it?"

"Sir, there is someone here to see you. It's your sister," the butler informed him. Kintaro had only one sister.

"Send her in," Kintaro ordered and the butler allowed Shiori entry into Kintaro's study. "Hello, Shiori," he greeted politely as he stood up. "What brings you here?"

"This isn't a social call, Kin-niisama. I actually came asking for your…for your…" She bit her lip and spat it out, "Help." Just saying it made her want to wash out her mouth.

"You want my help?" Kintaro questioned. He knew he wasn't Shiori's favorite brother. After all, he took a lot after their father who'd driven Shiori away. "Why not ask Gintaro?"

"Because Gin-niisama doesn't have the same connections you do, which I need," Shiori admitted.

"Alright, now what do you want?" Kintaro asked, curious. If Shiori was desperate enough to come to him for help then he might as well give her a few minutes of his time. Despite not being on such good terms, they were still family.

"I want to start a campaign to support the Kamen Riders," Shiori told him causing his eyebrows to raise slightly.

"You must be joking, Shiori," remarked Kintaro.

"I'm serious, Kin-niisama," said Shiori. "The Riders are being persecuted on the media by that DJ Mikogami."

"Even if I did say yes, you know that even I can't change public opinion." That video which was shown on TV showing the NEO-NUMBERS at their worst had really affected public opinion on them, though it was slowly changing. However, there were still those who believed they were dangerous. "Plus Mikogami has devoted fans who hang on his every word," said Kintaro. "It would just be a waste of time and resources."

"But this could help you in the long run," suggested Shiori.

Kintaro blinked. "How so?"

"If you support the Riders whom have done so much for the world, it might help with your political career. You might even get a chance to become Prime Minister in the next election," Shiori explained. She knew what buttons to press when it concerned her eldest brother.

"Hm, you're probably right. Even if Mikogami has turned a fraction of the population against the Riders, I can't deny that they're also popular." He narrowed his eyes, "But how do I know this won't hurt me if this plan fails?"

"Because, if the Riders are a symbol and if they were as terrible as Mikogami had claimed them to be they would've attacked him in retaliation by now," Shiori said.

"True…" Kintaro nodded.

"So, do we have a deal?" Shiori questioned.

Kintaro's face scrunched up in thought and consideration. He could win support by supporting the Riders whom have done a lot of good despite the bad they did in the past. Shiori did have a point that they were popular among children who loved superheroes and the younger generation. Finding more pros than cons, he finally agreed, "Very well then. I'll lend my support in your Pro-Kamen Rider Campaign."

"Thank you, Kin-niisama."

"Just don't make me regret this," he warned her.

**(LINE BREAK)**

The time was now ripe as Felix Faust, clad in his trademark dark blue robe and cowl. The robe was accessorised by gold bands around his wrists and forehead as well as a gold belt around his waist. Held within his hands an ancient tome, older than the artifact he'd discovered months before. It was known as the Casket of Ancient Winters and there was power inside. The casket was enchanted, it needed a special key to open the lock and Felix Faust had searched a long time for the tome which contained the key. It was an incantation designed to release the seal upon the Casket of Ancient Winters.

Months ago, Felix Faust had led an expedition. He, along with a group of RoC grunts rode dog-drawn sleds across the snow. There was something he was looking for. He had a map to guide him, an ancient sheet made out of animal hide, depicting a treasure that was not meant to be found. The map had on it a set of clues that needed to be deciphered from its language and even translated it had been a riddle to solve.

But hard work paid off and Faust finally found the ice cavern. With their flashlights they had entered the cavern and much to the shock of his subordinates they had found the bodies of many dead Vikings, frozen in ice, preserved by the cold. They had probably been here for centuries, overwhelmed by the cold. However, their faces were contorted in death masks of fear and terror and they looked like they had been trying to flee from something.

In the centre of the cavern's chamber, untouched by the ice, was a coffin. Despite the ages which had past it still shone as new as if it had just been made. Crimson and gold, and locked for all eternity. It was built to keep someone out, or keep something in. Faust had been pleased as he admired the Casket of Ancient Winters, the final resting place of the God of Blizzards, Iceon. But the time of admiration was over. It was time to conduct the ritual.

Frost opened the tome to the specific page and read its text which was written in an ancient language. However, years of study had allowed him to understand and pronounce the text properly. Mistakes were not an option as one error could spell disaster.

As soon as he finished reading the final line of text, the Casket of Ancient Winters emitted a glow which slowly faded.

Faust nodded and turned to the men in the chamber with him. "Open the casket," he ordered. These men, with Cyberdrones mounted on their heads, obeyed without question. Faust smiled in approval. These 'Robomen' as they were called did have their uses after all.

The six Robomen each grabbed hold of the Casket's lid and lifted. As soon as they did, a powerful blizzard burst from the Casket. Faust protected himself with a spell but the Robomen were not as lucky as they were hit with the gale of frost winds. They had been frozen instantly. A mist had formed around the Casket as a figure rose up. It spoke, in a deep voice, "Who here has disturbed my slumber?"

"It is I, Felix Faust, a simple sorcerer and your faithful servant," Faust introduced himself. "I was the one who awoke you, Lord Iceon."

(LINE BREAK)

Alan was headed home after he went out to do some shopping. He even bought a new manga for Celine and Daiki to enjoy. He suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose. "That's weird...it felt chilly all of a sudden."

That was when snow began to fall, right in the middle of September.

(LINE BREAK)

Faust had finally revived the great Blizzard God Iceon. Using his lies and power of persuasion, the sorcerer was able to convince the Blizzard God that he wasn't the enemy. He told Iceon that humans had forgotten about him and worshipped technology. This did not sit well for Iceon, not in the least. He once lived in an era where he was worshipped and respected but now his existence had fallen into forgotten mythology.

Iceon was humanoid, to an extent. He was inhumanly tall, standing at ten feet and possessing an elegant yet imposing build. His garb resembled those worn by gladiators of ancient times and he had a stiletto (a dagger a long slender blade and needle-like point, primarily intended as a stabbing weapon) kept in a holster on his belt.

What was inhuman about him was his head which was that of a gorilla covered in snow white fur.

Wanting to see the present era for himself, Iceon disguised himself by mimicking a human teenager and decided to watch and learn. What he saw disgusted him to the core. It appeared that humans had forgotten their past and that Faust had been telling the truth, that humans had indeed become worshippers of technology. The Age of Gods had been forgotten.

Well, if that was the case than Iceon would remind them of the Age of Gods by himself!

He did not expect any opposition at all.

(LINE BREAK)

The canyon was hit by a sudden blizzard and the pool on top was frozen solid. The waterfall and lake nearby were also frozen. This was unfortunate as Daichi had been swimming with both Leviathan and Mika. Now the two girls felt chilly as they were wearing bikinis that didn't offer much protection in the cold.

"OK, I thought this canyon maintained a tropical climate all year round!" complained Leviathan as she shivered.

"Wait, where's Daichi?" Mika asked and the ice erupted. Climbing out of the frozen pool was Daichi and the girls gasped. "Daichi!"

"Dai!" Leviathan cried as she went and helped her boyfriend out.

"I...H-h-hate...I-i-ice...!" he stuttered. Even a Cyborg like him didn't like extremely low temperatures.

"Come on, we should get you inside before you catch your death of cold," Mika advised as she and Leviathan led him towards the roof entrance/exit.

(LINE BREAK)

Dr. Magi and Dr. Washam were checking the news all over the world and they all reported the same thing. Every continent on Earth was suffering from the strange and extreme weather which had hit every country and nation. Even countries that didn't get this kind of weather like Malaysia and Africa were affected.

"This is not your typical weather," said Dr. Magi.

"Do you think it's artificial? Man-made?" Dr. Washam asked.

"It wasn't cause by natural means, that's for sure," said Dr. Magi. "We better call everyone and figure out what's causing all this."

Before Washam could agree, they saw Mika and Leviathan helping Daichi out of the elevator, dragging him into the Main Hall and setting him down on a chair.

"Good Lord! What happened to him?" Dr. Washam asked as he went to check up on the cyborg. He noticed that he'd turned slightly blue due to exposure to the cold.

"We were swimming in the pool when the blizzard hit. Daichi was underwater so he got very chilly," answered Mika.

"Will he be OK?" Leviathan asked.

"He should be OK. He was designed to survive harsh climates. However, I recommend you both to take him to the get him warmed up before he catches frostbite or worse," advised Dr. Washam.

"Right!" the two girls agreed as they gently lifted Daichi up to get him to take a warm bath in order to get him nice and warm.

"We really need to call the others," said Dr. Washam to Dr. Magi.

(LINE BREAK)

"Snow! Snow!" Sho cheered as he was running out into the front lawn in winter clothes. He jumped into the snow and flipped onto his back, making snow angels. "Mama, look! Snow!"

Shiori stepped out, wearing a warm coat and held her hand out to catch snowflakes. There was snow falling but it wasn't even winter yet. It was the beginning of fall. Of course, she was smart enough to see that this was not some kind of joke. It really was snowing. Unfortunately, it was happening off season.

And on the news, she learnt it was happening all over the world. Nobody knew the cause of this phenomenon and even if her youngest child was having fun in the snow like all children his age. Well, it just didn't seem normal.

(LINE BREAK)

"This isn't natural," said Amora as she looked out the window. Down in the front lawn of the boarding house, Daiki, Celine and Alice were playing in the snow without a care. They had just built a snowman together and were now having an innocent snowball fight.

"Why? They seem to be having fun," said Lala.

"It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, Lala," warned Amora. There was a strange chill in the air, and not the type of chill associated with winter. This was unnatural, completely unnatural, and not some man-made aberration. The Norse Goddess had actually heard of such a phenomenon.

Alan had just returned and was swarmed by Lala and Celine upon his return. The Green Lantern knew from the get-go that the weather wasn't normal and not just because it was off-season. He was actually feeling chilly and considering his altered physiology due to the nanites rewriting his DNA, that was not possible anymore. The cold shouldn't effect him at all.

(LINE BREAK)

Maria and Wendy, a Witch and a Manakyte, could sense that things were not normal. Even Phoebe could tell. She was a magic-using Pokegirl so she could sense a sort of mystical quality effecting the weather. Manakytes were also closely linked to the elements.

Even Asura herself didn't like the weather and not because of her nature as a fire devil.

"Look baby, snow," Yūji beamed as he held his daughter, the two looking out the window. Yuna giggled in her father's arms as she patted the cold window.

"Something seems off about this," Misato frowned.

"You don't think I know that?" Yūji retorted as he looked to his wife. "It's like what, Autumn or something? Hm, lost track... Anyway, I can tell this ain't natural, especially this level of snowfall."

It was getting hard for vehicles to move with the thick snow covering the roads. And even if there wasn't snow, the roads were slippery as they were covered in ice. Too dangerous for driving.

"Any idea of what's causing it, Papa?" Maria asked.

"In my experience, it's either magic, a demon, some idiot who screwed up a science project or, in the rarest case, all of the above," Yūji listed. "Doubting the last one though..."

"Or it's your sister and her Pokegirl just fooling around with their powers," Sora offered.

"Come on, you know Yuki," Yūji reprimanded, "She never screws around. And Crystal is ten times as serious. Nah, whatever's going on here is something freaky. And if there's many things I don't like, is freaky."

"Well then, that just means this whole world is in trouble, again," said Misato. She turned on the TV and the news was on each channel reporting the weather. "Well, at least there's no change in the North and South Poles."

"How can you tell? It's all ice and snow anyway," remarked Stella.

"Well, better call the others so we can figure out who's screwing around this time," Yūji suggested. Before Yuji could make the call, his communicator alerted him. It was a call from Dr. Magi, summoning him and the others to the Hive.

(LINE BREAK)

In Jersey City, Crystal, Yuki and Rhea were also witnessing snow falling and already covering the city in a white blanket. Yuki's eyes were narrowed. As an Ice Manakyte she instantly knew that this weather was unnatural. She also knew it was not man-made. No, it was caused by supernatural means.

"If things weren't so weird, I would actually enjoy this weather," Crystal frowned as she lay in bed.

"You know, your brother might blame you for this," said Rhea.

"Onii-sama knows I wouldn't do something like this. He's know I'm not capable of it. No, something or someone with a lot of power is doing all this," said Yuki.

(LINE BREAK)

In Paris, Yuri commented, "Wow, Christmas came early."

"This isn't natural, my dear husband," said Anastasia as she put Anita in warm clothes. "I also fear that this is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Hah! You made a cold joke!" Yuri laughed but then his expression turned serious. "But you're right, Ana. This ain't right and even if I love it when things go crazy and chaotic I just don't like it."

"Especially when it isn't you causing the chaos," Shego remarked.

"Damn right," Yuri agreed. "And if I was behind it, I would let everyone know too!"

"And how would that be?" Anastasia asked.

"He'd leave a huge sign in a flat plain of snow that would read _'I'm Yuri __Fucking __Fudo and I made the entire world snow. Thank me later, bitches.'_ and broadcast on every channel all over the world," Shego answered.

"Speaking of broadcast, it says here that every body of water in the world is frozen, even the ocean," said Kikyo as she checked the news. Lakes, ponds, rivers and all the Seven Seas had been covered in a thick sheet of ice.

"See, and it would take me forever to freeze all that shit," Yuri supported.

"What about your sister?" Anastasia questioned.

"She'd never do something like this because even she doesn't have the level of speed and power to do this and it's not her style," Yuri defended.

(LINE BREAK)

Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu were both concerned as well. So, they decided to call Alan over to inform him of what was going on. Shinichi and Rena, their neighbors, were called as well. Amora decided to tag along with Alan.

The demi-goddesses served their guests tea as they sat down together in the living room.

"So, what is this about?" Shinichi asked.

"Alan, do you remember what Lord Regulus told you about the gods of this world?" Tsukuyomi asked

"Well, he said there were many who abused their powers and that some of you signed a pact of non-intervention that limited their control over the world thus weakening the gods that abused their powers allowing humans to regain free will," Alan answered.

"Correct, but do you know what happened to those who didn't sign that pact?" Amaterasu questioned.

"No, I don't. What happened?" He was guessing that he wouldn't like the answer.

"Many of those who were against the pact were either killed or sealed away," Amaterasu said "One of them was a god called Iceon."

"I've never heard of him," Alan said.

"He is an old god, from a culture that died out eons ago," Tsukuyomi said. "But that has not stopped Iceon who believed that the humans were nothing more than slaves. It was a tough battle but we were finally able to trap him in something called the Casket of Ancient Winters."

It was at this moment that Amora who'd been having drinking tea did a spit-take. She coughed and Rena rubbed her back.

"I take it you have heard of it," said Amaterasu, noting Amora's reaction.

"Well, yes and no. We have something like that back in my universe," Amora said, somewhat surprised that there was a version of the casket in this universe.

"Ano, how can you be sure this is caused by this Iceon?" asked Rena.

"Only he would be capable of this kind of devastation," answered Tsukuyomi, completely certain. "Someone must've found his tomb and freed him."

"OK, so this guy is tough by god standards. We get it. Is there anyway to defeat him?" Shinichi asked.

"First you need to find him, but since this unnatural winter is caused by him, his magical energy is saturated in the air. It will be like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Amaterasu.

"Well, fortunately for you, you have the Enchantress on your side," boasted Amora.

"Amora, you can find the source?" asked Alan.

"Oh, do you doubt me, my beloved Alan?" Amora asked.

Shinichi got a call, summoning them to the Hive. "We have to go."

(LINE BREAK)

Faust was impressed by the sheer devastation Iceon was causing on the Earth and it had only taken him a few hours to cover the world in snow. It wouldn't be long until a second Ice Age began.

"Lord Iceon, I would like to say that it is a splendid idea to start a second Ice Age," Frost praised as he knelt before Iceon.

"Covering the world in ice and snow is only the first part of my plan," Iceon clarified. He pointed his stiletto blade and shot a whitish beam that hit the ice-covered floor. Faust watched in fascination as humanoid creatures made of ice began to form, rising to full height. They looked thin and gangly, but they weren't fragile either.

"I have summoned you, my envoys for one simple task. Go forth and slay the foolish humans who've forgotten their gods and believes us to be nothing more than myths," Iceon commanded.

The creatures all bowed and answered in unison, "Your will be done, Lord Iceon," before they turned into snowflakes and scattered.

(LINE BREAK)

"We've managed to pinpoint the source of the anomaly," began Dr. Magi.

"Don't you mean _me _rather than we?" corrected Amora.

"Right...Ms. Amora was able to pinpoint the source of he anomaly using her magic," admitted Dr. Magi.

Alan went up to Amora and gave her a deep kiss. It didn't matter if everyone was watching. He wanted to show her his appreciation. "I love you, you beautiful goddess, you!"

"Thank you, Alan..." Amora purred, blushing. She was so glad she chose Alan over Thor.

Suddenly, the alarms blared as Sheila alerted, "Alert! Several hostile creatures have appeared! Alert! Several hostile creatures have appeared!" Using the Hive Satellite's camera, she got real-time video footage showing beasts made of ice attacking populated cities.

"How many of you guessed this was going to happen?" Alan asked.

"The source of this disturbance is intelligent and aware of our existence," said Amora. "We must make haste before this entire world becomes nothing more than a frozen wasteland. Not even the sun itself could melt this ice."

"She's right," agreed Amaterasu. "If I were a full goddess I could melt all the ice but I can only muster enough strength to melt just so much. If this entire planet is frozen, I doubt I could save it."

"Then we'll just have to go after the source, won't we?" Alan said. "OK, Dr. Magi, send everyone out to handle the ice beasts. Shinichi, Yuji and I will take care of the anomaly."

"I'm coming with you," Amaterasu volunteered.

"Me too," seconded Tsukuyomi.

"As will I," added Amora.

"If Yuji's gonna fight something cold he's gonna need me," said Asura.

"Ice is my specialty," offered Yuki.

"Looks like your team has spoken," smiled Yuji.

"Dr. Magi, set the coordinates. We got an Ice Age to stop," Shinichi said.

"Wait, so basically we're going to take care of the minions while you guys go after whatever's causing all this?" Yokoshima asked. He was glad he wasn't going. Minions were easier to deal with than their masters.

"Yeah, pretty much," Yuji, Shinichi and Alan answered in unison.

"Just making sure," replied Yokoshima. It was a bit freaky how in sync the three were becoming.

"Be careful," Rena said as she gave Shinichi a kiss.

"Don't worry, Rena-chan. This isn't the first time we had to fight malevolent gods," Shinichi assured her.

"You shouldn't be cocky. Iceon is an entirely different entity," Tsukuyomi cautioned.

"That's what they all say," said Alan. "Now, as the Doctor would say, _Allons-y!_"

With the teams assigned, they were sent to different corners of the world which required priority. This left the main squad to stop this 2nd Ice Age at its source.

(LINE BREAK)

In Hinamizawa and nearby Okinomiya, the NEO-NUMBERS and pseudo-Riders were taking down Ice Beasts.

In USA, the Stakes of Purgatory had to take down what appeared to be Ice Soldiers.

In Australia, Jin and Kai of Team 5D's had to fight against Ice Worms.

Members of Alan and Yuji's harems were also fighting against the threat of Iceon's forces in their own backyard.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Yuri, Anastasia and the members of his harem were fighting savagely and not showing an ounce of mercy to the cold-hearted ice creatures.

(LINE BREAK)

"Hmm..." Iceon frowned in deep thought.

"What is it, Lord Iceon?" asked Faust.

"It appears that some oddly dressed gnats are destroying my envoys," answered Iceon. He had a connection with his envoys, being able to see through their eyes. Faust frowned as he knew whom Iceon was referring to. After all, in a crisis like this, what were the odds of them not interfering?

"Should we be concerned, My Lord?" Faust questioned.

"No, it is nothing to be concerned about, Faust," said Iceon. "They may be able to destroy my envoys but as the world is now part of me they can simply regenerate. It won't matter how many times they are shattered. As long as this winter lasts, they will live forever," said Iceon before he began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Faust asked.

"It would appear that I have some uninvited guests who've snuck into my domain. I wish to give them a proper _welcome_," said the Blizzard God.

(LINE BREAK)

"Kami-sama, it's fucking freezing," Shinichi uttered with a shiver as they found themselves in an ice cavern. As soon as they stepped foot in this place, he could already feel the extremely low temperatures effecting him. "I almost feel like my circuits and systems are gonna freeze."

"Well, what did you expect, a warm reception? The guy is called Iceon," remarked Yuji. "He's not gonna keep his place nice and toasty, even for us."

"Be quiet, you two," Tsukuyomi warned. "We don't want him to know we're here."

"I'm afraid that your warning came too late, Moon Goddess Tsukuyomi." Everyone spun around and saw Iceon. He looked annoyed as he glared and sneered at them.

"How did you know we were here?" Amaterasu inquired, though she knew the answer already.

"This is my domain, Sun Goddess Amaterasu," said Iceon. "I may have been sealed away in that casket for many, many winters, but my senses are still as sharp as they were eons ago. I can still sense when demons and gods are near." He then corrected himself in amusement, "Or should I say, _former _gods." He could sense it. Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi had been demoted into demi-goddesses. In spite of their power, they were practically mortal.

Alan stepped forward, pointing his ring at Iceon and ordered, "By the authority granted to me by the Guardians of the Universe and the Green Lantern Corps, I hereby order you to cease and desist. Please return to your Casket to sleep eternally. If you do not comply, I will be forced to take extreme measures. This world just isn't big enough for you anymore."

Iceon just gawked before laughing, "Is he serious? Please, someone tell me if he's serious!" He continued to laugh but then his laughter was abruptly stopped as he was punched in jaw and sent flying into the ceiling.

"Alan?" Amora questioned.

"It's cold, I'm freezing, and I think I'm starting to develop a cold," Alan listed the reasons for his annoyance. "Do you guys think I did something unnecessary?"

Iceon crash down before them, landing on his feet. He massaged his jaw and said, "Hm...that was a surprise. I didn't think mortals still possessed such strength."

"Oh, we're all full of surprises here," said Alan. "So, do I have to repeat myself or do we have to do this the hard way?" Iceon grinned became feral as his body blew up, filling out with thick muscles. His build was no longer that of a teenager, but ripped like an Olympic-class body builder. "Well..." Alan smacked his lips. "Hard way it is then." He mumbled, "Why do they always want to choose the hard way?" He snapped his fingers, "Time to turn up the heat, people!"

Alan was suddenly backhanded by Iceon. Despite his muscle mass the Blizzard God was inhumanly fast. The force of the blow sent Alan crashing into the nearest wall, leaving a human-shaped hole on impact.

"ALAN!" Amaterasu and Amora screamed.

"Teme! Henshin!" Shinichi called out as he transformed. He charged at Iceon as his Oni armor formed in a tornado of fire, wind and lightning. Armed with the Shield of Glen, Higurashi no Yaiba and Oni Kanabo, he swung the mystically-charged weapons at Iceon's face. However, much to the Rider's shock, his attack was deflected by Iceon's stiletto. Iceon threw his fist at Showa to crush him but the Rider was able to block with the Shield of Glen. He was driven back several feet and his arm rattled from the impact.

Meanwhile, Amaterasu and Amora had gone to see if Alan was alright. They managed to get him out of the Alan-shaped hole he'd made and he shook his head left and right to get the ringing out.

"Are you alright?" Amora asked.

"I'm fine, with all things considered. Now I just have a headache to go along with my cold," Alan remarked. Amora smiled. If he could still make quips like that he was obviously fine.

"We need to find the Casket of Ancient Winters. Oonly then will we stand a chance of defeating him," said Amaterasu.

"In that case, the both of you should go further into the cavern to find it. I doubt he'll stray too far from it so it's probably someplace close," Alan instructed. "We'll handle ape-face." Both Amora and Amaterasu nodded.

Yuji rushed at Iceon, fists enveloped in flames shaped like dragon heads. He smashed a fist across the Blizzard God's face and knocked him backwards. Tsukuyomi and Asura attacked simultaneously with the demi-goddess slashing with her swords and the fire demon unleashing a burst of flame directly in his face. He put off the flames with his hand but then was kicked in the head. However, the blow had no effect on him and he grabbed hold of Showa's ankle. "Crap!" Showa screamed as he was brought down at the same time that Iceon brought his knee up.

Showa screamed as he felt like his back had been broken in two before he was tossed through the air. He went tumbling before hitting the wall. Fortunately, his Bio-Metal-plated spine wouldn't be broken so easily. Still, it hurt like hell. Iceon was immediately upon him and he stabbed his stilletto down on Showa's left arm where he wore the Shield of Glen. To his shock, his entire left arm was frozen over. "Now, I think it's best if you were disarmed." Iceon raised his foot to shatter Showa's arm into a million frozen pieces when he was struck by Yuki, Yuji and Asura who executed flying kicks together. He was driven back violently before being bombarded by a barrage of fireballs.

"Take that you Planet of the Ape rejects!" Yuji shouted as he and Asura attacked together. Yuki, along with Tsukuyomi, went to check up on him. "Are you OK?" the Ice Manakyte inquired.

"My fucking arm is frozen," Showa growled. "What the hell do you think!?"

"Sorry," Yuki apologized.

"Can you get the ice off?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Yes, but it'll take a lot of power," said Showa as he raised his body heat to the point that it would melt the ice covering his left arm. "And I think you girls need to help Alan and the others," he said, gesturing with his head in the direction of the fight.

Iceon then counted and realized something, "I seem to be missing two others." He looked behind him. "Ah, so you sent them ahead to find my Casket."

"That's right, and there's no way you're getting to them!" said Alan as he took out his Sonic Screwdriver. Pressing the button, he activated it. The ice cavern trembled and began to collapse before a cave in concealed the tunnel behind them.

"Do you think this will stop me?" Iceon challenged.

"No, but it will delay you long enough to stop your plans. Plus, I know Amora. This is her realm of expertise," said Alan confidently.

(LINE BREAK)

"It appears our exit is blocked," said Amaterasu.

"It won't matter," prompted Amora. "Come on, Alan is relying on us."

"He trusts you very much," observed Amaterasu.

"And I trust him to survive," Amora told the demi-goddess honestly. He's the reason she gave up her wicked ways after all.

Amaterasu continued to lead the way. Even if the cavern had a series of tunnels, it seemed like she was able to navigate easily. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"I can sense it," confirmed Amaterasu. "And I know Iceon's habit by heart. Destroying the Casket would destroy him so he'll likely keep it close where he can keep it safe and somewhere protected so nobody will get a chance of using it against him."

(LINE BREAK)

Yuji was knocked into the wall by a devastating punch, courtesy of a giant fist made of ice. Iceon had made it and used it on Yuji. He was upset because of the 'Planet of the Apes' insult Yuji had used. Asura and Yuki tried to attack him but they were shoved out of the way by Iceon. Yuji got up and Iceon grinned as he wrapped the lower half of his body with a tornado of snow and dove at Yuji who fired a plume of flame directly in Iceon's face who didn't seem as affected as before. He grabbed hold of Yuji's neck and lifted him up before pulling him over so they were almost nose-to-nose.

"What are you?" Iceon questioned. Yuji's response was to open his mouth and breathe fire into Iceon's face, harming his eyes. The Blizzard God screamed as he was forced to release the Manakyte.

A green anvil crashed down on Iceon's head and drove his body into the icy floor. The anvil then morphed into a jackhammer to drive him further and further down, causing the cavern to shake. Ice stalactites dropped down from the ceiling as the trembling continued before Iceon was driven all the way into the floor.

Alan banished the construct. "That should hold him for a while."

(LINE BREAK)

"There it is," said Amaterasu as she pointed at the Casket of Ancient Winters which was on the altar. There were steps leading up to it. She stepped forward but Amora held her back.

"We're not alone," said Amora and sure enough the guards stepped out of their hiding places. They were Vikings, long dead, but their bodies preserved by the cold. Their cold husks were now reanimated and being used by Iceon to guard his Casket of Ancient Winters. "And I was right." Because of the Casket's importance, Iceon would never leave it unguarded.

"They're undead, reanimated corpses," said Amaterasu.

"Then let's send them back to the grave," said Amora.

"Yes, these poor souls need to rest in peace," added Amaterasu sympathetically.

(LINE BREAK)

The floor exploded and both Asura and Yuki were grabbed by Iceon. He had his meaty arms around their tender bodies and he was crushing them. "It's a shame I would have to kill such lovely creatures, but you insects are threatening my plans." The two girls began to cry out in pain as the life was being squeezed out of them. Suddenly, Iceon was distracted as paper cranes flew at his face. "What is this!?" he demanded as he blew out an ice breath to freeze, the paper cranes dropping and shattering on the floor. "What was that supposed to accomplish?" Iceon questioned and he looked ahead to see Yuji charging at him.

"Hey, monkey-face!" Yuji shouted. "Have a banana!" He tossed a blue banana and Iceon opened his mouth to retort only for it to enter his mouth and get stuck in his throat. Choking, he released Yuki and Asura who dove away. "Fire in the hole!"

**KA-BOOM!**

Iceon coughed as smoke rose from his throat. A red beam from the Shield of Glen hit his chest and enclosed him in an unbreakable bubble. It contained him as he tried to break free. The bubble was to keep him in place for what was coming next.

"And now, blue boost for the green ring!" added Alan as his body glowed green with an intense emerald aura thanks to the close proximity of Yuji's ring with his own. He punched forward and shot Iceon out of the cavern with a green blast of swirling energy. "And that is how it's done in my universe!"

"You ring-slingers are just huge showoffs, you know that?" Showa commented, arms crossed.

"Don't be a hater," Yuji quipped.

"So, is he dead?" Asura asked.

"No, he isn't," Alan frowned. "Ever tried killing a god? It's never easy."

"When has it ever been easy?" Showa remarked. "But at least he's out there." He looked to the caved in tunnel. "Hey, do you think they're OK?"

"My sister should be fine," said Tsukuyomi. "She may not seem like it, but she's a force to be reckoned with even as a demi-goddess."

"And don't underestimate Amora. She's been known to give the Mighty Thor a run for his money," added Alan.

(LINE BREAK)

Iceon was lying in the snow and he looked unconscious. However, that was only for a moment. His eyes snapped wide open and he sat up. His nostrils flared as he inhaled and exhaled rapidly. Veins were showing all over him as he began to grow in rage and anger.

"Mortal...**SCUM**!" he roared.

(LINE BREAK)

While hidden, Faust couldn't help but admire and be awed at Amora's mystical power. He had seen her in action but only in recordings. This was the first time he'd witnessed the blonde Enchantress in action before. Such passion, such fury, and such beauty. Amora, a goddess, was so beautiful and Faust couldn't help but keep gazing upon the sexy female clad in green.

Amaterasu was hurling spheres of solar plasma at the ice zombies as Amora eliminated them with bolts of magic. The reanimated Viking corpses never even stood a chance against their divine might. It would appear that Amora detested the undead while Amaterasu pitied them. Still, the two blondes were able to finish the job as the Casket's guards were dealt with.

"And now, to procure the Casket and put an end to this arctic nightmare," said Amora as she and Conda climbed up the steps to the altar.

(LINE BREAK)

Iceon was about to go back into the cavern to teach the filthy mortals a lesson. However, he heard a voice within his mind. It was Fausts, '_Lord Iceon, you must make haste! The goddesses with golden hair have dealt with your guys and attempting to use your Casket to imprison you once more!_'

"THAT I SHALL NOT ALLOW!" Iceon roared as he turned himself into a literal blizzard.

(LINE BREAK)

Back in the cavern, Showa asked, "So, shouldn't we get rid of the rocks here?" as he pointed at the rocks piling up in front of the tunnel.

"Yeah, the girls might need to get out," Yuji agreed.

"You're right, let's get rid of this," said Alan as he prepared to lift up the rocks with his ring. Suddenly, they were all blown into the walls by a blizzard which blasted the rock barrier apart, smashing it to pieces. "WHAT!?"

From within the blizzard, Iceon's face formed as he taunted, "You mortal fools thought you could defeat me? I am a god! You re nothing! As for those treacherous goddesses, they will pay for their insolence!" He then moved into the tunnel to reach Amora and Amaterasu in order to stop them from sealing it away.

Yuki, Tsukuyomi, Asura, Yuji, Alan and Showa were dropped back to the floor. Alan recovered and ordered, "Come on!" He used his super speed to get ahead of them, followed by Showa who used Shunpo to catch up. The others went after them, running or flying as fast as they could.

(LINE BREAK)

Iceon materialised and grabbed both Amaterasu and Amora by their throats. He lifted them up and looked them both in the eye. "You wenches and your friends have become quite the thorn in my side." He then smiled unpleasantly, "However, if you plead for forgiveness I might spare you so you may _serve _me." Amora's response was to spit him in the eye.

"Get bent," Amora spat in disguse. Iceon's expression contorted into fury as he started to crush her neck when all of a sudden the Kusanagi no Tsurugi was thrown, piercing his wrist. Roaring, he released Amora who gasped for air. Amaterasu was still in his grip but he released her too when the a pair of katana pierced his other wrist, dropping the Sun Goddess.

"Keep your mitts off them you damn, dirty ape," Alan ordered as he quoted from a familiar movie.

"What he said," Tsukuyomi agreed. God or not, Iceon would not touch her sister in such a manner.

"Why...?" questioned Iceon. "Why do you oppose me!?"

"What can we say? We're stubborn," shrugged Yuji.

"We're persistent and we don't understand the concept of surrender," added Yuki.

Showa drew out the Sword of Ascalon and declared, "Bring Order to the Chaos, St. George!" He cut a circle of light above his head and was donned in his draconic armor. "Minna, let't take him down!"

Yuji roared as he transformed into his Enlightened Manakyte Form. In this state he was taller, about 6'5", and had dark metallic blue scales and a bronze chest. He had soul-piercing blue eyes, and long horns curved back from out of his hair that was slightly longer. The claws on his hands and feet were long, sharp and blade-like. His tail was also long, and his bat-like wings had a great wing span.

Asura and Yuki could only gaze at him with reddened cheeks. He appeared so majestic. He then summoned his Crimson Dragon Spear and spun the weapon around before gripping it tight within his hand.

Alan donned the Armor of Bazel, becoming the armored version of his Sentinel persona. He was more powerful, and he had Bazel aiding him. Speaking of Bazel, he'd been quiet the entire time but once his power had been envoked, he said, "Partner, let's put this monkey back on ice!"

Iceon roared and summoned his ice envoys to his side. The creatures reflected their master's fury and lunged at the heroes. Yuki, Tsukuyomi and Asura fought back, the female Manakyte drawing out her Gao Dagger with GaoPhoenix's Gao Jewel set in the guard. It ignited with phoenix flames and the ice creatures were annihilated with a single strike. She drew one of her Desert Eagles and spun in place like a figure skater, riddling them with bullets while missing her comrades.

Asura assumed her six-armed Majin form and with demonic fury lashed out with hellfire. Her main motivation for this was her dislike for the cold and Yuji's appreciation.

Tsukuyomi fought with one sword and performing Iaido which involved the rapid and smooth draw of her sword from its sheathe to slash at her opponent before sliding it back into its scabbard before repeating it again.

This left, Sentinel, Showa and Yuji to deal with Iceon personally. Yuji dashed forward, the blade of the Crimson Dragon Spear enveloped in flames. He struck and Iceon screamed from the intense heat. Showa leapt over Yuji and slashed Iceon across the chest before spinning in the air to plant his foot into the Blizzard God's face, sending him reeling. Sentinel caught him, wrapping his arms around Iceon's waist, then bent backwards to smash Iceon headfirst into the floor using a suplex hold. He then released Icean and grabbed him by his ankle to toss him into the air. In midair, Iceon was struck repeatedly by slashes from his enemies' blades. Yuji was the first who sent him spinning in the air with the Crimson Dragon Spear, followed by Showa and Alan who slashed him repeatedly with their sacred swords before blasting him to the floor with simultaneous kicks to the chest. The ground and chamber shook on impact.

Recovering, Iceon drew his stiletto dagger but it was shot out of his hand by Yuki who smiled at him. Growling, he unleashed a blizzard to freeze them. However, it did no good against Yuji and Alan who smashed their fists into his face. Alan then boxed his ears as Yuji elbowed him in the gut before the two sent him skyward with uppercuts. Jumping after him, they each grabbed an arm and flipped Iceon upside down and smashed him head first into the ground with immense force, causing the chamber to tremble again.

Faust, who'd watched in hiding while cloaking himself with magic, decided it was time to withdraw. Even he wasn't crazy enough to deal with this group on his own.

Yuji and Alan restrained Iceon as Amora and Amaterasu got the Casket of Ancient Winters ready. "Iceon, it's time for you to go back to sleep!"

"No...NOOOOOO!" Iceon roared as he struggled to free himself from the Manakyte and Green Lantern's grip.

"Hold him steady!" Showa said as he got into his stance. He then jumped into the air, an aura of a dragon surrounding him before he executed his finishing move. "_ASCALON...RIDER...KICK...!_" The aura dragon around him roared as his body ignited with black and gold flames. Yuji and Alan, once they saw Showa was closed, released Iceon who was struck directly in the chest. The wind was knocked out of him as he was blasted backwards and into the Casket of Ancient Winters. Amora put the lid of the casket on and Iceon screamed in outrage as he pounded on the inside. Amaterasu sealed the ancient object shut, trapping Iceon inside for all eternity as he returned to his slumber.

"Now, to put this thing someplace where nobody will ever find it," said Alan as his ring glowed. "Yuji, would you like to help?"

Yuji's blue ring glowed as he nodded. They shot beams at the Casket which they used to carry it out of the cavern. Once outside, they lifted off with their cargo before shooting into space. Showa looked up and murmured, "Che, show offs," but with some amusement in his voice.

(LINE BREAK)

The others team were back at the Hive Queen after battling Iceon's envoys who suddenly melted. They knew the reason behind the phenomenon. They had succeeded and saved the world from a 2nd Ice Age.

"And so Chiaki had to wrestle an ice giant while Daichi was being eaten alive by an ice wolf," Yokoshima began to tell Asmodeus as the Teleportal opened. Alan, Yuji, Yuki, Amaterasu, Amora, Tsukuyomi and Shinichi entered the Main Hall. "Hey guys! Welcome back!"

"You're all here already?" Shinichi asked.

"Well, once the weather was back to normal we were called back," said Hana. "Seems you guys were able to stop all this."

"It was a team effort," smiled Yuji.

"I knew you did this often, but to actually do something was quite exhilarating," said Amaterasu.

Amora looped her arms around Alan's neck. She purred into his ear, "Now then, Alan. I expect you to show your gratitude and give me a proper reward for my aid."

"Only if Amaterasu gets to join," said Alan. Amora gave the demi-goddess a look and shrugged.

"Fine, it's always fun to have a three-way," Amora said.

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: **

**Iceon: This god of blizzards takes the form of a teenage boy with the head of a gorilla. He is inhumanly tall and has an elegant build. His eyes are blue. His outfit is that of a gladiator carrying a stiletto. He is awakened by *CLASSIFIED*. He's angry that the humans have forgotten him and that the world has been covered by human technology. He begins freezing the earth, starting a new ice age the world over. He's unaware he is being manipulated by *CLASSIFIED*. His true form has four faces. Large ice protrusions come out of his back, his right arm is a giant ice sword and an overly masculine body.**

(LINE BREAK)

**"Terror of the White DALEK"**

The Gauntlet was the ruling body of the Religion of Crime. The Gauntlet was originally, they had six members. However, Hank Henshaw, Dr. Gebok and Anastasia the Witch of Terror had been removed from the Gauntlet through tragic circumstances. Hence, the membership had dwindled to only three made up of their mysterious leader, Manchester Black and Felix Faust. They had yet to replenish their membership but the leader didn't seem to be concerned.

In the Gauntlet's meeting room, the remaining members of the group were watching a playback of Iceon's battle. Iceon had attempted to create a new ice age. However, the world's superheroes had responded and attacked him. He'd underestimated the mortals for even thinking of fighting him. That had cost him as he was defeated by their united strength.

All eyes were on Felix Faust who had planned on using Iceon for the Gauntlet's benefits, but had failed.

"Faust, do you care to explain yourself?" asked the Gauntlet's leader.

"I simply overestimated Iceon's abilities, sir," said Faust apologetically. The plan was to use Iceon to destroy their enemies and then reseal him once his job was done as the Gauntlet did not want a new ice age either. "I assumed he would be able to defeat them."

"Reminds me of what happened to Shiro," remarked Mr. Black. Shiro Juuyon, a former subordinate, had attempted to unseal the Yamata no Orochi. The Gauntlet had allowed him a certain amount of autonomy to accomplish his plans. However, they did not intend for him to succeed. Shiro had merely been a distraction and if he ever overstepped his bounds then the Gauntlet would deal with him. His ultimate failure had been predicted.

"Yes, whom you threw away," Faust frowned. While a man of magic, he had to admit that Shiro's accomplishment had been nothing less than impressive in their own right. Properly motivated, the bio-android had worked hard an assisted the Gauntlet and Religion of Crime in advancing with their plans.

"He was garbage, trash, junk," Mr. Black argued.

"To you, maybe, but up until the end all of his plans were accomplished," Faust defended. While Mr. Black and their leader had forgotten about Shiro, considering him trash that was best swept under the rug (out of sight, out of mind), Felix Faust saw potential. The bio-android's plan had been practically foolproof but it had failed due to his hubris. Unlike them, Faust wasn't one to waste or disregard a possible advantage or commodity.

"He was just meant to distract them, Faust," reminded Mr. Black. He'd promised Shiro he would have a place at the Gauntlet's table. Sadly, that had been a lie to keep Shiro in line.

"Mr. Black is right. Shiro Juuyon was nothing but a distraction and nothing more," said their leader. "However, his creations may still prove useful to us as his work has greatly benefited this organization."

"So, you agree that his contributions have benefited us," concluded Faust.

"Even so, I see no use of talking about Shiro Juuyon. He is simply part of the past and we need to look forward towards the future," said the leader.

(LINE BREAK)

Far outside of the nearest town or city was an abandoned mansion. It had broken windows, a roof needing new shingles, and paint chipping off its wall. The lawn was unkempt with grass and weeds growing tall and uncontrolled. The front gate creaked as the hinges were rusty. The steel fence topped with spikes seemed sturdy still. The building itself had been abandoned for almost forty years. Judging by its architecture, it was a western mansion and was home to foreign immigrants who'd come to live in Japan, at least for awhile.

Felix Faust approached the mansion, walking along the stone path leading from the gate to the building. A long time ago it had been a majestic building, a castle to its masters with thick walls to protect itself. Now, it was just a building that was gathering dust inside and a victim to the harsh elements.

The front door was ajar and Felix Faust entered into the foyer with ease. He looked around. Thick layers of dust covered everything and there were cobwebs in the corners. It seemed the people won once owned this piece of property had vacated post haste. Still, he was meeting someone here.

He approached an old broken grandfather clock and turned the hands so they would point at '1' and '4'. The grandfather clock and a section of the wall slid aside to reveal an elevator. Faust stepped inside and the elevator closed before descending.

The elevator took him down, deep underground before finally stopping. The door opened and he stepped out into a dimly lit room filled with scientific apparatuses.

This was a laboratory, one which a mad scientist would be happy to call home, and Faust was looking for the mad scientist who at the moment was busy with a new experiment.

Scuttling about all over the laboratory were spider-like robots the size of a person's hand. Each of the robotic creatures had a single red eye and four legs. The tips of their legs were sharp and sturdy enough to penetrate a man's skull. The eye was capable of rotating, giving each of them a 360 degree field of vision. Their bodies were shaped like saucers.

They stared at Faust as he walked further into the lab, in search of their master and creator.

(LINE BREAK)

The dark was a terrifying thing. Not being able to see anything before you would cause the cold hand of terror to grip one's mind. One's eyes would dart around madly, trying to seek out a source of light. Sometimes, it was to seek out the enemy which was hidden in the dark, the enemy which was after you and out to kill you.

The woman was locked in a room, kept in the dark for so long. However, she did not know how much time had passed. The only thing on her mind was the cold grip of tearing that was slowly suffocating her very soul.

She had been told that she'd been selected to test a new drug and that she would be paid handsomely. As she needed money, she did not hesitate and was taken to the facility. She had taken some pills but then things slowly went dark.

When she awoke, she thought she had gone blind, but the truth was that the room she had been locked in had no light at all. She felt around and there was a door but she couldn't get it open. She pounded on it until her hands bled and screamed until her throat went sore. However, no answer came.

The worst was she felt like someone was watching her, in the dark. She could not see them, but she knew they were there. She could hear voices, like breathing, and footsteps all around. Someone else was in here with her only whoever they were did not answer. They were just watching her. She tried to feel around, but the room felt empty, like she was the only one around, but she knew someone was there! Someone was there with her.

She shouted for them to answer her, to make their presence known, but all she got was silence in return. She continued to shout, desperate for a response, and still no answer came.

And she continued to hear footsteps and breathing. She continued to feel a presence. Her thoughts began to race. What did the other person want to do to her? All sorts of terrifying scenarios ran through her mind. Her body became cold, she trembled, and she started to scratch her arms and her neck. Her body felt itchy, like she was dirty, like there were things crawling all over her.

The presence, the itchiness, the dirtiness, plagued her mind. What did they want? Why was she here?

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?"_

(LINE BREAK)

The female prisoner was being observed on multiple monitors with great scrutiny. Her behavior and reactions were being studied and analysed by an unknown individual who seemed to satisfy their sick pleasures with her torment.

"**Subject displays symptoms of paranoia such as anger, suspicion, and fear**," her observer reported as he watched, his voice sounding deep and synthesised. The cameras had night vision so the screens only displayed everything in a grainy green. Still, her actions could still be monitored and recorded. Her observer was in the shadows but what could still be seen of him was a red light and a pair of flashing lights on the side.

"Hello? Are you in here?" Faust asked as he entered the surveillance area and soon enough he found who he was looking for.

"**Yes, I am here, Faust."** The 'person' he was looking for came out of the shadows and was clearly revealed. They stood at six feet tall and covered in white armor. They wore a 'skirt' of silver hemispheres decorating individual panels that reached down to the floor, with the bottom being surrounded by a solid black material to act as its base. Their chest was box-shaped with two rods extending from it. The rod on the right was topped by a three-fingered mechanical claw while the rod on the left resembled a firearm of some kind. Silver rings surrounded the neck, four in total, with studs on them, and at the top was a white dome with two short cylindrical light bulbs on it. Extending from the front of the dome was a metal rod with a metal sphere at the tip. Behind the sphere were five black disks. The sphere glowed red in the centre. Under the rod was XIV.

It was a D.A.L.E.K. and one of superior design.

"**I am here**," the White DALEK answered in a deep and intimidating voice without inflections between syllables. "**What do you want, Faust?**"

"I'm just here to check up on your experiment, that's all," Faust smiled.

"**The drug is working perfectly**," the White DALEK answered. "**Paranoia has begun to set in and increasing within the set parameters**. **Oh Yeon-Kyung really did well when he was able to synthesize this drug before his demise**."

"He had good notes," Faust acknowledged. "But you're going to perfect the formula, aren't you?"

"**It's what you brought me here for**," said the White DALEK. "**Also, I would wish to...thank you for bringing me these specimens to assist me.**"

"It is my pleasure. You do require them for your experiments."

In another section of the lab, there were people who were working machinery and lifting objects. Mainly grunt work as they served no other purpose. Some were armed, functioning as guards. These were the White DALEK's workers.

The White DALEK's workers weren't exactly willing. How would they have any choice of free will when they were being controlled? Mounted on each of their heads was a Cyberdrone with its sharp legs buried deep inside their brain, controlling them under the White DALEK's command. They were no longer human and were merely the Cyberdrones' own extensions.

They were also expendable. One of them suddenly collapsed and dropped dead on the floor. The Cyberdrone attached to his head removed itselfs, the sharp tips of its legs sliding out of the skull. The tips were stained with blood. Finally, it withdrew the spike which it had drilled into the top of the skull to secure itself before crawling towards the White DALEK. It crawled up the DALEK's body before resting itself on the dome.

"It seems you have another dead one," said Faust as he stood next to the White DALEK whose eyestalk looked down at the corpse.

"**It is simply garbage that must be disposed of**," said the White DALEK coldly as he aimed his DALEK Gunstick at the corpse. "**Total obliteration. Disintegrate**." The White DALEK fired and the body was disintegrated into nothingness as the laser caused its body to be eaten by blue flames until there was nothing left. The process had only taken seconds. "**I can always get more anyway. My Cyberdrones aren't all that picky when searching for hosts."**

"Indeed they aren't," said Faust. "So, any advanced in the Cyber-Dalek project?"

The Cyber-Dalek was the result of painstaking and time-consuming research. It was the result of trying to make the perfect weapon. Visually resembling a Cyberman, it did possess the features of a DALEK such as the hemispheres and the DALEK gunstick, enlarged and mounted on the arm as a cannon. Also, it was the brain of the machine that was interesting. With use of genetic manipulation science, the brains of 'volunteers' were mutated into new life forms that were both intelligent and hostile. The prototypes that had been sent out, so far, had been destroyed but the data gained from them had been invaluable.

"**The data gained will be used to make them stronger and better,**" said the White DALEK. "**They will be perfect, like me**." The White DALEK had originally been the DALEK prototype built by Shiro Juuyon. It had been rebuilt and upgraded ever since, taking on its current form. "But more will need to be sent to gather more data."

"I was wondering why you sent Teppei out," said Faust.

"**He was obsolete but still useful. I sent him out to kill his niece and nephew. I didn't care if he was successful or not. I was fine with either outcome**," the White DALEK admitted. "**I was simply ridding myself of garbage, that is all**."

(LINE BREAK)

A trio of high school kids, boys from the nearest school, had just entered the property. They were doing it on a dare. There were three of them and they had bags filled with cans of spray paint. One of them even carried a camera. Their names were Masato, Takumi and Shuji. Their sempai had dared them to go and spray graffiti on the walls inside the abandoned mansion and they needed pictures as proof.

Shuji, the most cowardly of the three, asked, "Um, guys, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Are you scared?" taunted Masato. "Scared like a little chicken? Like a scaredy-cat?"

"Knock it off," ordered Takumi. He turned to Shuji and said, "Shuji, relax. All those stories you heard are just stories. This place isn't haunted. It's just abandoned."

"Yeah, the only scary thing about it is gonna be it's ancient decor," added Masato.

"Well, if you're sure," said Shuji as he handled the camera. Masato and Takumi would be doing the graffiti.\

"Alright, let's do this," said Masato eagerly.

A Cyberdrone hidden in the grass spotted them and was transmitting the footage back to the laboratory where the White DALEK and Faust were watching.

(LINE BREAK)

"It appears you have intruders," said Felix Faust. "They seem like virgins."

"**How can you tell?**" asked the White DALEK.

"Only virgins would want to prove themselves like this," said Faust logically. "So, what will you be doing to them?"

"**This mansion is rumored to be haunted. Let's have some fun with them first."**

(LINE BREAK)

The three boys took out flashlights as they entered the mansion.

"Did we have to do this at night?" questioned Shuji. "Maybe we can come back in the day."

"The dare said we had to do this at night," said Takumi.

"Yeah, so stop whining like a coward," Masato admonished.

Suddenly, the three heard an unearthly scream, "_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_" The sound of it caused them to jump in fright. Shuji nearly dropped his flashlight.

"Wha-wha-what was that!?" demanded Shuji, now freaked out.

"It was probably the wind," said Masato as he gulped. He was starting to sweat. "Yeah, it was the wind," he was trying to convince himself.

"Let's just get this over this," said Takumi anxiously, feeling uneasy.

Hidden Cyberdrones continued to watch, transmitting what they saw back to Faust and the White DALEK.

(LINE BREAK)

"Anything else up your sleeves?" Faust asked.

"**DALEKs don't have sleeves,**" said DALEK Shiro. "**How about you give it a try, Faust?**"

Felix Faust was above such childish games. However, he had nothing to lose. "Alright then," said Faust.

(LINE BREAK)

The boys explored the mansion for a bit, taking pictures. They were looking for a place to do their graffiti. A lot of the walls so they went upstairs to find a place to tag. As they reached the hallway where the bedrooms were, one of the doors at the end of the hall slowly creaked open. Takumi, Masato and Shuji froze as something began to exit. The thing was that it was exiting from the top of the door and crawling on the ceiling. It was human looking, but looking like a spider with long black hair. It then turned its head and stared at them, opening its mouth which spilled out with spiders.

The trio screamed as they began to ran away in the opposite direction.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?" Masato screamed.

"I don't know what it was!" Takumi shot back.

"Let's get out of here!" Shuji screamed.

They reached the stairs but at the bottom was a black mass covered with eyes. It was climbing up the stairs and looking straight at them. "GIVE...ME...YOUR...EYES!" the creature screamed at them.

(LINE BREAK)

"Looks like they've separated," said Faust.

"**Let's pick them off one by one**," said DALEK Shiro with sadistic glee.

(LINE BREAK)

Shuji had ran into the study. He had been separated from Takumi and Masato. He was soaked in cold sweat and breathing heavily. "I knew this was a bad idea," he panted. He heard something drop and turned his flashlight towards the source to see a book lying on the floor. "Oh shit." He went to open the door but it was locked! "No! No!" He felt a hand brush against his shoulder and turned to see nobody else in the study with him. "I have to get out of here!" He then heard something else and he raised his flashlight to the ceiling. He gawked as he saw disembodied arms hanging from the ceiling and the fingers were wiggling about. Shuji's eyes were wide as he fell to his knees.

A Cyberdrone watching him approached him before jumping up and hugging his face, muffling his screams.

(LINE BREAK)

"**One down, two to go,**" said DALEK Shiro.

(LINE BREAK)

"Takumi? Shuji?" questioned Masato. He'd found himself in a child's playroom. Littering the floor were dusty old toys that had not been played with in years. The dolls sitting on the floor unsettled him the most. It was like they were staring at him. He began to shiver as a chill ran up his spine. "OK, I should get out of here." He turned towards the door but his left leg wouldn't move. Something had grabbed hold. He looked down and one of the dolls had a good hold on his ankle.

Freaking out, Masato tried to shake the doll off and he noticed the other dolls starting to rise and walk towards him. "No!" he shouted as the dolls leapt at him, holding onto his arms and legs. He lost his balance and fell on his back as the dolls continued to swarm him. He flailed about to toss them off but they only recovered to swarm him again. "Get off me!"

Hanging from the ceiling was a Cyberdrone and once in position it dropped and fell on Masato's face as it began the interfacing process with the screaming youth.

(LINE BREAK)

"And now for the third," said Faust as he continued to watch with the White DALEK. They saw that Takumi had gone into the kitchen.

(LINE BREAK)

Takumi didn't know where Masato and Shuji had gone, but he hoped they were safe in this weird place. Going to the front door wasn't an option. The thing at the stairs had moved itself to the front door. Takumi was trying to find the others and maybe even a way out.

The kitchen had everything like the cabinet filled with plates and kitchen knives in the wooden block holder. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Nothing, but the breathing on his neck. Spinning around, Takumi saw a figure clad in white, with black hair that covered its face, dressed in white rags. It raised its arms towards him as he backed away in terror. He grabbed a kitchen knife and held it out in front of him at the creature.

"Stay back!" he shouted. The ghostly creature continued to approach him, ignoring his warning. "I said stay back!" he shouted as he threw the knife which went through the creature who continued to advance. He grabbed another knife and threw it, only for the same thing to happen. It came closer and closer towards him and his eyes darted towards the nearby window. Without a second thought, he ran for it and jumped through the window. He landed outside the mansion with a painful thud but he was finally outside.

He got up and limped towards the gate. Hope of escape as in front of him as he made his way towards freedom. However, just as he was a foot away from the gate, which was so close, a Cyberdrone launched itself from the long grass and clamped onto his face as he screamed out in horror.

(LINE BREAK)

Takumi, Shuji and Masato were never seen or heard from again. They had simply vanished without a trace. Nobody knew where they went or how they had gone missing. It was simply a mystery.

(LINE BREAK)

Takumi, Shuji and Masato were standing in a row with Cyberdrones mounted on their heads. Their faces were blank, betraying no emotion. DALEK Shiro scanned each of them and was satisfied before giving them their orders. Once their orders were issued, the three new Robomen set out to do their work under the watchful eye of the White DALEK and the Cyberdrones. He needed always slaves and if people were going to throw themselves at him and become his meat puppets then so be it.

Faust's magic was capable of summoning demons, creating horrifying illusions, and bringing to life inanimate objects. It kept up the illusion that the mansion was haunted, which either discouraged people from entering or encouraged them of coming inside. The White DALEK in his old life had experience with magic but no longer would he directly involve himself with magic. Only two things mattered to the intelligent killing machine: Research and Revenge, the two R's.

Standing several feet away from him were cardboard cutouts of Alan Smith, Shinichi Banabara, and Yuji Fudo. Raising its gunstick, the DALEK shouted the battlecry, "**EXTERMINATE!**" and fired three consecutive beams at the targets, destroying them utterly. He could not wait to use his weapon on the real thing. However, he would need to have patience. He had waited all this time so waiting a little more wouldn't hurt. His DALEK programming disagreed and was eager to kill, and kill, and kill. It took massive willpower not to go to the surface and kill every human he could see. Turning his gaze to the monitors, the White DALEK saw some 'new recruits' entering the mansion. If he could smile, the DALEK would, as his single eye glowed in anticipation whilst the Cyberdrones watched the clueless teenagers enter without realizing the kind of danger that they were in.

"**Faust, we have visitors..."**

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: The names Takumi, Masato, Shuji are a homage to the main three Riders of Kamen Rider Faiz; Takumi Inui (Faiz), Masato Kusaka (Kaixa) and Shuji Mihara (Delta). Anyway, this is the first appearance of the White DALEK. However, it seems to be different from the DALEKs previously seen in the story. Anyway, the title refers to Science and Magic, two different disciplines, hence two different worlds.**

(LINE BREAK)

**"Recreation of the DALEKs"**

Shiori was working on a new novel while Sho played 'Cops and Robbers' with her husband outside. She sighed and smiled. Tatsuyoshi might look scary and imposing, but he was a kind and gentle man who loved her and Sho and would do anything to protect his family. He may never be a replacement for Shotaro, but her late husband would've wanted her to move on.

Sho had strong male role models like Tatsuyoshi Kasai and her son Shinichi (Shinji) and he would grow up to be a wonderful young man with their guidance and develop a few quirks. Humans weren't perfect. They had flaws and quirks but that was what made them human.

As Shiori began another paragraph, the phone rang. She removed her glasses which hung from a string that looped around her neck so she wouldn't lose them. She only ever wore her glasses to read or write since she'd developed bad eyesight overtime and words just seemed blurry. Maybe she was getting old.

She picked up the phone and answered, "Hello, who is this?"

Tatsuyoshi and Kasai heard a thud inside the house and the man carried his son inside to see what was wrong. He spotted on her knees and trembling in terror. He put down Sho who immediately ran to his mother. "Mama? Mama, daijoubu?" Shiori quickly put her arms around Sho and hugged him. "Mama?"

"Shiori, what's wrong?" Tatsuyoshi asked and Shiori raised a trembling hand, pointing at the phone receiver lying on the floor. Tatsuyoshi picked it up and put it to his ear, only for his eyes to widen behind his shades.

A chant was being repeated, over and over, and it went like this: "**EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE.**"

(LINE BREAK)

Everyone was assembled in the Hive Queen and watching the news report on the big monitor screen in the Main Hall.

"_All over the world, people who answered their phones at directly today 2.14 pm have heard a haunting message. It has been months since the attack of those creatures called the DALEKs and they have left their mark on us and our minds. We can never forget all those who've died because of them and now we are being reminded of that horrible day because of these mysterious phone calls. Is it some kind of elaborate prank?_"

"OK, seriously what is going on?" Mion asked as she had received a phone call earlier. A pay phone had rung at 2:14 pm and when she answered she heard the chant. People on the streets who'd gotten their hands in the latest in mobile phone technology also received the same call and the same message.

It freaked everyone out because it reminded them of the dreadful day when the DALEKs attacked and even if the NEO-NUMBERS and their allies had stopped their attack, the DALEKs had already left their mark on humanity. The sight of a DALEK could make people quake with fear and even the word itself was banned from a number of schools.

"That's what I want to know," agreed Shinichi. He'd heard from his stepfather that Shiori had been so frightened by the call that she was paralyzed in fear. Shinichi didn't like it when his mother was frightened. If this was some kind of elaborate prank, it was not in good taste.

"It's a scare tactic," said Yuji with a frown. "Freak everyone out who has a fresh memory of that day with that chant. The person who's doing this is one sick bastard if they get off on this shit."

"And it's working too," Alan agreed. When the phone had rung at his place, Nozomu had been unfortunate enough to answer. When he found her, she'd been absolutely terrified. She remembered how the DALEKs had nearly killed Alan.

The DALEKs had scarred many people, adults and children alike. The murderous machines had done their part in carving themselves into the humanity's hearts as something to be feared. The new type of boogieman.

Dr. Magi commanded, "Sheila, play the recording."

"Affirmative," Sheila obeyed and played the recording as requested: "**EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE**."

They all knew what it was and remembered it quite clearly. How could they ever forget? How could anyone forget it?

"The DALEK battle chant," frowned Alan. It was pretty self-explanatory. Even in this universe DALEKs had become feared on Earth and now in space they were probably spreading their terror to other sentient beings and Alan couldn't stop them. Shiro had programmed the DALEKs to kill humans and strike fear into them. They had also evolved without his presence and had retreated into space to develop further without any interference. "At 2:14 pm. That translates to 1414 hours. 14...as in WHITE 14. As in Shiro Juuyon."

"Damn, it's like his ghost is haunting us," Daichi frowned, scratching his head in irritation.

"More like taunting us," added Hana, not liking this at all.

"This ain't cool, dudes," said Kai.

"Aye, you can say that again," spoke Jin.

"Sheila, can you trace the signal to its point of origin?" inquired Alan.

"Negative," Sheila answered. "I apologize, Alan. However, the broadcasted signal appears to come from random places at the same time."

"The person is covering his tracks by scrambling the signal so nobody can track it," Alan concluded. Checking out each of the places would be a waste of time and they could all just be red herrings.

"Incoming transmission," alerted Shiori and all heads snapped towards the main computer's direction. Now who would be calling them at this time?

The image was blurry mixed with static before clearing up with better resolution in order for them to see who was calling. Once the image was clear, their eyes widened as they saw who was calling them.

This had to be a joke, right? It was the only explanation. However, it was right there staring at them.

On their monitor was a White DALEK.

"I thought you said they all went away," said Shinichi.

"They did," Alan answered. They had left in a spaceship. He'd witnessed it for himself.

"_**Before we begin, I would like to inform you that tracing this signal back to its source will be impossible**_," the White DALEK informed them. "_**So don't bother trying to find me. It is useless.**_"

"_That is correct_," answered Sheila, validating the White DALEK's claim. "_I cannot find the source of the transmission_."

"_**As if I were stupid enough to allow your inferior AI to find me**_," the White DALEK said.

"Hey, who are you calling inferior you stupid pepperpot!?" Yokoshima shouted, offended that someone would insult Sheila like that.

"_**It's been so long since I've seen your stupid faces**_," the White DALEK greeted rudely whilst ignoring Yokoshima. "_**I'm sure you've been enjoying yourself since the day you ruined my plans but I have been waiting and preparing for this moment for a very long time**_."

"OK, do we know you?" Yuji asked. All DALEKs looked alike to him but this one seemed unique. It wasn't talking in that annoying high-pitched tone of its kind but the deep electronic voice was still annoying.

"_**I suppose I do look different from when we last met. However, you all haven't changed one bit. It's downright depressing**_," the White DALEK said in disappointment.

Alan's eyes narrowed. There was just something so familiar about that arrogant tone of voice. He looked at the DALEK, actually looked, and saw the XIV that was inscribed under the base of the eyestalk.

"Who are you?" Alan questioned, wanting to know. "Who are we addressing? Identify yourself now!"

"_**Haven't you guessed it yet? Then allow me to show you who I am as I tell you.**__**Look upon the face of VENGEANCE! Look upon the face of your DOOM!**_" There was a hiss as The DALEK's neck rings split down the middle and spread open to reveal the horror that was hidden inside. DALEKs were battle armor and shells for the horrendous creatures within, the heart and soul of the DALEK, filled with hatred for the human race. They were expecting some sort of dark, brain-like, cycloptic creature with writhing tentacles but what they all saw made their eyes widen in recognition and shock.

"I thought so," whispered Alan.

There was a human head inside of the DALEK. Although, to call it human wouldn't be completely accurate. Half of its face was horribly scarred and it only had hair, which was greyish, on the right half of its head, the other half damaged and scarred horribly. The left eye was replaced by a mechanical eyeball that glowed red with hate. The expression it wore was also hateful, with sharp teeth clenched tight. The head was attached with wires that were connected to the White DALEK armor, giving him control over weapons and mobility.

But despite all the damage, they recognized who it was.

It was Shiro Juuyon.

"But you were absorbed!" Shinichi shouted out. "Destroyed with the Orochi!'

"_And yet here I am, or what's left of me, no thanks to you!_" shouted DALEK Shiro. "_Now, I have returned so you will now be looking forward to death and destruction the likes you have never seen!_" He sneered at Yuji. "_And look, one of you is already trembling in-_"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yuji laughed, throwing his head back, and pointing at the screen.

"_...Fear?_" Shiro finished in surprise. His eyes darted about, demanding an explanation, "_Is he laughing? Why is he laughing!?_"

"Oh God! Oh my God!" Yuji continued to laugh hysterically. His sides hurt and he could barely breathe. "That has got to be the funniest shit I have ever seen!"

"_WHAT!?_" Shiro screamed. "_STOP LAUGHING, DAMN YOU!"_

"What are you gonna do, Mr. Trashcan!?" Yuji challenged, mocking Shiro. "Do my plumbing? Make me an omelette?"

Shiro shook with rage. "_I ORDER YOU TO STOP LAUGHING YOU STUPID LIZARD!_"

"Oh, look! Oscar the Grouch is mad!" Yuji continued to make fun and his laughter was contagious.

"_STOP LAUGHING! STOP IT! STOP IT OR YOU WILL BE FUCKING EXTERMINATED!" _The neck rings closed up, concealing Shiro's head as he continued screaming,_ "__**EXTERMINATE! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!**_" He fired his DALEK Gunstick and the screen turned to static. He'd just blown up his own camera.

"Well, that's one way to end an annoying phone call," remarked Yuji. Was it smart to goad Shiro like that when he'd become more unstable? Maybe not. But it was sure as hell fun.

Alan, however, did not share Yuji's humorous sentiment. Alan's thoughts were grim. This was a creature possessing both Shiro's genius and the mentality of a DALEK. It was a dangerous combination.. "I don't think we should underestimate Shiro even if he's like this."

"Hey, why so serious, Alan?" Yuji asked.

"It's _Shiro_, fused with a _DALEK_," said Alan.

"I know. Funniest shit I've ever seen in my life," Yuji chuckled.

"You're forgetting how dangerous Shiro was before and now he's even more dangerous than before," Alan warned. "Also, the DALEKs may not have been much trouble to us, but they were still dangerous."

"Come on, Alan! He's just a head in a trashcan!" Yuji pointed out.

"Yuji's right. How much trouble could a head in a metal trash can be?" Yokoshima pointed out.

"It's because it's _his _head that we should be worried," Shinichi chimed in. "Remember how much trouble he gave us? It's not his power that makes him a dangerous opponent but his intelligence and resourcefulness."

Alan added in agreement, "Plus you're mixing a genocidal, xenophobic robot with an egotistical douche-bag. This can't end well for anybody."

Yuji frowned, "You just had to dampen my mood." To be honest, Yuji didn't want to be reminded of how Shiro had manipulated them and gotten one step ahead of them until the very end. "But, you're right, we can't underestimate Shiro." However, it was just so much fun and too irresistible to make fun of him now that he was a DALEK.

"But what happened to him?" Michiru asked. "Wasn't he absorbed by the Orochi?"

"I guess when the Orochi was destroyed, what remained of Shiro was expelled. Then someone picked up his head and hooked it up to a DALEK body that was in storage because they saw further use in him," Alan concluded.

Shinichi frowned. He had enough of enemies returning from the dead since Gebok kept coming back despite being defeated so many times. It was just too damn annoying.

"It all makes perfect sense now," said Alan. All eyes were on him, "The Cybermen tomb becoming active, those DALEKs in Nozomu's village, DALEKs taking over NASA, the Vashta Nerada breeding facility, not to mention those Cyberdrones converting people into zombified slaves. He was behind all of it."

"Yeah, but he's not really the one in charge, is he?" Yuji asked.

"The Religion of Crime revived Shiro once again, but this time as something incredibly dangerous, even more so than he was before," said Alan grimly.

"Why is it that it's people like him who always escape death?" Shinichi asked, requesting an explanation. Gebok coming back each time had been annoying now it was just getting frustrating. Rena took hold of his right hand and he looked to her. She smiled at him warmly and he smiled back.

Even if Shiro had come back from beyond the grave, that didn't mean they had anything to fear. They would just have to defeat him again.

Easy, right?

(LINE BREAK)

The computer that DALEK Shiro had used to call the Hive was now completely destroyed, a smoking pile of scrap and slag now with broken glass lying on the ground and melted bits littering in front of the White DALEK's bumper.

"Was that necessary?" questioned Faust.

"**SHUT UP!**" Due to his DALEK unit's programming, he was mentally a DALEK. Because of this, Shiro found it was trying to overcome his desire to kill anything human. Fortunately, he knew who his enemies were and Faust was not one of them.

"**Faust, why won't they just die...?**" DALEK Shiro growled angrily.

"They have only been lucky so far."

"**BUT IT'S NOT FAIR! HOW DID SOMEONE OF MY SUPERIORITY END UP GETTING KILLED TWICE BY THOSE MORONS!? I WANT REVENGE! RE-VENGE! RE-VENGE!**" DALEK Shiro screamed like a deranged maniac.

"Settle down, Shiro. No good can come out of an angry mind," Faust advised.

"...You are correct," the White DALEK answered.

"I warned you that exposing yourself right now may not have been the best idea. The mass phone call was good enough already. You should've stopped while you were ahead," Faust reminded and he regretted his last statement as DALEK Shiro glared at him.

"'**Stopped while I was **_**ahead'**_**?**" DALEK Shiro repeated. "I**s that supposed to be amusing?**"

"Sorry," Faust apologized. "But don't forget it was I who found you all those months ago."

(LINE BREAK)

_Amongst the rubble left behind in the aftermath of the heroes' battle with the Orochi, Felix Faust had come looking for any remains, specifically the remains of one of the Religion of Crime's most dangerous agents. In spite of Manchester Black's insistence that Shiro had simply been a pawn, Felix Faust had been impressed. The successful planning, strategies and gambits employed by Shiro had made him one of the most dangerous individuals on this world. Sadly, carelessness and hubris proved to be his undoing in the end._

_Felix Faust had with him several low-level agents of the Religion of Crime to assist him in his search for anything that Shiro might've left behind. His sword was quite a prize and Felix Faust wanted it. Also, if there were any magical artifacts which had survived. The Pyramid Base had been blown to pieces but Felix knew that some magical artifacts could not be destroyed so easily._

_Felix Faust heard scuttling and turned towards the sound. He spotted a lone Cyberdrone on a piece of rubble with its single red eye staring at him. "Hm, so one of you survived." The Cyberdrone ran away. "Hey, get back here!" Felix chased after the Cyberdrone but stopped as it perched itself on a pile of rubble. "There's something under there, isn't there?" Felix Faust called to the agents, "Get over here! Clear away this rubble!"_

_The agents lifted up the rubble piece by piece and Felix Faust's eyes widened as he saw that lying on the ground. "Well, this is a surprise."_

(LINE BREAK)

"And I was the one who revived you..." Faust continued.

(LINE BREAK)

_The head of the bio-android had been damaged, but not severely so. It could still be repaired. However, there were no more spare bodies for Shiro Juuyon, except for one thing: the DALEK prototype that Shiro Juuyon had built and sent to the Religion of Crime as per instruction. Felix Faust had found it in storage and it had not been modified since. However, it was functional and still with the space inside to house a Darkloid within. This time, the space would be use to house Shiro's head. With the wire connected to the head, Felix Faust prepared to bring life to Shiro Juuyon once more. He was going to use magic to bring a machine back to life._

_Chanting in an ancient language, the sorcerer held out his hands which were pointed to the DALEK unit. Energy crackled along his fingers before shooting towards the machine. Electricity crackled all over it and as soon as it was over…nothing…_

_Felix Faust sighed. He knew it had been a one shot but he didn't think it would've failed so badly. He turned his back to the DALEK, not noticing that the head inside the hollow part of the DALEK was beginning to stir and open its eyes. Also, the eyestalk began to move up with the iris glowing._

"_**Where…Am…I…?"**_

_Felix Faust turned slowly around to see Shiro's head and it was alive and talking. The voice did, however, come out electronic due to it being connected to the DALEK's vocal circuitry. The DALEK unit closed up as it screamed, "__**WHERE AM I!?**__"_

(LINE BREAK)

"**I remember that I wanted to kill you when I first saw you**," DALEK Shiro recalled.

"Indeed," recalled Faust. Having the deathray aimed at himself was not something he would want to repeat.

(LINE BREAK)

_The annoying, high-pitched scream was something Felix Faust could've done without. The DALEK's dome rotated to the left and then to the right before the eye focused on Felix Faust. "__**WHO ARE YOU!? EX-PLAIN! EX-PLAIN! EX-PLAIN OR BE EX-TER-MIN-A-TED!**__" It pointed its deathray gunstick at Felix Faust._

"_Wait! Wait!" Felix Faust cried out. "It's me, Felix Faust. Shiro Juuyon, I brought you back to life!"_

"_**SHI-RO…JUU…YON…**__" the DALEK repeated._

"_That is your name," Felix Faust clarified._

"_**MY…NAME…SHI-RO JUU-YON,**__" the DALEK repeated again._

"_The damage must've caused some sort of amnesia," observed Felix Faust as he walked around the DALEK. It followed his movements with its eye._

"_**NO…I RE-MEM-BER…" **__the DALEK said.__** "THEY…KILLED ME. YU-JI FU-DO, A-LAN SMITH, AND SHI-NI-CHI BA-NA-BA-RA…GREEN LAN-TERN AND...KAMEN...RIDERS...! **__It screamed, "__**THEY KILLED ME! THEY KILLED ME! THEY MUST BE EX-TER-MIN-A-TED!**__"_

"_And we will, my friend," said Faust. He realized that there had been a glitch. It seemed that Shiro now had the mentality of the DALEK. Must've been the DALEK unit's default programming. He just hoped Shiro Juuyon's genius remained intact._

(LINE BREAK)

DALEK Shiro's genius had indeed remained intact. However, due to the damage and trauma he'd received he had a few holes in his memory. Still, it was nothing that he needed to be immediately concerned about.

"I must run now. I have another meeting with the rest of the Gauntlet," said Faust.

"**Only three of you remain**," DALEK Shiro reminded. "**I was promised a place at the table.**"

Indeed, Shiro had been promised a place but only as incentive and motivation for him to work hard for the Religion of Crime and the ruling council known as the Gauntlet. The leader never intended for Shiro to join in the first place. Mr. Black had simply lied to keep Shiro dreaming and working.

(LINE BREAK)

Manchester Black spoke to Felix Faust after the meeting, "I should warn you, Faust, that Shiro Juuyon is not to be completely trusted." Faust had told them what he'd done.

"I honestly doubt he'd betray me after I revived him," Faust retorted, dismissing Faust's warning.

"Tell that to the last two partners he had," Black remarked. "Oh, wait. They're both dead!" Shiro had used Omega Scorpio as a shield and then absorbed Gnol Gnauh. Of course, the last one had bitten him back in the ass as he was absorbed by the Yamata no Orochi.

"Again, I appreciate the concern, but it still remains that Shiro owes me for his revival," Faust said.

"You really don't get it, do you? What did you revive him as? A DALEK, right? Those things are programmed to kill humans. Add in the fact that he's already unstable, well I don't need to explain what might happen, do I?" Black said.

"Your fears are unfounded," Faust placated as he added confidently, "And I do have some insurance."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you, Faust."

(LINE BREAK)

Meanwhile, in his underground lab, the White DALEK was performing some final checks on his latest project. If this worked, than his forces would be significantly bolstered. Even though his memory was corrupted, he still remembered plenty of what happened before his last demise. He remembered Kyoto, he remembered the Orochi, and he especially remembered Shinichi Banabara.

The original, the template, and the first man he truly hated.

(LINE BREAK)

**Many Months Ago...**

_It was nighttime and both Shinichi and Shiro were fighting using their respective swords. Shinichi was armed with the Higurashi no Yaiba while Shiro was wielding the Oathbreaker. Both seemed evenly matched it seemed as their swords clashed and sparks rained down around their feet. Locking blades, Shiro decided to start a conversation._

_Shiro began, "You know, you and I, we're a lot alike."_

_Shinichi denied, "No we're not! You're a killer! You're a monster!"_

_Shiro countered, "I'm also everything you could be and that scares you. Remember, my mind was copied from you. You could be so much more but you choose not to. Such wasted potential."_

_Shinichi retorted, "Becoming like you would mean losing my morals and humanity, and that's something I will never give up."_

_Shiro rebutted, "Morals are the first thing that are abandoned in war. All that matters is victory."_

"_Then why haven't you abandoned yours?" questioned Shinichi._

"_What? Abandoned what?" Shiro shot back._

"_The thing you said that I should've abandoned. Why haven't you abandoned your humanity?" Shinichi asked._

"_I have no humanity!" denied Shiro angrily._

"_Oh, I think you do," Shinichi said before breaking his sword free and making some distance between himself and Shiro._

_(LINE BREAK)_

DALEK Shiro scoffed, "**Shows what he knows. My human side has long since died thanks to them**."

(LINE BREAK)

Shinichi was looking down at Hiroyuki's who was sleeping in his crib. His son looked so peaceful as he slept. However, he couldn't help but think back to many months ago.

(LINE BREAK)

_Shinichi agreed, "You know, I think you're right. You and I are alike. You don't only have my memories, but you possess my humanity too."_

_Shiro growled, "Shut up..." _

_Ignoring him, Shinichi continued, "No, it's true. Those catgirls you made into your minions, they're more than just slaves to you. They're your companions. You feel lonely and loneliness is a human concept. You care about them too, and caring is a human concept as well. The thing is, you're more human that you care to believe."_

_Shiro yelled at Shinichi's audacity, "You...how dare you...!?"_

_Shinichi went on, "You might be a machine, but you still got a soul too. A soul copied from me, but corrupted nonetheless. You want to wipe out humanity and replace what remains with Cybermen because it's the only way you can truly kill your own humanity and still keep it at the same time. As much as you hate your human side, you can't discard it."_

(LINE BREAK)

Shinichi realized to his horror, '_He actually did it. He got rid of his humanity_.' A Shiro 'tainted' by humanity had still been dangerous but now he was a completely soulless machine. He was now a DALEK. That was even worse.

He looked at his son in concern and gently caressed his face. "I'm not gonna let that bastard hurt you." Shiro had also been influenced by Gebok and that man had thought that turning children into weapons had been acceptable. A DALEK Shiro Juuyon would think so as well.

**(LINE BREAK)**

Faust returned to the underground lab to see that DALEK Shiro had finished with his final preparations. For what, he did not know. He still watched with great interest as DALEK Shiro was working on the controls for a machine he just had constructed. The control console had switches and sphere-shaped interface on it that could only be worked by DALEK hands. DALEK Shiro's right appendage was the standard plunger while the left was the three-fingered claw.

Standing ten feet in front of DALEK Shiro and console was a chamber with double doors and walls which were horizontally striped in red. DALEK Shiro was operating the chamber via the console.

Faust wondered what the White DALEK was up to. DALEK Shiro had his Robomen slaves build this chamber and the console for months now. However, whenever Faust questioned him, DALEK Shiro would dodge the question. Maybe the DALEK did not want to brag before whatever he was working on was a success. It was best to brag and gloat after rather than before.

"**It is ready**," said the DALEK Shiro as he glided back from the console and turned to face Faust.

"What is?" Faust asked and he watched as the chamber began to glow with red electricity arcing around it.

"**The future**."

"What do you mean? What is going on?" Now Faust really wanted to know since the machine seemed to be something dangerous. DALEK Shiro's eyestalk then turned back to look at the chamber.

"**The birth of a new DALEK race of course**," the DALEK Shiro answered and the doors slid open. White clouds billowed out and Faust watched as something was coming out.

It was a DALEK, and one that had the same shape, size, design and stature as the White DALEK. After the first DALEK, three more DALEKs glided out one after another. The four DALEKs lined up in a row, facing both the White DALEK and Faust.

"**Behold, the recreation of the DALEKs! Behold the birth of the superior beings!" **DALEK Shiro declared.

They all looked the same, sporting the same telescopic manipulator arms with three-fingered claws on the right and gunstick on the left mounted on their chest-boxes. The only differences they had were in color. The one on the far left was red, the next was blue, the third was orange and the final one was green. The hemispheres decorating their skirts were silver.

"They are…colorful," Faust offered his opinion. Honestly, what could he say? They were DALEKs with new paint jobs. Nothing else seemed very significant.

"**These clones are color-coded in accordance to their roles**," the DALEK Shiro explained. "**Red is for Warrior, Blue is for Strategist, Orange is for Scientist and Green is for Geneticist**."

"Don't they need Darkloids inside them to function?" asked Faust, referring to DALEK Shiro's previous batch of DALEKs. Shiro had originally built completely mechanical DALEKs, but after absorbing Gnol Gnauh's power he had put Dalek Darkloids into each of his creations. It seemed that Shiro was going back to basics.

At least the ridiculous plunger-like appendage was replaced by a more intimidating claw-like apparatus.

"**Not these DALEKs. No, these are based on the original fully mechanical DALEKs. They do not need the organic components inside them. As for their programming, each of them is modeled after me but embody a different aspects**," the DALEK Shiro explained. "**None are a full personality.**"

"So, they've each adopted a trait from you and crafted said traits into their most dominant characteristics," Faust concluded. "The red one represents your warrior side, the blue one represents your ability to construct plans and strategies, while the orange one represents yours scientific side." He paused, "Though…why would you want a green Geneticist?" Shiro had originally disliked genetics. He'd mentioned that genetics was too messy.

"**Why not?**" was the response he got from the White DALEK. The truth was, Shiro may have considered the science of genetics as messy, he had been knowledgeable about it. He just never applied it.

"So, what does white symbolize?" Faust asked, regarding the White DALEK's coloring.

"**Is it not obvious? I am their master, their leader, the ****Supreme**."

"**ALL HAIL THE DALEK SUPREME! ALL HAIL THE DALEK SUPREME!**" the four new DALEKs cheered, raising their claw-tipped manipulator arms.

Faust's ears were ringing from the loud cheering. Once the cheering had ceased, he stated, "So, I can assume you will be creating more."

"**No**," the White DALEK answered in negative, surprising Faust. He elaborated, "**These four will be enough and I will construct more only as replacements. Too many would be difficult to control.**"

Now that was odd. DALEK Shiro should've arrogantly claimed that he could control the DALEKs he created but then Faust understood. These new DALEKs were clones of the White DALEK, each adopting a different aspect but they were basically the same being. The White DALEK did not want to be challenged. As the original, he was the most powerful, but could still be outmatched by an army of clones who wanted to usurp him.

DALEK Shiro gave each of the newly born DALEKs their assignments, delegating their duties, and sent them on their away. The Red Warrior would be supervising the Robomen, the Blue Strategist would be constructing plans and strategies, the Orange Scientist would be performing research and developing weapons and the Green Geneticist would be performing genetic experiments.

Faust watched them with a keen eye as DALEK Shiro delegated and gave each of the new DALEKs their new duties and responsibilities. "Now, this ought to be interesting," he said aloud. Still, he had been unnerved by their stares. They all looked like they wanted to kill him as dictated by their programming.

The machine activated again, surprising DALEK Shiro and Faust. "**What is happening?**" demanded DALEK Shiro as the chamber opened and _it_ came gliding out.

Faust blinked and if the White DALEK could he would've blinked as well.

A fifth DALEK had been produced by the DALEK cloning machine. However, its coloring was...bright pink. And were those bow ribbons tied around its dome lights?"

"**Oh my gosh! This place is so dull and dreary! Seriously, who did your interior decorating? Morticia Addams? Lame-o!**" the pink DALEK spoke femininely.

Faust asked in amused interest, "You said these clones each embody an aspect of you. So, what does this one embody?"

"**And another thing, why are we underground? I need ventilation and sunlight or my fabulous hot pink paint job will be ruined because of the lack of fresh air and sun!**" the pink DALEK complained.

DALEK Shiro''s response was to aim his gunstick at the pink _abomination _and fire. The pink DALEK was obliterated on the spot, becoming nothing but a memory and one that would soon be deleted. Swiveling his head so his eyestalk was staring at Faust, he said, sternly, **"This never happened**," before gliding away.

After a moment Faust went 'hm' and sighed, "I guess not everyone is comfortable with their feminine side after all."

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: And so the White DALEK's identity is finally revealed. Then again, it was obvious from the start, wasn't it?**

(LINE BREAK)

**"The Priest's Curse"**

The King Game was similar to Truth or Date but with a different set of rules. Played with numbered raffles, with one marked with a crown/star to represent the 'King' (any item would do, be it slips of paper or chopsticks), a group of people will take the raffles at random and whoever gets the 'King' raffle is the King and thus can command the others to do whatever he/she wants. For example: the King can command #4 and #2 to kiss or #5 and #1 to slap each other. In the end, the King's orders are ABSOLUTE!

(LINE BREAK)

Shinichi, Satoshi, Keiichi, Mion, Shion, Satoko Rena, Rika and Hanyuu were seated around a table in Mion's home. In the centre of the table was a basket filled with folded slips of paper. They all wore intense looks of competition, except for Hanyuu who seemed nervous. Even while most of them were in college and the rest were in high school, it didn't stop the Gaming Club from assembling to have their usual club activities. You were never too old to have fun, right?

"OK, ready?" Mion began. "Take your raffles now." They each took a folded slip of paper, each hoping the one marked 'King' so they could have absolute power over the others. "Now…"

"WHO'S THE KING?" they declared and they each unfolded their slips of paper to see if they were lucky.

"Yeah, I'm the King!" Keiichi declared as everyone groaned. Now he had the power to make them do anything he wanted. "OK, everyone from #1 to #8…burn all my embarrassing photographs!" ordered Keiichi.

"Noooooo!" wailed Mion and Rena.

"Keiichi-kun, please don't! You look so cute in those!" begged Rena.

"Sorry, but you know the rules. The King's orders are ABSOLUTE!" Keiichi laughed. Finally, he could put the past behind him. All those embarrassing costumes he had to wear; the bunny girl, the police woman, the sailor uniform, the school swimsuit. All of it would be forever erased.

It was good to be the King.

However, his victory would be short-lived.

"OK, ready…? WHO'S THE KING?"

(LINE BREAK)

"Damn it! Why does this always happen to me!?" demanded Keiichi as he was in an Angel Mort costume. Mion had gotten the slip of paper marked 'King' and so commanded #4 to dress in an Angel Mort uniform. Keiichi was the unfortunate one to have gotten #4.

"You gotta admit you should've seen this coming after you made her burn those photos," said Shinichi.

"But how did she know I got #4?" demanded Keiichi.

"How indeed, Kei-chan?" Mion smirked and she winked at Shinichi who smiled back.

"OK, let's start again," said Rena eagerly. She wanted to become King next.

"OK, ready...? WHO'S THE KING?"

(LINE BREAK)

"You all look so cute~!" beamed Rena as all her friends were dressed up in cute outfits. Using her power as King, she had ordered them to dress up as amusement park mascots.

"Seriously, Mion, how many costumes do you keep?" Shinichi asked as he was dressed in a dog costume.

Mion, who was dressed in a duck costume, answered, "I'm not telling you." She wondered, "But how did Rena know about them?"

"At least this isn't as embarrassing as what you put me in," Keiichi glared while dressed in a pig costume. Hanyuu was in a cat costume, Rika was in a mouse costume, Shion was in another duck costume, Satoshi was in a raccoon costume and Satoko was in a wolf costume.

"Alright, one more time!" Satoko announced.

"OK, ready…? WHO'S THE KING?"

(LINE BREAK)

Shinichi had become the King and had ordered #2 to slap #5 in the face. Mion and Shion had to obey as they were #2 and #5 respectively.

"OK, ready...? WHO'S THE KING?"

"Yes!" Satoko beamed. "OK, now what do I make who do...?" Her expression was devious, and outright scary as she looked contemplative. She snapped her fingers. "Ah, I got it!"

(LINE BREAK)

"OK, do I have to do this for much longer?" asked Satoshi as he was spinning hula-hoops around his waist. Satoko had ordered for #2 to spin hula-hoops and Satoshi just happened to be #2.

"Just a bit longer, Nii-nii," smiled Satoko as she held up a few more hula-hoops.

"Gambare, Satoshi-kun," cheered Shion.

(LINE BREAK)

The game continued for another half hour with several dares being performed as commanded by the King of each round. Rena and Shinichi had to kiss, Rika and Satoko had to perform 'I'm a Little Teapot', and Keiichi and Satoshi ended up dressed as ballerinas. While they each got a turn to embarrass their friends and be embarrassed in return, there were no hard feelings. After all, this was all in good fun.

And now the final round.

"OK, ready...? WHO'S THE KING!"

"YES!" Shinichi declared. He was the King again. "OK, I command for #1, #3 and #6 to strip down to their underwear!" The ones who got those numbers just happened to be Satoko, Mion and Shion.

"Alright, Shinichi!" Keiichi cheered.

"HENTAI!" they screamed at him.

"You can't disobey! The King's orders are ABSOLUTE!" declared Shinichi. "Now...STRIP!" he commanded, pointing at the three helpless girls. He laughed in a way that reminded them of when he'd become the High Commander of GIN-SHOCKER.

It was all in good fun, but that didn't mean sweet revenge couldn't be sought after later. Satoshi would need to have a few words with Shinichi later.

**(LINE BREAK)**

"Take this! And this! And this!" Gaap shouted, pummeling Showa from afar, throwing punches and kicks through various portals, striking him over and over. She was having fun until her right arm got stuck in a portal.

"What?!" she shouted, trying to figure out what was wrong until she looked at Showa. Her face paled. He had caught her arm.

"Little thing about teleporters," he said smugly before yanking, pulling Gaap through her portal and right in front of him.

"They get predictable."

He then sent a knee into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her, before tossing her into the air and leaping after her, executing a Rider Kick. However, much to his surprise, she formed a portal in front of him and another behind him. He ended up kicking himself as his foot entered the portal in front of him and exited the portal behind him. The second portal vanished and reappeared over the ground and he landed with a crash as Gaap exited a portal nearby.

"You know, if I hadn't formed that portal, you would've got me," said Gaap as Showa recovered and stood back up. "You're pretty strong."

"I have to be," he said and he charged at her for a punch only to meet a barrier. Looking up, he saw Ronove standing between him and Gaap. "You're in my way."

"I'm sorry, but I simply can't let anymore harm come to Gaap-san. Beatrice-sama's orders," Ronove said with a calm smile.

"Then I guess we got a problem," Showa said.

Showa had transformed into Super-1 and was busy pounding on Ronove's barrier with the Power Hands.

"You might as well give up, young man," said Ronove, "my defenses are not easily broken."

Showa ignored him as he kept punching, but stop when his last hit felt different. Smirking under his helmet, he leaped back and reverted back to his default form.

"Ah, so you see the futility of it?" asked Ronove.

"Nah, I just figured now's the time to go big," said Showa, as he punched his knuckles together, forming his metal-plated Great Fists, "or go home." He jumped up and brought the fists down. Ronove didn't look concerned as he focused his barrier on the spot Showa would likely to hit. The Rider struck but he was promptly repulsed and sent flying backwards.

"Come now, sir. I'm a demon, not a fool," Ronove said with an amused smile and twinkle in his eye.

Showa studied his two opponents. The gentleman named Ronove could create barriers and repel his opponents with the same force that the barrier was hit with. Gaap on the other hand could conjure portals. There were two very tough opponents on their own, but together they were almost invincible.

However, even the toughest opponent's strengths could be exploited. With that in mind, an idea formed in the Rider's mind.

"Hey, Gaap! I guess Ronove lucked out in the powers department! Compared to your portals, a barrier that absorbs and reflects attacks is way cooler," Showa shouted. Ronove smiled at the praise, even if it was in the midst of battle.

Gaap giggled. It seemed that Showa still wanted to play with her. "Cooler than me, huh? Let's see if you still think so after this move!" She formed a black portal in front of her and drove her fist through. An exit portal formed in front of Showa and her fist came shooting out.

"Gotcha!" He ducked under the punch and got behind the portal, forming his Burst Cannon on his chest. Taking aim, he fired a quick burst of energy from the cannon which flew into the portal.

"ARGH!" Ronove shouted as the energy burst slammed into his back. Gaap's first portal had allowed Showa to hit Ronove in the back.

"What!?" Gaap gaped.

"You're wondering what happened, huh?" Showa asked as he deactivated the Burst Cannon. "It's just logic. Your portals work two-ways, on both sides. If you can redirect the direction of your attack with your portal, then there's no reason I can't use the portals for the same thing!" Gaap's portals were two way and both sides were usable. So, if he fired into the back of the portal in front of him, then the shot would exit out of the other side of Gaap's other portal.

"Clever," Ronove complemented, "And resourceful."

"That was how I was trained," said Showa. "And now-"

"I think that's enough," interrupted Beatrice.

Showa looked to the Golden Witch and sighed. He deactivated his armor which vanished and nodded. After all, they had been sparing on her property. The Kuwadorian's lawn was quite spacious and so he had been sparing with Ronove and Gaap, loyal servants and companions to the Endless Witch/Golden Witch Beatrice.

Shinichi was in the Meta-World, a sort of magical pocket dimension. This was the place of residences for witches like Beatrice, Bernkastel and Lambdadelta. Also, there was the Endless Sorcerer Battler who was an alternate version of the Battler he knew. The Endless Witch and Sorcerer were both married. Said Endless Sorcerer still wasn't quite comfortable with being called a grandfather considering his youthful looks but that was one of the consequences as the Seven Stakes of Purgatory were Beatrice's daughters in a fashion.

"Sit down, rest, have some tea, and cookies," said Beatrice as she gestured to the garden table. She was seated with her husband the Endless Sorcerer Battler, and her mentor Virgilia. Also sitting with them was Satan and Yuji. The white-haired Stake of Wrath was cradling Hiroyuki in her arms, rocking him back and forth.

"OK, I will," said Shinichi as he went and sat down for tea and cookies. It would be rude to reject such a request as Beatrice was practically his mother-in-law and also a lethal mistake as she could use her magic to kill him, repeatedly.

Satan gently handed Hiroyuki to Shinichi who smiled down at his red-eyes son. "Hello there, Hiro-chan." The baby stared up at his father and then he began to wail "What!? What did I do!?"

"Idiot, hand him over," Satan took Hiroyuki from Shinichi and the instant the baby was in her arms he calmed down. "You must've held him wrong."

"Babies just seem to have it out for me," complained Shinichi, recalling the time he had to babysit baby Alan and the infant kept using his powers on him. Then there was Junior, who tried to bite a chunk out of his arm.

"Relax, Shin. Babies are like this sometime. Hiro just wants to be close to his mom, that's why," said Yuji. Shinichi gaze towards Satan and the sight of her holding Hiroyuki like that made him smile.

"Of course, with breasts like that, why wouldn't he want to be close to his mother?" Shinichi answered.

"Yes, that's something we can both agree on," ES-Battler agreed, laughing jovially. Satan and Beatrice glared at them, causing them to freeze. "I mean...well..."

"Hmph, men are such breast-hungry beasts," scoffed Beatrice. "Then again, I'm not surprised since they enjoy suckling on succulant breasts like calves." She cradled her breasts. "Husband, do you love my breasts?"

ES-Battler looked around to see everyone staring at him expectantly for his answer. "Well...they are amazing..." He rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Indeed," Virgilia agreed. "Beatrice does have a beautiful bust and child-bearing hips not unlike young Satan."

"Are we seriously having this conversation?" Shinichi asked and Satan kicked his shin under the table. "Ow!" He turned to look at Satan who turned her nose up at him.

"Just go with it," said Yuji. "The topic of conversation is always weird."

"Actually, this is pretty mild. Conversations with my mother are a little more risque," Shinichi said. Considering that Shiori was a novelist who wrote adult romance literature, there was no doubt about that.

"Your mother, has she written anything new?" Virgilia asked expectantly.

"Isn't she always?" Shinichi questioned rhetorically, suggesting an affirmative. "Ever since she and I reunited, she's been getting so much inspiration."

"Beatrice-sama, may I please go and put Hiroyuki in his crib?" Satan asked politely.

"Oh, sure. He must be tired," allowed Beatrice. "And Shinichi, please accompany Satan, alright?"

"Alright," said Shinichi as he and Satan walked into the Kuwadorian. He whispered, "OK, why are you so mad right now?"

"I'm _always _mad," said Satan unconvincingly, but her expression softened as she held her son to her, smiling down at his sleeping face.

"Always, huh?" retorted Shinichi skeptically. He then put his hand on her rear and made her gasp. "I doubt that." She blushed and growled at him.

Timidly, which was uncharacteristic for her, she asked Shinichi, "What do you think of my breasts?" They had grown in size since she'd given birth as she was producing breast milk.

"They're spectacular," he answered honestly. "They're the right size, soft as pillows, and just smooth. No wonder Hiro-chan falls asleep on them after each feeding." Satan blushed and smiled at his compliment.

"I bet you say that to all the girls," she said.

"Just the ones who matter," he informed her. Satan smiled sultrily and then whispered into his ear. His eyes widened as his grin spread out.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered before adding, "But not today." His hopes plummeted, making her laugh at his disappointed expression. At the same time, Hiroyuki giggled. "Aw...you're so cute, Hiro."

(LINE BREAK)

As night fell, the nocturnal elements of the city came out of hiding. It was at this time criminal scum prowled the streets to commit misdeeds upon the innocent. However, the ne'er do wells of Shishibone City did not have free reign. The city had its guardians, shrouded in darkness, hidden in the shadows to observe with vigil eyes.

Perched on the edge of a rooftop was the Black Skull, aka Shinichi Banabara. This was the persona he adorned to fight crime. Kamen Rider Showa was reserved only for demons and monsters. For lowly criminals, Black Skull was enough. The perch he was crouched upon gave him the perfect vantage point to scout for any criminal activity. He'd picked this spot due to its strategic location.

His ears picked up sound, a feminine scream. His job was never done. There was no rest for the wicked and thus there was none for him.

(LINE BREAK)

A young lady, petite yet well-endowed, was cornered in an alley. She was dressed quite provocatively but only because the night was hot and anything more would be far too uncomfortable. Plus, she was planning to go dancing. Unfortunately, the brunette had caught the attention of several young ruffians in their early twenties who upon seeing her wanted to have a good time, whether she was willing or not.

They had chased after her, catcalling and whistling as she ran. They were like wolves on a hunt for fresh meat and she was the helpless prey that they would ravish for hours and hours until they grew bored of her and discarded her like leftovers.

As she was forced into a dead end, the lecherous wolves began to close in on her. She screamed for help but would anybody come?

Someone did.

Dropping from the sky and landing in a crouch upon the floor of the alleyway was Shishibone's own Guardian of the Night. He looked up, his skull-styled mask protection his identity, as he glared at the street gang who stared back at him, surprised by his appearance. Standing up, he quipped, "So, is this a private party or can anybody join in?" He counted seven of them in the alley. This would be easy.

(LINE BREAK)

Meanwhile, Shishibone City's second known guardian was patrolling, flying through the air like a guardian angel. His emerald glow was something the citizens had grown accustomed to as he was a symbol of hope and justice. Well, the Blue Comet would more accurately represent hope but the green Sentinel would not argue with them. It was not his attention to correct them. He was a hero and he would do the right thing.

Scanning the city with his enhanced supervision, he spotted a black clad individual jumping down from his tall perch. He recognized him easily and decided to go and see what he was up to. It wasn't for himself, though. He had made a promise to someone special that he would always look out for the one clad in black. It was a promise he intended to keep.

(LINE BREAK)

Shinichi, aka the Black Skull was disturbed as the gangsters were laughing. Well, he was used to it since they would normally underestimate him. They felt that they had better odds with bigger numbers. He was just one man, after all. No, it was the laughter that came from them _and _their would-be victim. He decided to focus on his sensing ability, to detect their auras, and came to a frightening conclusion.

"Well, crap," he uttered and just like that the woman and the street gang showed their true colors as their appearances melted and morph into something inhuman.

They were donned in black baggy suits with light armor on the torso, forearms and lower legs and they had their heads covered in full face masks, each one resembling a faceless demon with small silver horns on the top. They also had a sash wrapped around each of their waists that seemed to have star-like cluster designs on them and each one of the beings held a sort of weapon in their hands. The weapons ranged from swords to spears to hand-held kunai daggers.

"Darkstars," he mumbled as he recognized them. The first time he'd seen them preceded a battle with a demon named Zagi. The Demon Priests of the Moon Demoness also employed them as foot soldiers. "And I thought I saw the last of you."

The Darkstar who'd disguised itself as a woman lunged for Black Skull's back but was subdued instantly as the green Sentinel dropped down from the sky and smashed it into the wall with a punch.

"Oh, hey Alan," said Shinichi to his younger half-brother.

"Need help?" Alan offered, smiling.

"If I said no, would you go away?" Shinichi returned.

Alan considered it, or looked like he was considering it, and answered, "Probably not."

"Well, I doubt I'd need help. There's just seven of them," said Shinichi.

And just like that, Murphy's Law decided to just turn the whole situation into a SNAFU. Swirling clouds of black smoke appeared all around them, filling up the alley as a small army of Darkstars suddenly had them cornered, forcing them back-to-back.

"And yet again I just jinxed myself," muttered Shinichi. "How many was that already?"

"Too many that I care to count," said Alan. "Well, the usual plan?"

"The usual plan," Shinichi repeated, agreeing to the suggestion. With that said, the two of them charged forward, rushing in opposite directions.

There was an explosions as Darkstars were blown out of the alley as Shinichi rushed out with the Burst Cannon mounted on his chest. "Always start with the big guns," he quipped as he banished the weapon built via the nanites injected into him. He summoned the Shield of Glen with a flick of his wrist, covering his left arm from the elbow down in the dragon-mail shield gauntlet. Flexing the fingers, he got ready for battle.

Meanwhile, back in the alley, Alan broke the Darkstars weapons with his ring. The Green Lantern power ring responded to his thoughts and imagination, creating constructs of green energy. It was an advanced piece of technology forged by immortal dwarfs as peacekeeping tools. On Earth, it could very well be one of the most powerful weapons in existence.

And the ring was not his only weapon either. He moved, faster than a blink, and threw the Darkstars into the air with uppercuts. They went up, up, up, up, before they came crashing down. Alan felt no regret with using lethal force against these creatures. They were just mindless, demonic constructs made of dark energy. Of course, that also made them quite sturdy and since they were mindless they did not understand the concept of surrender.

He cracked his neck and knuckles, preparing for the next wave of attackers to come at him. The alleyway was narrow so their movements were limited. He, on the other hand, was not hindered by such limitations.

Back outside the alleyway, Shinichi had just turned his right arm into a massive sword with a blade that was as long as he was tall. With his constructed weapon, he swiped at the Darkstars. Bringing the sword down and forcing them to dodge, he left a gouge in the ground. Some tried to attack him from behind only to be repelled as he used the Shield of Glen to protect himself, sending them crashing against the wall. He smiled and turned his attention to the other Darkstars. They threw kunai at him and he deflected them with an energy shield. He then turned his right arm into an energy cannon and fired, sending them flying helplessly into the air. Jumping himself and reforming his Great Sword, he slashed at the demonic foot soldiers and sent them to oblivion.

A flash of green light within the alleyway told him that Alan had done cleaning up in there. "Showoff," he muttered before he caught a Darkstar's sword in his left hand without looking. He snapped the sword in half and kicked the demon backwards with a Great Boot, the huge armored foot causing damage on impact. That kick alone could shatter bone and the Darkstar went tumbling. It climbed back to its feet of course only to go down again when a green blast vaporised its head and the rest of its body.

Shinichi looked over his shoulder to see Alan, smiling at him. "I had it."

"I know," said Alan while casually backhanding a Darkstar. "Just being a good brother."

"Well, you're still my little brother," said Shinichi as he caught a Darkstar by its throat and snapped its neck. "You gotta listen to me."

Alan rolled his eyes. "How about we just take these guys out and then we talk about who listens to whom?" he suggested as he jumped and performed a split kick.

"Good idea," said Shinichi as he caught a pair of spears coming at his face. He tore them from the Darkstars grips, spun them around, then drove the spears into their chests, killing them with their own weapons as they turned into dissipating dark clouds.

The two were a great team. Alan had his ring and super powers while Shinichi had his cybernetic enhancements and enchanted weapons. The Black Skull had just stunned a few Darkstars by playing hopscotch with their heads before bounding off a wall and taking them down with a flying side kick, knocking them to the ground. They did not get back up and turned into black clouds which dissipated shortly after.

Alan was surrounded but he had a way to fix this. He spun around and around, accelerating his rotation, picking up speed as he formed a tornado. The tornado picked up the Darkstars surrounding him and they flailed helplessly as the tornado tore them apart. Alan stopped spinning and smiled as he tossed his cape over his shoulder. He dusted off his hands and looked around. "Well, that was easy."

"Yeah," said Shinichi with a frown. "_Too_ easy."

"You didn't just say that," Alan grimaced. With that said, once again Murphy's Law came into play.

After both Alan and Shinichi had destroyed the Darkstars, they heard applause. They turned their gaze to the source to saw a figure coming towards them. He was clad, completely in black. He wore a black cloak with gold trim that had its hood up and under the cloak he wore a black leather coat that was zipped up all the way to his neck. Under the coat he wore black pants and black boots. As he was clapping, the brothers could see that his left arm, from the elbow down was demonic in appearance, made of black and red flesh with golden runes tattooed onto the skin. The demonic hand's fingernails were black. His right arm remained normal, or so it appeared. His face was concealed, hidden from them by a black and white two-toned mask that covered everything except for his mouth and chin.

Shinichi and Alan did not like the looks of this guy. There was just something eerie and chilling about him and it wasn't just his appearance. It was his very aura and presence which was unnerving. It was like being in the presence of something that wasn't meant to exist as its shadow was cast over them.

"You are indeed as amazing as I've heard," praised the hooded masked man. "You were able to dispatch my Darkstars and display such teamwork and concentration. It's like you complement each other."

"OK, creepy guy, who are you?" demanded Shinichi.

"I have no name, but you may call me 'The Priest'," the man introduced himself. While polite, he didn't exactly make Shinichi and Alan feel relaxed. There was something not quite right with this guy.

"So, you summoned those things," Alan concluded.

"That is correct. I simply wanted to see, in person, if you two really are as good as I've heard. I am not disappointed." He paused. "However, it is quite inappropriate to call either of you heroes after all the horrible things you've done."

Alan and Shinichi flinched and thought at the same time, '_Does this guy...know...?_'

"What makes you say that we're not heroes?" demanded Alan.

"Because you're not. Oh, you fight evil and you save lives, but you ignore the real point. You're ignoring the Greater Good," the Priest said to them.

"The Greater Good?" Shinichi parroted.

"Do you really think you're doing any good by fighting your enemies? By protecting this world? You're not. You're simply part of the problem. This world, no this whole universe, is no longer balanced because you always try to fight whenever 'evil' appears. You seek to defeat 'evil' and not give it a chance," the Priest continued. "And even as you defeat one evil, another evil appears to take its place. The universe is sending you a message, sirs. Its demanding for balance."

"So what? You're saying this is all our fault?" Shinichi questioned furiously.

"Oh no. You're doing your part. _You _belong here," the Priest said to Shinichi. "Your half-brother on the other hand, doesn't, and his presence is polluting this world. Even now he's attempting to force his ideals on others by becoming a symbol of Truth & Justice." He addressed the Green Lantern,** "**Alan Smith, even you must admit that I speak the truth."

"Yeah right! What you're talking about is bullshit!" Alan retorted. He was lying, though. He had long suspected his presence was polluting the timeline.

"Oh, then you admit you did nothing wrong when you became Parallax?" the Priest questioned.

Alan tensed as he recalled that time and scowled with a warning, "Don't you dare go there..." How did this guy even know about that?

"And why not? Aren't you doing the same thing now by trying to force your idea of order and justice upon the world? Isn't that a self-deluded attempt to better it in the way you want even if someone doesn't want the same thing?"

"Don't let him get to you, little brother," Shinichi advised.

"And you, Shinji Banabara, are nothing but a childish whiner," the Priest said as he shifted his attention from Alan to Shinichi.

Shinichi snapped, ticked off by the criticism, "Who are you calling a whiner?-!"

"Shinichi, don't let him get to you," Alan repeated Shinichi's advice.

The Priest continued, "Yes, that is what you are: a whiner. You're quick to quit or rebel faster than anyone I've ever seen in your group of so-called heroes, and your reasons are rather weak. You lost your powers to General Nagazawa and quit, but you knew that ARMOR could have easily given you a new suit of ARMOR to replace the one you lost until you regained it. Oh, and you even went rogue because you lost your former lover to your nemesis. You said you were doing it for your friends, to protect them, but you still withheld vital information on the man which could have stopped his machinations sooner. Perhaps, you could've even stopped Shiro Juuyon from reviving the Yamata no Orochi in the first place."

Shinichi said nothing, but he trembled with anger as he glared at the Priest. How did this masked freak get his information? It wasn't like it was broadcasted for everyone to hear. He even knew about Alan, and he came from an alternate world.

"But the bit I find the most amusing, the most laughable, the most comical is that the second time you quit was because you hurt a friend. Oh, give me a fucking break! Compared to the all the deaths and destruction which happened in Kyoto, and all the horrible things you did as BLACK 13, that was the weakest reason of all for you to quit. Frankly speaking, he was nothing more than a berserker and you did the right thing by knocking him out. Any of your superhero friends would've done the same thing but they wouldn't have given up. You, however, decided to throw a pity party and quit. Even the Cricket Rider, the one that holds hatred for humans put his emotion aside knowing that being a hero comes first. Frankly, you're just a pathetic boy who uses the various upgrades you've received to hide the fact that you are just a selfish little child."

"I'm not!" Shinichi snapped.

"Prove it then!" the Priest challenged. "Or can you only speak empty words?"

"If he's fighting you, so am I," Alan volunteered.

"Very well," the Priest accepted. "Let me properly arm myself then." All of sudden, a pair of magic circles appeared with the Priest standing in between them. The magic circle on his right was dark and purplish with the image of a dragon in the centre. The magic circle on his left was golden, also with the image of a dragon in the centre. The circles' inner and outer rings rotated, ancient runes inscribed in them. He reached into the circles and drew out his swords. They seemed like normal swords, but that was to the untrained eye. They were single-edged, with no guards but between set at the base of the blades, between them and their hilts, were Yin-Yang symbols. Also, the sword in his right hand had a silver blade while the one held in his left hand had a dark blade.

Shinichi and Alan could actually feel it. The swords were ancient and powerful artifacts. They prepared themselves for anything. "Let us dance," the Priest said coolly and with that he charged at both Shinichi and Alan, aiming to 'remove them from the equation'.

(LINE BREAK)

The Priest raised both his swords over his head and cut a pair of circles of light, which linked together before shining upon him. His armor appeared, falling upon his armor, and augmenting him as he posed before both Alan and Shinichi. The right half of his armor was polished silver with gold trim while the left half was pitch black with blood red trim. The armor plating covered him from the neck all the way down to his toes. He sported a belt with the yin-yang symbol. His helmet resembled a wolf's head with a lion's mane and the horns of a dragon. His demonic left arm now looked more metallic than organic.

The two swords he held had also changed drastically. The sword in his right hand, known as the Sword of Faldren, was forged from the talon of a Light Dragon. It had two edges and the blade was at three feet in length and it had strange markings on the middle and there were small gems on the middle as well in regular intervals and the base was surrounded by two strange serpent-like beasts that then covered the flat of the blade on either side. The hand guard was made in a way that the hand guard resembled bat-like wings, with two sharp prongs moving upward, there appeared to some sort of gem under a metal sheath on the middle of the guard and the handle was covered in a scale like pattern, like that of a snake or any reptile, and the handle was good for either a single or double handed grip. The end of the handle had another one of the serpent heads with it's jaws open and a beautiful gem that seemed to shimmer in different colors of the rainbow. The blade itself was made of a metal that seemed to glow with a silvery white light, mixed with gold tint. The hand grip was also made from pure gold…or something that resembled gold. And the handle itself seemed to be made out of another silvery metal inlaid with gold leaf.

The sword grasped in the armored Priest's right hand resembled the Sword of Faldren, and could pass off as its twin. It was forged from the fang of a Chaos Dragon and known as the Sword of Chorvax. The blade was midnight black in the middle while the edges were blood red and there were gemstones in the middle of the blade and there were saw like teeth in the middle of the edges. There was a dragon head that gripped the base of the blade with two fang shaped prongs on the sides of the mouth. The hand guard had a wing design with spikes on the top of the hand-guard. The handle was long, showing that it could be wielded in the same way as the Sword of Faldren, either in a single hand or both. The handgrip was in a scale-like pattern, but were blood red mixed with black and bone white. The pommel was a Dragon claw grasping a human skull that had the mouth open in a scream and had two gems for eyes and the middle of the hand guard had a blood red eye with a black slit in the eye and it was glowing in malevolent fire.

'_Lad_,' St. George spoke cautiously in Shinichi's mind. '_That armor and those swords...they're imbued with unholy and holy energies._'

"At the same time?" Shinichi asked.

'_Yes, but such an amalgam of clashing energies should be impossible_,' spoke St. George.

"Not necessarily," said Shinichi, recalling Ichijyo Amakusa. The Vampangel could wield the power of light and darkness, elements considered good and evil respectively.

"Partner, I don't like the looks of this," said Bazel. "Be on your guard."

"You don't need to tell me twice," said Alan as he looked at Priest's armored form. "It just had to be magic," he complained under his breath. At least he had his ring fully charged for this fight.

The Priest made the first move as he crossed the distance in a flash, faster than Shinichi could. Immediately, Alan threw himself into a roll to block the Priest as he came close but compared to the Agent of Order, the Green Lantern was too slow. Sparks flew as Alan blocked the two blades before the Priest withdrew his swords and sent a kick into Alan's gut. In spite of his invulnerability, Alan felt the pain from the blow and collapsed.

"Shocking, isn't it?" the Priest rhetorically asked in a calm yet mocking tone. He crossed both his swords and drew them back to strike Alan down only to spin around and block the Sword of Ascalon as it came for his neck. He held Shinichi back with the Sword of Chorvax as Alan got up and swung the Kusanagi at the Priest's unprotected flank. Steel met steel as the Kusanagi met with the Sword of Faldren.

"Two on one? Hardly seems fair," said the Priest. "Let's equal the odds."

Now, Shinichi was not a stranger to splitting oneself and making copies but he was surprised when Priest's two toned halves split down the middle before becoming whole themselves. the black-clad, Sword of Chorvax wielding Priest shoved Shinichi backwards with a punch while Alan had his hands full with the silver-clad, Sword of Faldren wielding one. Sparks flew as the four swordsmen furiously battled it out for supremacy. Chorvax Priest rushed at Shinichi with his sword glowing with a dark red light. He thrust the sword forward but met with the barrier formed by the Shield of Glen and was pushed back. Shinichi then thrust his sword into the air and called, "Bring Order to the Chaos! St. George!"

Using a punch infused with his Kryptonian strength and the power of his ring, Alan drove Faldren Priest backwards before gripping the Kusanagi no Tsurugi and raising it into the air. "OK, if we're all going to fight in armor, then I might as well join the party!"

"Now you're talking, Partner!" shouted Bazel enthusiastically as the Armor of Bazel formed over Alan's body, changing him into The Sentinel. Shinichi was illuminated as pieces of armor fell upon his body. Showa was clad in his knight-like Ascalon Form armor.

"Ikuze," said Showa as Sentinel nodded. The two dashed towards their opponents who charged at well. White angel wings burst out of Faldren's back as he took to the air with Sentinel shooting towards the sky to engage him. Sparks flew as the Sword of Chorvax and the Sword of Ascalon clashed violently, their wielders filled with the intent to kill.

"Shakkaho!" Showa shouted as he fired the energy ball which Chorvax Priest dodged. Chorcax Priest charged up his own attack as his horns glowed. Showa, seeing this, immediately evaded by using Shunpo, as the energy beam from the enemy horns flew harmlessly through the air. Landing a distance away, Showa pointed his fingers at Chorvax Priest as he fired his spiralled energy blast at him with a cry of, "Makankosappo!"

Chorvax, seeing the blast coming, did not dodge as he raised the Sword of Chorvax. The energy attack, instead of being deflected, was absorbed by the Sword of Chorvax's blade. Showa was stunned as Chorvax Priest grinned. "A blade forged from the fang of a Chaos Dragon has the ability to absorb demonic energy, amplify it, and...SEND IT RIGHT BACK!" He swung and sent a amplified blast of Youki straight towards Showa. Holding his ground, he thrust his left hand forward and formed the protective energy dome provided by the Shield of Glen. The energy splashed against the dome before dispersing. The dome dropped and Showa used Shunpo as Chorvax Priest blurred from sight. While they were unseen, the sound of their clash was still heard as the two were locked in combat.

Sentinel fired his heat vision at Faldren Priest who dodged his attacks with ease. Frustrated, he fired multiple energy beams from his ring which pursued the silver-clad villain. However, once they were about to hit, he wrapped his wings around himself and spun in place, deflecting them. Unfurling his wings, he swooped towards Sentinel with the Sword of Faldren. Gripping the Kusanagi tight in both hands, he raised and blocked the blow. The two swords shone and then repelled one another, driving both wielders back.

Faldren Priest raised his sword then spun it in a circle, creating shining afterimages of the blade. Then, with a forward thrust the after images flew towards Sentinel. He deflected all but one which cut into his shoulder, through the armor, and he gritted his teeth.

"The Sword of Faldren is capable of cutting through any material with ease, no matter what form of enchantment augments it, even armor such as yours," boasted Faldren Priest. "It's no wonder this sword is so precious and valuable."

"You know, I'm getting tired of listening to your voice," said Alan. "So I'm going to shut you up." He formed a second blade with his ring and wielded it along with the Kusanagi no Tsurugi. He flew fast, like a rocket, shooting through the air and cutting across the distance before swinging at Faldren Priest. He blocked the green energy sword, which broke as expected, and parried the Kusanagi. However, Sentinel's right fist touched his stomach.

"Have a taste of GREEN WILLPOWER!" roared Sentinel as he unleashed all his ring's remaining energy in a single blast. The blast engulfed Faldren Priest. Once the blast subsided, Faldren Priest was unscathed. "Huh?"

"Almost got me, but your powers are useless against me in this form." said Priest. "And speaking of which, you're just a phony."

"A phony?" Sentinel repeated, shaken by how easily the Faldren Priest was able to shake off his attack.

"First, your Kryptonian abilities," said Faldren Priest. "You didn't earn them. You only got them because a super-villain was stupid enough to spill nanites on you. As for you emulating "The Doctor", well that's just you trying to delude yourself into thinking you're as great as he is, but you're still just a pathetic little boy."

Sentinel fired his ring at Faldren Priest only for his attacks to be absorbed. "Those attacks are just an annoyance to me. The big one was most impressive, but it was just a waste of time."

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Chorvax Priest leapt away to evade from a swing that would've cleaved him in two. "Now, time to show you why the Sword of Chorvax is the ULTIMATE blade of darkness!"

He dashed towards Showa, thrusting his sword forward to stab Showa in the heart. Showa activated the Shield of Glen to defend himself only for Chorvax Priest to vanish from sight. His eyes went wide and he spun around to block an attack, only to discover that it was only an afterimage. Chorvax Priest had moved so fast and was now right behind Showa. Not fast enough to defend himself or dodge, the Sword of Chorvax stabbed him right in the back.

"ARGH!" Showa screamed as he was stabbed. Chorvax Priest withdrew his sword and kicked Showa away.

"All that power in the palm of your hands, and all that training, and yet it's nothing compared to me," mocked Chorvax Priest. "Now, it's time we ended this."

Sentinel and Faldren Priest were still fighting when Sentinel heard his brother's scream. "Shinichi!" he shouted.

"Partner, watch your flank!" shouted Bazel and Sentinel blocked a strike from Faldren Priest.

"You don't seem to realize the truth," said Faldren Priest.

"And what truth is that?" Sentinel asked.

"That all your efforts will eventually destroy this world!" Faldren Priest snapped. He lectured, "You fight, and fight, and fight, but even if you defeat your enemies, they either come back stronger or something else fills the void they left behind. Each enemy stronger than the last! It never ends, does it?"

"We protect the world! That's what we do!" Sentinel shot back.

"You know what your greatest sin is?" Chorvax Priest asked Showa as he stood shakily. "You turned all your friends and loved ones into weapons."

"I never did that!" Showa denied. "I didn't turn them into weapons...I made them into heroes..."

"And even with eyes that can see far distances and notice the smallest of details, you are still blind," Faldren and Chorvax Priests both said to their opponents. "How sad. I pity you."

Showa and Sentinel gripped their weapons, trembling with rage as they prepared for their opponents' next move.

"It is time we ended this fight," Faldren Priest started.

"And bring about balance and order," Chorvax Priest finished.

Using the magic of their swords, the two Priests blinded their opponents for a minute, giving the Priests the opportunity to strike. With lightning speed, they placed their left hands onto the heroes' chest. The instant they did this, both Alan and Shinichi cried out in pain from the burning sensation as not even their armors could protect them.

Unable to endure the pain any further, Showa unleashed a burst of energy from his chest which drove Chorvax Priest back several feet. However, the damage was already done as Shinichi dropped to his knees as his armor shattered with the Sword of Ascalon lying at his side.

Meanwhile, Sentinel was going through the same pain, even after Faldren Priest had withdrawn his hand. He then knocked Sentinel to the ground, his Bazel Armor shattering before he crashed to the ground, making an imprint on impact as cracks spread out all around him. He had one hand on his chest as he felt like he was burning on the inside.

The two Priests became one again as the armor disappeared. They landed on the ground and looked at the defeated brothers. "This shall be the end for you and every other 'hero', then the poison will be removed from this world."

The Priest vanished as both Shinichi and Alan lost consciousness.

(LINE BREAK)

Yuji, as the Blue Comet, was flying around the city. Earlier, he'd just foiled several break-ins, a mugging, and prevented a rape as well as attempted murder. It seemed like a good night for the blue-clad scion of Hope. That was when he looked down and spotted Alan and Shinichi, lying unconscious below. "What?" He went down to check on them. Scanning them, he saw that they were injured. "Guys!" he ran towards them. Suddenly, he heard something and he used his ring to bring up a barrier. Something slammed into it and he saw that it was a demonic disembodied arm with glowing yellow runes. "What...the...?" The arm vanished into black smoke which began to surround Yuji. "OK, what the hell is going on here?"

"Looks like patience does beget rewards," Priest said as he appeared before Yuji, his arm reattached. "Yuji Fudo, also known as the Blue Comet and formerly known as Kamen Rider Liger."

Yuji didn't know who this freak was, dressed like a Rare Hunter, and exuding some kind of creepy magical aura. However, he could already guess that whoever this guy was, he was responsible for Alan and Shinichi's conditions. "OK, what did you do to my friends?"

"I decided that they should be taken out of the equation to preserve balance," said the Priest, smiling at Yuji. "You're like the Green Lantern too. You don't belong in this world. None of you do."

"I already know I don't belong here," Yuji rebutted. "Only reason I'm here is because people I care about live here. So thanks for stating the obvious, dumbass. Now then, how do you wanna do this?"

"I will start by cleansing this world of your presence, virus," the Priest sneered as the magic circles were summoned and he drew the sealed states of his Faldren and Chorvax swords.

"Oh, now that's a good trick," Yuji acknowledged, maintaining his barrier. "So, let's see what you can do, tough guy!"

The Priest dashed forward, swinging his swords while the Blue Comet blocked the blades with his forearms. While the blades hadn't cut his arms, the impacts from the Priest's power was surprising for the Lantern as he could feel his arms shake a little. Yuji gripped the Priest's wrists and reared his head back, coming in with a headbutt that made the Priest recoil before retaliating with a headbutt of his own. The second impact made both fighters recoil as they shook the ringing going through their brains.

"Shit, what's that skull of yours made of...?" Yuji groaned as he held his head steady.

The Priest didn't give an answer as he charged for Yuji's vital areas, targeting the throat, heart, and forehead. His thrusts were fast, his arms a blur, as he alternated his strikes, stabbing at Yuji with furious determination and ferocious resolve. The Blue Lantern was able to follow his opponent's movements, evading each strike by mere inches. The Priest then did a backflip, his heel slamming into Yuji's jaw as he made some distance between himself and the Manakyte. "OK, you're good," Yuji affirmed, "I'll give ya that."

"I thank you for the compliment. However, that does not change the inevitable outcome of this bout," said the Priest as he spun his black sword in his hand. He was spinning it faster and faster, until it looked like a black disc. He then hurled it at Yuji, the blade spinning at breakneck speed as it sliced through the air straight at Yuji.

"FUCK...!" Yuji cried as he ducked the blade, looking back to see it changing course and returning. "Wonderful... Power check," he whispered.

"Power levels at 89%," his ring reported.

"Better conserve then," he nodded.

"The Blue Light of Hope," the Priest began. "I guess it chose wisely for you to be its wielder. No matter how unfair life turned out for you, you held onto the hope that it would be better." The Priest caught his returning sword. "But where was that hope when Rosa was dying in your arms? Where was that hope when your dear, beloved Yumi died? Where was that hope when a child lost her mother? You see, no matter what you say or do, the truth is that your ring and all your powers, as impressive as they may be, are merely a crutch. Without them, you'd be nothing," the Priest mocked.

"Well, I've learned that shit happens," Yuji explained. "Yumi ended up dead cuz I was still a weak little kid. And I couldn't get my ring to work for a long time, so using it to save Rosa was no go. In a nutshell, you gotta take the good with the bad. There's never a straight line in life, so I might as well keep driving." He continued, "As for you, you're pretty interesting. I haven't run into many chaos beings during this career of mine."

"Chaos? You must be mistaken. While I do wield the Chaos Sword of Chorvax, I also wield the Order Sword of Faldren. I never wield one without the other. Chaos and Order are the two most absolute forces of the universe, and only when united will there be balance. However, that is not true yet as there are elements denying the balance," said the Priest.

"I mean the whole Light and Darkness thing," Yuji clarified. "I think I've only met like...maybe five? You're probably the fifth."

"Well, then let make me the most memorable," said Priest as he raised his swords and cut two linked circles of light. They shone upon him, donning him in his two-toned dragon armor, gripping the true forms of Chorvax and Faldren in his hand. "Hopefully, you'll prove more of a challenge than the Sentinel and the Rider."

"Oh, that is so awesome!" Yuji clapped as he hovered with his legs crossed. "I'm starting to like you, dude. But you hurt my buddies, so I can't let that shit slide..." Yuji whipped out Featherine's brush and twirled it around. It grew and extended, changing shape into the Crimson Dragon Spear. "Too bad this kinda clashes with my look."

"_Daddy, now's not the time for a fashion review,"_ Veronica called, _"That guy is coming back..."_

Lunging at Yuji, the spot he'd jumped from exploding from the force of the jump, the armored Priest swung downward at Yuji with Faldren. Yuji parried with the Crimson Dragon Spear only to be blinded by a sudden flash of light from Faldren.

"OK, that hurt a bit..." he groaned as he shook the spots out of his before getting kicked in the face and flying into a wall. "That hurt too..."

"Is this all you can muster? Is this the strength of the man who defeated the Witch of Terror & Wiraqocha Rasca?" the Priest questioned, seemingly unimpressed. "How shameful."

"To be fair, that wasn't even his real form," Yuji countered, "I think I would've had a harder time against the real thing. Secondly, I'm holding back cuz I don't feel like raising this town to the ground, genius. Oh, and I'm having too much fun to get serious. By the way...we're alone." The Priest looked around, seeing that Shinichi and Alan were nowhere in sight. Either they had regained consciousness and fled as they were still weakened from their bout with the Priest or they had been found and rescued by other parties. "Yeah...can you say 'distraction'? It sucks that a good fighter like you is working for guys like whoever you're hooked up with."

"I am simply fulfilling my duty and responsibility of bringing balance to the world," said Priest as he crossed his swords. They ignited, golden flames enveloping Faldren and dark violet flames enveloping Chorvax. "When Chaos and Order collide, Balance is achieved!" He swung and arches of flames soared towards Yuji. "By the name of Chorvax and Faldren, may these flames purge this world of what corrupts it!" He didn't just sent a couple, but a complete flurry at the Manakyte.

"Shields to max..." Yuji muttered as he guarded himself against the furious flurry of flames. His ring responded to his hope and he hoped to survive and win this fight.

"That ring cannot protect you forever, Yuji Fudo!" the Priest spat as he continued his onslaught. "Not even your friends could stand up to me! What hope could you possibly have? Haven't you already lost everything?"

'_No, I haven't_,' thought Yuji in disagreement. He still had the girls, he still had his adopted daughters, and he had Misato and his daughter Yuna. He kept going because of them. In spite of all the horrible things which happened in his life that would've forced him to break down in despair, he held onto the hope that things would get better. Even if the world was a horrible place and turned against him, he would always be hopeful. That was what Rosa and Yumi would've wanted.

The Priest switched tactics and went with the direct approach, ceasing his attack. Closing the gap between himself and Yuji, he smashed the Manakyte's defence to pieces with his swords. Yuji counted and with a swing his spear's blade sliced off the Priest's left forearm. Dark blood splashed the ground they stood on as the arm went flying along with Chorvax.

"Looks like you've been _disarmed_," Yuji teased.

"_Daddy, that was in poor taste,_" Veronica told him.

Momentarily stunned, the Priest began to laugh. "'Disarmed'? Yes, indeed I have been disarmed. However, that does not mean I have been defeated quite yet, Yuji Fudo."

Suddenly, the arm that Yuji had cut off flew and struck Yuji in the chest with its palm. Yuji was sent skidding backwards, painfully. He had a coughing fit as the wind was knocked out of him. The disembodied arm then turned to smoke which joined with the stump of Priest's left arm, reforming into his demonic appendage. He flexed his fingers as he regained his arm. From a magical circle, he drew Chorvax out again.

"Oh, right," Yuji remembered earlier. That disembodied arm had attacked him earlier. He should've seen it coming.

"Your carelessness and foolishness will be your downfall," the Priest claimed.

"Hey, Priest. You called me a virus, right?" Yuji questioned.

"Indeed, because your presence is polluting this world," the Priest answered.

Yuji's eyes turned dark as he growled, ferally, like a beast, "You haven't seen anything _yet_...because I'm about to rock you...like a hurricane." With a roar, he caused blue flames to encircle him, rotating rapidly until the flames formed a funnel around himself. While those who did not know might assume this was a violent surrender via self-immolation, it was anything but.

The funnel rose into the air, becoming a pillar of flames that could touch the sky. The funnel was now a spinning tower of flames with Yuji at the very centre, the eye of this firestorm. The Priest watched as the pillar itself began to change. To think Yuji had this level of mastery with pyrokinesis. This had to be his most powerful move yet if he ever saw one. So intense was the heat, that the ground beneath Yuji's feet was melting.

The pillar of flames began to morph, taking a serpentine shape. The Priest could make out a reptilian head with horns and glowing white eyes. He also saw wings, and thin legs tipped with claws. He knew of Yuji's devotion to the Crimson Dragon, but to think he could replicate the shape out of his blue flames to form his own Azure Dragon.

The Priest prepared to defend himself as the Azure Dragon came at him. He ignited his mystical swords and prepared to counter this.

(LINE BREAK)

The entire fight and its outcome was being viewed in the Meta-World by Beatrice, ES-Battler, Lambdadelta and Bernkastel. It was the usual room for them, eight sided with a chair to each wall of the room. Only four of the chairs were occupied.

"Hah, that's my boy!" Beatrice cheered as the blue-flaming dragon completely devoured the Priest. It was the most brutal and amazing thing she had ever seen. It appeared her adopted nephew had once again saved the day.

"Now that was awesome!" agreed ES-Battler just as excitedly as Beatrice.

Lambdadelta bit her napkin, frustrated that she had lost a bet. However, Bernkastel remained impassive. She looked neither upset nor happy. Her only response to the events she had just witnessed was to simply drink her tea.

(LINE BREAK)

Yuji watched the flames intently as he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. He recalled that the Priest had struck him in the chest during the fight earlier. "OK, he got one good hit in," he muttered as he spat a bit of blood from his mouth. "I was right, that guy doesn't play games..." While it appeared that he'd defeated the Priest with that Azure Dragon attack, he had a strong feeling that it wouldn't be the last he'd see the Priest and that he would see the masked man in black again in the near future. Guys as strong as him never stayed down for long, if at all. At best. Yuji had only temporarily driven the Priest away.

Thinking back to Shinichi and Alan, he hoped that the two of them had gotten away. They did not look like they were in any condition to fight. The burning sensation in his chest continued to bother him as he took off to return home.

(LINE BREAK)

Once Alan had gotten home, he lamented that the night had not gone so well for him. The young Lantern wasn't the type to accept failure and defeat quite easily. The Priest had been a frightening opponent. He'd practically dominated him and Shinichi. What more, he was still out there. A threat like that couldn't be allowed to roam free. Alan swore he would defeat the Priest next time.

Alan suddenly hissed in pain as he felt a burning pain in his chest. He clenched the front of his shirt tightly. He dragged himself to the bathroom and lifted up his shirt as he faced the mirror. His eyes went wide as he saw strange black markings that were made up of runes, taking the shape of a spider, tattooed on his chest.

"What...is this...?" Alan questioned.

"It doesn't look good, Partner," said Bazel. "It doesn't look good at all."

"But what is it?"

(LINE BREAK)

"OK, did I get drunk and get myself some fucking weird ass tattoo?" wondered Yuji out loud as he saw the mark on his chest. Whatever it was, he knew he didn't have it before and it was at the exact spot where the Priest had struck him earlier.

Just by looking at it, he knew there was something wrong about it.

(LINE BREAK)

Meanwhile, Shinichi was experiencing similar pain. Earlier, he and Alan had regained consciousness. They had discovered at the time that the Priest was fighting with Yuji. As neither out of them were in any condition to fight, they had reluctantly decided to withdraw and hope for the best while watching from a safe distance. Yuji was strong and could take care of himself. However, Shinichi couldn't help but be worried for his friend whom he had left to face the Priest by himself. Unfortunately, the injuries they had sustained fighting the Priest would only cause them to be a hindrance to Yuji. Fortunately, Yuji had been able to defeat the Priest and send him running.

The burning sensation in Shinichi's chest caused him to grunt in pain. Just what was causing it. Entering the bathroom, he took off his shirt and checked the mirror. When he checked in the mirror, he found that he too bore the same mark as Alan did on his chest. "What is this? What does this mean?" He didn't remember ever getting a tattoo and even if he did he wouldn't choose such a design.

'_I don't know, but it looks to me like the mark of a curse, Lad_,' said St. George.

"A curse? What kind of curse?" Shinichi questioned.

"_Death_."

(LINE BREAK)

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: With the three most powerful heroes literally marked for death, it is only a matter of time until the final end. Will evil win? Will darkness triumph? Or will hope, truth, justice and light prevail?**

**Now, info on our new villain... "The Priest"**

**The Priest's identity is shrouded in mystery. He believes his mission is to bring balance and order to the universe filled with chaos. He wears a black cloak with gold trim and under this he wears a black, leather coat that is closed and reached down to his knees. He wears black pants and black boots. His entire left forearm appears demonic as it is made of black and red flesh with gold runes on the surface and black fingernail. His right arm remains normal. On his face he wears a two-toned black and white mask which covered all but his mouth and chin.**

**The Priest wields the Sword of Chorvax, an unholy blade forged from the fang of a demonic Chaos Dragon. He also wielded the Sword of Faldren, a sword which represented order. Unlike the Sword of Chorvax, the Sword of Faldren was forged from the talon of a Light Dragon.**

**The Sword of Faldren: It had two edges and the blade was at three feet in length and it had strange markings on the middle and there were small gems on the middle as well in regular intervals and the base was surrounded by two strange serpent-like beasts that then covered the flat of the blade on either side. The hand guard was made in a way that the hand guard resembled bat-like wings, with two sharp prongs moving upward, there appeared to some sort of gem under a metal sheath on the middle of the guard and the handle was covered in a scale like pattern, like that of a snake or any reptile, and the handle was good for either a single or double handed grip. The end of the handle had another one of the serpent heads with it's jaws open and a beautiful gem that seemed to shimmer in different colors of the rainbow. The blade itself was made of a metal that seemed to glow with a silvery white light, mixed with gold tint. The hand grip was also made from pure gold…or something that resembled gold. And the handle itself seemed to be made out of another silvery metal inlaid with gold leaf.**

**The Sword of Chorvax: The twin of the Sword of Faldren The blade was midnight black in the middle while the edges were blood red and there were gemstones in the middle of the blade and there were saw like teeth in the middle of the edges. There was a dragon head that gripped the base of the blade with two fang shaped prongs on the sides of the mouth. The hand guard had a wing design with spikes on the top of the hand-guard. The handle was long, showing that it could be wielded in the same way as the Sword of Faldren, either in a single hand or both. The hand grip was in a scale-like pattern, but were blood red mixed with black and bone white. The pommel was a Dragon claw grasping a human skull that had the mouth open in a scream and had two gems for eyes and the middle of the hand guard had a blood red eye with a black slit in the eye and it was glowing in malevolent fire.**

**The Priest also has a special ability to mark his victims with a Cursed Seal of Destruction on their chest which will kill them within 100 days. However, the seal's effect will also accelerate if the marked victims use their special abilities which would fuel the seal, killing them faster. The Cursed Seal is invisible except to those possessing it and individuals who possess magical ability. Only the Priest has the ability to remove the Cursed Seal of Destruction.**

**(Note: The swords' designs were based on Holy Talon and Death Fang from Freedom Guard)**


	153. Kagami no Gakure

AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, here's a oneshot based on a crazy idea I just had. Anyway, it's also AU so the characters would be older, like in their teens because I don't think it's rational to graduate kids from a Ninja School at age 12. I mean, on paper it sounds OK, but you're expecting 12 year old kids to be ninjas, whom by definition are assassins, thieves, spies and saboteurs. Anyway, here's my oneshot. Someone else could adopt it but hey, it's just an idea that I have to put on paper. I'm gonna use a familiar trio for this since I'm an OC using guy.

Anyway, I'm setting this during the preliminaries of the Chuunin Exams and focusing on three matches. First match…

* * *

**SASUKE UCHIHA VS RYUKI HASUMA**

Sasuke, feeling confident, walked into the arena to meet his opponent. He scrutinized the shinobi he would be fighting. He was dressed in a black, zipped up jumpsuit with a belt covered in pouches. He wore red boots and gloves as well as a scarf. His hair was a reddish color with bangs that framed his face and a little messy on top. It was braided too, hanging down his back and he wore a long red scarf. In addition, he wore goggles which were over his forehead protector. His eyes were bright green, with a shine in them.

Sasuke didn't consider him much of a threat, just a stepping stone to reach his goal. He would just end this match quickly and move on to the next stage with no trouble at all. His opponent, Ryuki, pulled his goggles over his eyes to reveal the symbol on his forehead protector. It was just a pair of rectangles overlapping each other.

The referee gave the signal that the match had started and Sasuke rushed at his opponent. However, his punch was blocked and Sasuke received a knee to the stomach, nearly knocking the air out of him. He then felt a chop against the back of the neck, knocking him down.

Sasuke picked himself up, angered at the humiliating. He performed a set of hand seals and executed one of his signature fire Jutsus. The large fireball was launched and hit Ryuki directly, enveloping him in flames. Sasuke smiled, expecting the match to be over and for the referee to call it but then he saw something that completely flabbergasted him.

His flames weren't harming his opponent. The flames now encircled Ryuki harmlessly and the red-haired shinobi was pooling the flames into his hands, holding the flames in his hands. He smiled and rushed at Sasuke with flaming hands. Sasuke had to dodge a swipe which left a trail of fire as his opponent started a relentless assault on Konoha's last Uchiha but then his opponent vanished from sight and reappeared behind Sasuke to kick him forward. Sasuke regained balance and spun around but his opponent vanished from sight again. Sasuke activated his Sharingan Eye which could see through any Genjutsu but this was no Genjutsu.

His opponent reappeared in front of him and punched him so hard he was sent flying. Sasuke was then frozen in midair. The crowd was speechless as Sasuke was levitated off the ground. Sasuke tried to struggle free from whatever it was that was holding him, but couldn't. Just what was going on here!?

Ryuki had his finger pointed at Sasuke and then he flicked his wrist, sending Sasuke crashing violently against the wall. He then pulled his arm back, dragging Sasuke through the air only to hit him with a kick that sent him skyward. Again, Ryuki used the same invisible force to stop Sasuke's flight and drag him back to the ground. Ryuki then used an uppercut when Sasuke was within range and buried his fist deep into his stomach. Sasuke's eyes widened as his body folded in half before he was tossed to the ground, in pain.

Ryuki Hasuma was declared the winner and he pulled his goggles up to smile, waving at his teammates.

* * *

**ICHIJYO AMAKUSA VS SAKURA HARUNO**

Sakura's opponent was completely covered in a deep violet cloak with the hood up, concealing his features from her. She couldn't tell their gender because the cloak completely covered their bodies. It should be a guy, right? That was what the name suggested.

As the match began, Sakura rushed forward and threw a strong punch, burying her fist into her opponent's face. However, her hand only caught onto an EMPTY cloak. Where had her opponent gone? Had he used a Shunshin to escape?

No, he was hiding, and in the last place Sakura expected.

Ichijyo rose from the shadows behind her, surprising her as he revealed himself to her. He was dressed the same as Ryuki, in a black jumpsuit, with purple gloves and boots. His lower face was covered like Kakashi's by a black cloth mask. He had dark hair that was chin length and parted in the centre. He also wore the forehead protector of his village, which had a overlapping rectangle symbol. Sakura only noticed him too late as he performed a spin kick that knocked her down to the ground.

Ichijyo performed a series of hand seals and then slammed his palm to the ground. His shadow extended and then a claw made of shadow burst out from the ground. Now the Nara watching thought they had mastered the ability to manipulate shadows, but this shinobi from a foreign village was able to do something incredible as making shadows tangible.

Sakura shrieked and rolled out of the way as the claw slammed down, hitting the spot she'd been lying on. He then began to sink into his own shadow before his hand rose out of Sakura's, grasping her leg. Sakura screamed as she was being dragged along the floor, struggling to free herself from the creepy Shinobi's grasp. Now intending to end the game, he burst out of the shadow and then grabbed Sakura's head in his hands. He looked into her eyes with his own and whispered something.

Sakura fell asleep could no longer fight. Ichijyo Amakusa was declared the winner.

* * *

**YOSHIYUKI TAKADA VS KIBA INUZUKA**

This match was pretty short as Kiba's opponent had been using traps. There were explosives hidden in the ground. The question was, how could Takada have hidden them in the arena floor?

Yoshiyuki Takada was dressed like his teammates, only with blue gloves and boots and with a long blue coat. His hair was brown and spiked up and he was wearing a strange headset with a blue visor over his eyes. He had weapons hidden in his coat and not afraid to use them. Of course, he only needed one weapon. It was just a switch to set off the explosives hidden under Kiba's feet. After knocking the Inuzuka and his dog out with several concussive mines, Takada was declared the winner.

It was a fact that Takada had not buried the mines himself. Ichijyo had done it for him when he'd been battling Sakura. Using his ability to swim through the ground with his shadow ability, he planted the mines in strategic positions for Takada's match. Of course, this was if Ichijyo's match was earlier. It all worked out in the end anyway. Takada's visor allowed him to see the mines and the switch was used to activate the ones closest to Kiba.

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Just something silly that came to me suddenly. Not even gonna make this into a real fic. I just want you to tell me what you think.**


	154. Showtime: Kamen Rider Wizard Magica!

**IT'S SHOWTIME: KAMEN RIDER WIZARD MAGICA!**

So many times! I had done this so many times! And yet nothing had changed! In fact each time it just got worse. Losing Madoka the first time was heartbreaking enough but to lose her over and over again! I couldn't take it anymore! How could I have any hope!? Madoka was my hope!

I fell to my knees and watched as my Soul Gem was beginning to crack. Well, I guess this was it. My despair had reached its breaking point. If I became a Witch then all my pain will be over. I would be rid of whatever humanity I have and become a creature of despair and spread my despair to others. I guess this is my punishment for trying to change the inevitable.

As the cracks on my Soul Gem started to spread, I looked up at the sun. There was an eclipse. I guess the darkness would become my blanket as I was devoured by it. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.

But then my eyes snapped open! No! No, I could not give up! I shouldn't give up! I still had a chance! I still had hope! I could still fight and change Madoka's destiny! I focused on Madoka, focused on the girl who gave me hope. I was not going to give up! She never gave up! Even after knowing the ultimate fate of a Magical Girl, Madoka still fought Walpurgis Night!

My Soul Gem then began to shine with a bright light and then after that…

Nothing.

* * *

When I woke up, Walpurgis Night was gone. However, Madoka's body was still there. So cold. I remember how she died. She begged me to destroy her Soul Gem before she turned into a Witch. The Soul Gem, literally the crystallization of her soul, was broken by me because she didn't want to become a monster. But by killing her, I became a monster.

Wait, my Soul Gem was cracking, wasn't it? How come I was still here then? This didn't make sense at all.

"You've managed to hold onto hope in the midst of despair," someone spoke and I turned to see someone standing behind me. He was a man, and dressed in white robes with golden trim. He also wore a hood and his face was covered with an amber-colored mask. White strips of metal formed eye-like shapes on the mask. He sported a metal belt with a hand-shaped buckle and a chain of ornate rings hung from the belt.

"Who are you?" she asked. The mysterious man didn't answerer and then she saw a magic circle appeared at his side. Magic? Magic and he wasn't a Magical Girl. The centre of the circle resembled his mask and the rings that rotated around the centre seemed to be marked with symbols representing the phases of the moon. He reached into the orange magic circle and pulled out a device which resembled his belt but without the belt strap. He tossed it to me.

"Use this to change their fate and give them hope," he told me. "Now, come. You have much to learn."

"Wait!" I said. "Who are you?"

"You may call me the White Wizard," he said. "And I know who you are, Homura Akemi."

I stared at the device in my hand which had a hand-shaped ornament on it. How could something like this help me change fate?

"What about Madoka's body?" I asked.

"Her body will be found but it is no longer your concern. Now, come with me. There is much you need to learn about your new power, Homura Akemi."

What new power? What was he talking about? Well, considering I had nothing else I could do, I followed. I did glance back at Madoka's body and whispered, "I'm sorry."

**(IT'S SHOWTIME)**

The Witch Charlotte, in her worm form, opened up her mouth wide, exposing her teeth, as Mami stood frozen before her. Madoka and Sayaka could only watch in horror as their new blonde friend was about to be eaten.

She first met Mami when she and Sayaka were at the mall. They ended up in a Witch's Barrier but Mami came and saved them. They were also introduced to Kyuubey too who told them they had potential to be Magical Girls.

Of course, both Madoka and Sayaka weren't ready to make a contract. They were still frightened. Now, they were regretting their decision of not making a contract sooner and becoming Magical Girls who could have helped Mami.

Now, Mami was going to die.

Or was she?

**BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Gunshots were heard and Charlotte was pelted with bullets. This served to take her attention away from Mami and she looked to see who had dared to shoot her.

Standing on top one of her cake towers was a girl with long dark hair and dressed in the same uniform as Madoka and Sayaka. However, the uniform was accessorized by a belt with a hand-shaped buckle.

"Homura-chan?" Madoka blinked.

Homura's expression was stoic but it was also complemented with determination. Charlotte then went to take a bite out of Homura.

"Homura-chan, watch out!" Madoka shouted.

Homura just put her right hand over her belt and there was an exclamation of, "**Driver On, Please!**" coming from out of nowhere. Her belt was engulfed in light and changed, becoming bulkier and made of metal but with the hand-shaped buckle still in the same position. Reaching down, Homura flipped the switched which made the hand-shaped buckle which pointed to her right point to her left.

Homura aimed her strange gun which also had a hand-shaped attachment to it, only it was closed. She fired bullets at Charlotte's face, enough to stun her. She then smiled and put her left hand over the belt buckle.

**_"Flame, Please! Hii Hii…Hii Hii Hii!"_** She then pointed her left hand forward as an elaborate red magic circle appeared, with flames licking its edges. Homura then jumped through it and when she exited and landed on the soft, pastry floor, she had changed.

From head to toe she was clad in a black bodysuit which concealed her form. A chain of rings hung from her belt. Her chest was covered in red gem-like armour which was a long line down the middle with three sections on each side that were rectangular, but slightly askew. His shoulders were covered in black armor with silver edges that were decorated with dragon-like crests. From his waist hung a robe-like fabric which was red on the inside but black on the outside. It made her look like she had coat tails. Her wrists and ankles sported bands that were the same ruby red as her chest plate. Finally, her head was concealed by a silver helmet which had a ruby red faceplate decorated like the ring he wore, sporting metal lines making it appear as if it had large eyes with antennae rising from the forehead.

"Now, it's show time," the transform Homura Akemi declared as she glared at the Witch.

Sayaka, Madoka and Mami gaped at the transformation. This was not a regular Magical Girl transformation. Kyuubey watched in curiosity, wondering what this new variable was.

As Homura now had Charlotte's attention, the Witch dashed towards her to eat her. However, Homura proved to have better reflexes than Mami and far too agile as she leapt over the Witch and landed behind her. Charlotte's worm-like body curved and went straight for Homura's back.

"Homura-chan!" Madoka cried. Homura simply switched a ring with another on her chain and changed the position of her belt buckle again before holding her right hand over it.

**_"Defend, Please!"_**

There was that voice again. The magic circle appeared again, as flaming as before, and Charlotte ran right into it face first. She shrieked at the fire which burned her. Homura then switched out the right on her right hand with another before holding it in front of her belt buckle.

"Big, Please!" The magic circle, this time without the flames, appeared before Homura again. She then punched into it and a gigantic version of her arm shot out the other side.

"WOAH!" Sayaka exclaimed as the giant arm flew out and the giant fist smashed into Charlotte, sending her flying. "What is that!?"

"It's magic," said Kyuubey.

"I guess it's time we finish this," said Homura, speaking for the first time since her transformation. She switched rings again and put her right hand over her buckle.

**_"Bind, Please!"_**

She pointed at Charlotte and multiple magical circles appeared around her. Chains shot out of the magic circles and wrapped around Charlotte, binding her in place, along with the doll she was attached to. She struggled to break herself free.

"Witch, it's time for you to be free of your despair," said Homura as she switched her ring again. "This is the finale." She put her right hand over her belt buckle for the final time in this battle.

**_"Very Nice! Kick Strike!"_** The magic circle appeared under her feet, flames flaring out from it. **_"Fabulous!"_**

She twisted on the spot, to allow the magical energy to distribute evenly. Moving to a crouch, she allowed her right foot to be covered in flaming energy. When it looked like her leg was actually on fire, she charged forward before doing a front flip on her hands which positioned her with her back facing Charlotte. She then kicked off the ground in a high back flip, positioning herself for a corkscrew kick. The chains prevented the Witch from moving as a red magic circle appeared above her. Homura came down with her foot extended, striking the centre of the circle. The entire construct ignited with fire energy before stretching to allow the blow to land on Charlotte's body.

There was an explosion like a bomb just went off. Charlotte was engulfed as the flames completely swallowed her. Once the flames and smoke cleared, Homura scanned the spot and picked up what she was looking for.

It was Charlotte's Grief Seed.

"Well, that's that," said Homura and a magic circle rose up from the floor to sweep upwards, stripping her of her armor. She then looked to see Madoka, Sayaka and Mami staring at her.

It wasn't long before the Witch's Barrier vanished and they were back in the real world, outside the hospital.

"Homura-chan?" asked Madoka as she approached them. She looked to Mami and gave her a nod. Mami seemed to blush a bit.

"Here," Homura said as she gave Mami the Grief Seed. "You're going to need that."

"Hey, wait!" Sayaka said to Homura. "That was so awesome! How did you do that!?"

"It's just something I can do," said Homura.

"Are you a Magical Girl like me?" Mami asked.

"_No, she isn't_," answered Kyuubey who perched himself on Madoka's shoulders. Homura's eyes were narrowed as she looked at Kyuubey and her fists were clenched but she stayed her hand. "_Who are you and where did you get that power?_"

"Kyuubey, this is Homura-chan," Madoka introduced.

"Oh, the new kid," Sayaka remembered. "Anyway, that was pretty cool what you did!"

"I think you mean 'hot'," Homura joked.

"_So, where did you get that power?_" Kyuubey asked again.

"My hope," said Homura cryptically and she turned to walk away. She stopped and look over her shoulder to tell Madoka and Sayaka, "Oh, Madoka and Sayaka, if you know what's good for you then you shouldn't make a contract with Kyuubey."

**_"Connect, Please!"_**

Before Sayaka and Madoka could ask what she meant. A magic circle appeared in front of Homura and she stepped through it, vanishing from sight.

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: An experimental pilot for a new fic I might do or might donate to someone else. Anyway, how did you guys like it? I sure hope you enjoyed it because this idea has been haunting me for weeks.**


	155. Persona Rider

**Chapter 1: Persona, Summon!**

"_I am you...and you are me..."_

"Who said that!?" I demanded as I looked around my surroundings. The thick fog didn't allow much visibility. I could barely see my own hand when I held it up in front of my face.

"_You are me...and I am you..."_

"Who is there!?" I shouted. I saw a figure in the fog, a dark silhouette. "Who are you?" I began to back away in fear.

"_I am..."_

The next thing I knew, I was blinded by a brilliant flash of red.

* * *

**7: 00 AM**

The alarm clock rang and I reached over to shut it off. There was something warm in my bed and I was drawn to it. I didn't hesitate as I pressed myself against something soft and warm...

My brain was starting to reboot and I opened my eyes to see that I had pressed myself into something soft that was not a pillow. I then felt an arm around my head, pulling me against the soft confines of whatever it was I had pressed myself against. I was starting to suffocate too and the person released me. I then realized that I had been pressed against a pair of breasts.

I tossed away the covers and sat up to stare at the girl dressed in a wine red blazer over a white dress shirt with a blue bowtie. She had a short, pleated, checkered skirt and black leggings which really accentuated her slender legs. Her hair, sprawled over my bed, was dark with a blue tint and she had fair skin. Her storm blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she smiled at me with a cat-like smile. She wore a yellow headband in her hair. I rubbed my eyes as I momentarily thought I saw a pair of cat ears pop up from her head but that was just my eyes playing tricks on me.

"Ohayo, Hime-kun~" the girl greeted.

"Chikane-chan..." I groaned and she reached up to hug me again. I flailed about as I tried to remove myself from her grip and pulled away. "Again? Why?" This girl was **Shirogane Chikane** and she was my next door neighbour and childhood friend. "Every morning too." She sat up and hugged me again.

"Well, I came to wake you up as usual but you were so cute that I couldn't resist but sleep with you," she said, giving me the usual excuse. Ever since we were children she always crawls into my bed. I let out a sigh. There was just no use arguing with her. "I also made breakfast, Hime-kun."

"Chikane-chan, why can't you stop calling me that?" he asked.

"Because, you're my princess," she grinned. I sighed. It was a nickname she gave to me because of my surname, Himegami. My given name was Rū. Also, one time she put me in a dress when we were children and claimed I looked like a princess. She never stopped calling me 'Hime-kun' since. We were grown up so she should stop with the childish nicknames but she stubbornly denied my request so I just stopped caring.

"Chikane-chan, could you wait downstairs until I finish getting ready?" I asked, hoping that she wouldn't stay in my room any longer.

"OK, Hime-kun..."

* * *

I got dressed in my school clothes, comprised of a black zipped up Gakuran and matching pants. The number '1' was on my collar which identified me as a first year. I looked myself in the mirror. My blonde hair was neatly combed and I put on my glasses over my green eyes. My eyesight wasn't really bad. They were just decorative. I looked back at my reflection and furrowed my brows. I hadn't grown much and was still 4 feet and 5 inches tall. I'm 15 years old, currently, yet I'm rather short for my age.

I looked at the calendar. It was May 7th 2012. A Monday. Two days after the end of Golden Week.

I grabbed my bag and stepped out of my room to head downstairs. I lived alone as my parents are busy traveling the world. I actually traveled with them up until recently. Fortunately, the house was still available for me to live in. It felt a little lonely without my parents but at least I had Chikane-chan to keep me company.

I sat down at the dining table with her sitting across from me. I looked at the meal she made. It was French toast with honey, with a side of bacon, toast and a salad. She always came to make me breakfast and then wake me up but always she ends up wanting to sleep next to me. This girl was just so whimsical and she loved to tease me. Honestly, wasn't she aware of the kind of feelings she stirred up in me...?

I shook my head to banish those thoughts. Chikane-chan was tall, beautiful and talented. There was no way she could ever think of me in _that _way. Even if I did like her that way, no way could she reciprocate these feelings I have. Besides, we were good friends and trying to change things would just make things awkward between us. As I ate, I picked up the morning newspaper. One of the stories was about another disappearance. These disappearances had started since the beginning of April and this was the 7th one already. The victim was apparently a college student who was part of his school's soccer team.

"Another disappearance," I sighed as I put down the paper. These incidents were becoming more and more frequent these days...

"It's scary, isn't it?" Chikane asked. "No clue where they went or what happened to them. And no connection at all. The police are having trouble trying to find any suspects and just questioning people that they know to find clues."

"I'm sure they'll solve the case," I said hopefully. I looked at the clock. We were going to be late if we didn't hurry. Our school was pretty far and we had to either catch the train or bus to get there.

* * *

**8:15 AM**

The train ride was a bit uncomfortable as the train car was packed. Then again, it was morning and people were headed to work so it was no surprise that it would be crowded and we wouldn't be able to find seats. We stood face-to-face but as my height only reached up to Chikane-chan's shoulders, I was staring at her chest. I looked away so I wouldn't be tempted, recalling the early morning wakeup call she gave me in my bed. There were a few other students who went to our school in the train car, some lucky enough to get seats. I sighed. I hated standing in the middle of the train car like this. It was morning too. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the train ride.

Our stop was coming soon and I felt relieved as we were coming close. I just wanted to sit down at my desk and relax. The train stopped and Chikane and I got out. She held my hand, as usual, and led me out with her so I wouldn't be separated from her. She made sure to release my hand as we walked to school together. It was always the same whenever we walked together. Our schoolmates would all stop and admire her. Then again, I couldn't blame them. She was the school's Princess. Oh, and the name of our school was St. Joseph Academy. Let me tell you something about the school. The campus is huge and equipped with some of the most up-to-date technology and facilities. The main school building was also tall, being four storeys tall, with spires at each corner, almost making it look castle-like. The clocktower also had a dome on top which had the school plant planted on top, flying in the wind. The walls were painted white.

As we entered, Chikane-chan walked off to her own locker. We were a year apart with her being one year my senior. She was a 2nd year student while I was a first year, as mentioned before. On the first day when I first enrolled, Chikane-chan had welcomed me with a hug and I sensed a lot of hostile glares filled with envy, resentment and contempt aimed at me. Chikane-chan fortunately cleared things up but I could still feel those kinds of glares on occasion. I really didn't do anything bad, but they just thought I was 'hogging' Chikane-chan to myself. Fortunately, I didn't get ostracised for that and managed to make some friends in my class.

My class was 1-E. I entered and took my seat. There were three rows of desk, each desk set to accommodate two students each. My seat was the one nearest to the window facing outside. Sometimes I just liked to look out whenever I was in deep thought.

"Yo, Rū-dude!" I heard then felt a pat on my shoulder. I looked up and saw my classmate and friend, DJ. His full name was actually **Daiki Junpei **but he took the two first letters of his surname and given name to make up the initial DJ. DJ was originally from Okinawa and his tan never faded. Also, his hair was in dreadlocks. His baseball cap was worn backwards. He was also taller than me, just like everyone else in this school. Fortunately for me, he wasn't the type to make fun of me of my height, or lack of it. "How's it hanging, buddy?"

"Fine," I said. "Junpei-san."

"Oh, nononono! It's DJ! _D-J_, yo!" he said. "Don't be forgetting it, man!" He wore his Gakuran unzipped, revealing a t-shirt underneath with letter spellings: **LIVE TO THE BEAT, BEAT TO THE JAM.**

"Hai, DJ," he said before taking his seat next to me. DJ was one of those people who followed a subculture that almost worshipped Rap and Hip-Hop. I actually saw him dance at the park once with his crew and was amazed.

"So Rū-dude, read the news?" DJ asked as he took off his cap and spun it around his finger. "Another one of those disappearances, man. This is, like, the 7th one since last month! It freaks me out and gives me the heebie-jeebies...!"

"Because there are no clues?"

"It's like they got spirited away, dude," said DJ. "Like they were taken away and vanished into thin air...Scary shit."

"Yes, it's scary," I said as well.

"I've even heard that it's because of some curse," a girl walked up to our desk. She had brown hair in pigtails and wore bow ribbon in her hair. She was only slightly taller than me, but still taller... She wore the standard school uniform but with a red bowtie as she was a 1st year, like me. 2nd year girls wore blue bowties like Chikane-chan and 3rd years wore green ties. Us boys just had numbers on our collar to identify our grade. Her name was **Okonogi Haruno** and she was another friend and classmate of mine.

"Curses? That shit ain't real!" scoffed DJ. "No, I think it's like some kind of spirit or something."

"You believe in spirits but not curses?" Haruno deadpanned, "That's pretty twisted..."

"I once made a voodoo doll of myself and poked it with pins. Nothing," said DJ. "So, it can't be a curse."

"Rū-kun, what do you think?" Haruno asked.

"I'm...not sure," I admitted.

"Hey, is that hot Princess Shirogane gonna join us for lunch again?" asked DJ. "That makes my day."

"You just wanna ask her out on a date," said Haruno.

"Is that so wrong? She's hot and I bet I can impress her with my snazzy dance moves. No girl can deny that I'm super-fly with my swank style!" he boasted.

The door opened and our homeroom teacher entered. Haruno and my other classmates went to our seats. Our homeroom teacher had the appearance of the Hot and Sexy teacher, dressed in a tight white blouse and a purple pencil skirt with a high slit on the sides. Her legs were wrapped in brown pantyhose and she had her honey brown hair worn in a bun. She also wore stylish glasses and some jewelry.

"Now, class," she said. "I'm sure you've all learnt about the disappearances happening around town. So, I just hope you all keep yourselves safe." She sighed. "I really don't want any of my lovely students to go up and vanish. Remember, keep yourselves safe."

**Shiraishi Chiyoko** was our homeroom and English teacher. She was a very popular teacher. She was kind and attentive but that wasn't the only thing that make her popular. Boys who looked at her couldn't tear their eyes off her, and I was aware that most of the boys had impure thoughts about her. Who wouldn't? I've had a few interesting dreams about her. I often dread when Chikane-chan would find out about those dreams. She'd kill me if she knew.

* * *

**12:00 PM** and the lunch bell rang. I stretched and got out of my seat to stretch my legs a bit, looking forward to the lunch that Chikane-chan packed for me. Since my parents let me live alone, she always took care of me. It was convenient but I kept insisting I could handle my own meals. However, she insists that she should cook for me and I couldn't refuse her when she vehemently. I couldn't really deny her and so we always had lunch together. Haruno and DJ also ended up joining us.

We always sat under a tree in the schoolyard and Chikane-chan brought out the bento boxes with our lunch. When she opened them, DJ drooled and Haruno had to pull him by the ear to behave. Chikan-chan was so good at cooking. I really envied her. She was tall, beautiful, and popular at school. She also received love letters in her shoe locker. Somehow, I feel that she would be happier hanging out with others instead of me. She was beautiful. She should have a boyfriend. Instead, she's spending all her time with me. I feel like I'm just holding her back.

"Hey, Hime-kun," said Chikane-chan. "How about you come over to my house tonight and watch a movie with me?"

I blinked. That was pretty sudden. I looked at DJ grinning and Haruno frowning.

"A movie?" I asked, shuddering a bit. "It's not horror, is it?"

"No, not this time," she said. I scrutinized her, not believing her for a second. Contrary to what you might believe, Chikane-chan is a fan of horror movies. She loves Asian and American Horror. I, however, am not much of a fan of those kinds of movies. I prefer a nice comedy, thank you very much. I prefer a sore throat from too much laughing than too much screaming.

"OK, I'll come," I said. "I'll bring the snacks too."

"Hey, can we come?" DJ asked.

"Hey, don't get me involved, DJ!" Haruno snapped.

"Go~men," Chikane apologised before pulling me into one of her hugs, "But it's just Hime-kun and me!" I could feel my heart racing and my heart pounding as my body temperature began to rise. Chikane-chan always did this, but it was always out of nowhere. I'm getting used to it though, slowly...

"It's just something we like to do together," I said. While I disliked the choice in movies, the company wasn't unwelcomed. Even when things got scary, she was always by my side.

Always by my side... Why did that make me sound so pathetic? It was then that my thoughts were interrupted when the others and I heard a commotion and looked to see other students making their way to the main gate, everyone muttering and rambling as if they were in a panic.

"Hey, what's going on?" DJ asked a passing student.

"I think a fight is about to go down," he said frantically as he rushed to the front entrance.

"I don't like the sound of that," Haruno frowned.

"Oh, this sounds interesting," Chikane beamed, "Let's check it out!"

Yeah, this can't be good...

* * *

I managed pushed through the circling crowd and make my way to the front. I was small enough to crawl under everyone, so there's some advantages to being small. But I was amazed when I saw what was happening... Before me stood probably the tallest person I had ever see; taller than even Chikane-chan! He had to be at least 6 feet tall and his black hair was short. From what I could tell, he didn't seem like a student to me, since he wore a black suit and tie. But what had to be the scariest thing about this man, had to be those eyes of his...those piercing gold eyes that seemed to harbor nothing but anger...

"You think you got balls, comin' into our school like it's none of your business, huh?"

"As a matter of fact, fools, I do have business here," the gold-eyed man declared coldly as he crossed his arms. "So make way before I have to hurt you. Since you're so eager to fight me, I'll even let you have the first attack! That way, I can make this self-defense and I don't have to worry about breaking some bones."

"Don't fuck with us!" the seniors roared as they charged.

The man grinned as he sidestepped a punch, hanging from the side, as he swung his right elbow forward and caught him in the nose. We could all see blood flying from the sempai's nose as he went flying and feel on his back. Another tried to attack from behind and threw a punch, only to stop and recoil as he cried in pain.

"The fuck!? What is this guy made of?!" he demanded. He froze as he felt a shadow loom over him and he slowly looked up, sweating profusely as the man looked down on him and grinned evilly. "Ah...!"

"My turn," he grinned as he grabbed the sempai by the back of his neck, pulling him down as he drove his right knee into the sempai's stomach. He was on the ground quickly and his body had stopped moving. He turned to back to face the last sempai and his once-manic grinned turned flat and unreadable. "Looks like you're the last one," he declared. We all watched as our sempai looked at all of us, sweating and shaking with fear before roaring and charging at the man. He grinned as he drew his right arm back and met the sempai's charge. He avoided the punch and clotheslined him, our sempai being knocked out in an instant as he flipped once through the air and landed out cold on his back. We all watched with wide eyes and gaping jaws as the man had taken out our sempai with only three attacks, each with a single hit.

He looked around and frowned, scanning the circle of students that surrounded him and asked, "Is there no one else to challenge me!?" I saw everyone shaking their heads with fear and denial. They clearly learned that this man was not to be trifled with. We all saw him grin, "Good," as he raised his right index finger, pointing the sky, as he said, "There is only one King! And that is me!"

We were all silent as he made his declaration, unable to respond as we couldn't think of anything. This man that stood before us was intimidating, yet somewhat alluring... Who is he? _What_ is he? And what is his purpose here?

* * *

**AFTER LUNCH...1:00 PM**

**Class 2-B**

Chikane was surprised. She and her classmates could only stare with surprise and bewilderment as they watched the guy from before writing his name on the board, which read: Ryūjin Daisuke **(****竜人****-****ダイスケ****).**

"This does seem rather sudden, but we have a transfer student joining us," the teacher announced, " Ryūjin-kun will be attending school here. I hope you all accommodate him and show him the ropes."

"Ryūjin Daisuke," he introduced as he faced the class before bowing, "A pleasure."

"Sensei, Ryūjin-san can take this seat," Chikane volunteered as she pointed to an empty seat on her nodded as he picked up his bag, walking over to the empty seat as some of the kids made space for him (mostly out of fear though). The guy was huge and just the pressure of his presence was heavy. Not to mention those eyes of his; those gold eyes which seemed to gaze into one's soul... He took his seat next to Chikane, the girl smiling, as she greeted, "Nice to meet you, Ryūjin-san!"

Her call received Daisuke's attention as he flinched a little, blushing slightly, as he bowed gently, "Likewise..."

"Shirogami Chikane," she introduced, "Good thing I know your name, right?"

"...Yes," he smiled weakly. The other students were amazed by how well the two were already getting along. Chikane always seemed to get along with anyone and everyone. Further proof that she was the Princess of the school.

* * *

**AFTER SCHOOL...8:00 PM**

I knocked at Chikane's door and waited for her to answer. I was carrying a bag full of snacks we could share while watching the movie. I was dressed in a long sleeved dress shirt with blue slacks and sneakers. I couldn't help but marvel at Chikane-chan's house. It was almost twice as big as mine with a wide yard and a beautiful garden. Her family was rather well off as her father was the CEO of a large corporation. She didn't have any servants, though, preferring to do things herself and her parents trusted her to take care of herself while they were on a business trip together. They even expected me to help take care of their daughter because they really trusted me.

The door opened and Chikane greeted me, wearing a red sweater and black shorts. "Come on in, Hime-kun," she invited as she pulled me through the door. I removed my shoes at the foyer and switched them for the house slippers as I followed her into the living room. It was very well furnished, and had a lot of space. There was a couch set across from the flat-screen television, which was mounted on the wall, and said couch was flanked by two armchairs. The TV we were going to watch the movie on was a 70-inch plasma screen. There was also a Blu-ray Disc connected to the TV.

"You are going to love this movie," she beamed as she popped in the Blu-ray Disc as I opened the bag of potato chips to pour its contents into the bowl. She bent over and I nearly dropped the bowl as I got a good look at her rear that was facing me. I turned my eyes away. Wasn't she aware of what she was doing.

"Really?" I asked skeptically. I swear, if this was another horror movie I was going to go straight home, hide under the covers, and pray to Jesus until the monsters went away. After she put in the disc she went back to sit by my side and reached for the remote sitting on the glass table in front of us.

"OK, let's start the movie," she said and she pressed Play.

Nothing happened.

"Eh?" She pressed Play again.

Still nothing.

"Maybe it's the batteries," I said as she popped open the back.

"No, these are brand new," she said. "I just put them in before you came and they worked fine." She put down the remote. "I'll go and press the Play button on the player." She stood up and went over to the BluRay player. That was when I saw the glass of the TV screen ripple like water. My eyes widened as this occurred and Chikane stood up to look at me apologetically. "Sorry, Hime-kun. Looks like there's no movie tonight."

Suddenly, black arms, a multitude of them, shot out of the screen and grabbed hold of Chikane-chan. She shrieked but her screams were muffled as a hand covered her mouth. The arms began to drag her towards the screen. The sight of the arms had me frozen in terror but when they grabbed Chikane and she started screaming and struggling, I jumped out of my seat.

"CHIKANE-CHAN!" I shouted as I grabbed hold of her arms. I pulled, trying to tear her from their grip, but they were too strong. One of the arms then shoved me backwards, knocking me onto the carpeted floor. I looked up and saw her upper body vanish into the screen and finally her legs slipped inside.

And then she was gone.

"CHIKANE-CHAN!"

* * *

I could only stare in horror and disbelief as Chikane-chan just vanished before my eyes. One moment she was just about to play the movie for us to watch, and then suddenly she was taken from me. I had wanted to call the police but then what was I going to tell them? If I told them that my friend had just been dragged into a television by phantom hands, they would just think I was pulling some kind of prank, and a distasteful one considering all the disappearances...

Wait, the disappearances. I looked at the TV. Was that how the previous victims had vanished? Had they been dragged into their own TV's as well? I had no time to ponder these questions. Right now I needed to figure out how to go and save Chikane-chan. Nobody would believe me, so it was up to me to save her. That was when something strange happened. Well, something else strange besides watching my childhood friend vanish as she was sucked inside the TV.

My pocket was glowing. I reached inside and pulled out my wallet. The glowing was coming from inside. I reach in and pulled out something that I had forgotten about.

A month ago, before the first day of school, I had come across a strange fortune teller. When I mean strange, I mean really strange. He was sitting in the park one day, dressed in a cloak, scaring the kids away. However, I had been drawn to him, and so I sat down to let him read my fortune. He had used Tarot cards and after he finished he'd told me that I would face a challenge unlike any other and that I should trust in the bonds I made. I wondered what he'd meant. I still decided to pay him but he'd refused, telling me the reading was free. He had given me a blank Tarot card as a souvenir.

This was the blank Tarot card he'd given to me. It had no picture on it, only a border, and no name. It was glowing brightly too. As I held the card up, the TV's screen started to shine with bright and blinding light.

* * *

"Ugh..." I groaned as I pushed myself up onto my knees. The last thing I remembered was a blinding light and then everything just went dark. I looked around. I looked to my left, to my right, and then back to my front. I couldn't see anything.

That was because I was surrounded by a thick fog. I couldn't see anything through this dense fog. However, that didn't mean I was just going to sit here and do nothing. I needed to figure out where I was. The TV had released a blinding light so maybe I had been sucked into the TV as well? It was just an assumption but I really didn't have any other clue.

"Chikane-chan!" I called as I walked through the fog. "Chikane-chan!" I shouted again. There was no answer. I took out the blank Tarot card from my pocket. Still, it was blank. It wasn't glowing anymore either. I pocketed again and continued calling, "Chikane-chan!" Still no answer from my friend. That was when I saw a figure in the distance. "Huh?" I squinted my eyes. It was still difficult to see through the fog but I could make out a shape. It looked like the size of a small child but with horns sticking up. "What...?"

"Hey, what are you doing!?" the figure standing in front of me shouted. "Run, now!"

"Run?" I wondered out loud and then I heard a growl. It sounded like a bear and it was behind me. I turned and saw a creature that looked like something straight of my nightmares. It was bipedal, similar to an ostrich, with large talons. It didn't have wings, nor did it have a neck or head. The spot where a head should reside was a mouth with very, very sharp teeth. Saliva dripped from the teeth and the thing was looking at me. It didn't have any visible eyes but I knew it was looking straight at me. A tongue slid out and it licked my face. I recoiled in disgust. The creature then grinned and lunged at me to bite my head off.

I screamed but then someone grabbed my hand and I felt myself being pulled into the air, escaping the creature that was trying to eat me. I ended up landing on what felt like a sidewalk and my knees gave out before I dropped to my rear. "What...?" I looked up at the one who'd saved me and blinked. He had a normal skintone, but besides that there was nothing else normal about him. He was half my height, dressed in a cloak over his clothes, and had short green hair. On his head he had rabbit ears. "Those Jawlegs are nasty creatures, Onii-san. You shouldn't have let it lick you. Now it has your scent."

"Jawlegs?" I wondered outloud. I was confused. Slowly, I stood up. "Hold on, what's going on? Where am I? Who are you?"

"Me?" the child asked as he pointed to himself. "Well, I'm _Navigator-kun_!"

"Navigator-kun?" I repeated. "OK, so, where are we?"

"Where are we?" he asked. "Don't you know? This is the Land of Eternal Fog."

"Land of Eternal Fog?" I parroted.

"Hey, Onii-san, did you come in through one of those boxes?" Navigator-kun asked.

"Boxes?" I blinked. "Wait, you mean a TV, right?"

"TV?" Navigator-kun blinked, sharing my confusion from earlier. "What is a TV?"

I groaned. This wasn't getting me anywhere. Still, if this was a place that could only be entered via a TV, that meant Chikane was probably here as well. "Hey, Navigator-kun, have you seen anyone else? Have you seen a tall girl with long dark hair?"

"I...don't think so..." said Navigator-kun, his ears flopping down. I sighed. "But you're not the first person who got brought here through the boxes."

"Really?" I asked.

"There were others too, and I tried to help them, but I wasn't strong enough," he said sadly.

The other disappeared victims. Another mystery solved. This place explained how they had just vanished without a trace.

"This fog is really thick," I said.

"Oh, that's no problem," Navigator-kun smiled and he pulled out a pair of goggles. "Put these on." I removed my glasses and took the offered goggles before putting them on. My eyes widened in surprise. I could see clearly through the fog now.

And I was standing in the middle of Umihara, my hometown. However, there was something eerie about it. The sky for instance was orange with a spiralling pattern and all the buildings were black. So, this was the Land of Eternal Fog. This was the world on the other side of the TV's. As I scanned where we were, my ears picked up a familiar growling and Navigator-kun grabbed my hand.

"They found us! The Jawlegs found us!" he shouted.

"Navigator-kun, what are Jawlegs?" I asked.

"Shadows," he answered.

Jawlegs, a dozen in total, surrounded both of us, salivating from their mouths. They looked absolutely famished and staring at the both of us like we were food.

"Onii-san," Navigator-kun uttered as I looked around me in terror. This couldn't be happening! This was just a bad dream! This wasn't real! I was back home in my bed and holding Chikane-chan!

However, no matter how much I wanted to deny what was happening, it was really happening, and I was going to be torn to shreds by these monsters called Jawlegs.

But then I heard a voice, the same voice I'd been hearing in my dreams, repeating the same words, "_You are me...and I am you..._" The Jawlegs lunged at the two of us and Navigator-kun-kun screamed while screwing his eyes shut. Suddenly, the card in my pocket shot out and released a blinding light, followed by a concussive force that threw the Jawlegs back. I stared at the card in wonder and so did Navigator-kun-kun.

"Onii-san, where did you get that?" he asked.

The card fell into my hand and the image on it started to be filled by a man riding a chariot. Under the image was the card's title: **RIDER**.

"_You are me..."_ the voice whispered in my mind, "_And I am you...now call upon me...Holder..."_

**Insert Song: Reach out to the Truth (from Persona 4)**

"Per..." I began as the Jawlegs were getting back to their feet. "...so..." They opened their mouths wide before lunging at us. "...na!" I clenched my fist and the card shattered like glass. "Persona!" My entire body released bluish flames that erupted around me. Navigator-kun-kun was shocked as he saw the flames but even more so at what was emerging from the flames themselves. Several of the Jawlegs attacked but as soon as they were close they were sliced to ribbons, their piece dropping to the floor. I looked behind me and saw a tall figure, eight feet tall in fact, clad completely in black. He wore a black zipped up jacket with a red scarf hanging from his neck. The jacket had long coattails and he wore black leather pants. He wore boots with metal greaves on them and also had armor plating on his shoulders and sleeves. His head was encased by a black helmet which was decorated by an image of a skull. In his hands was a pair of bayonets.

"Persona...Rider..." I identified.

The Jawlegs lunged at us but Rider attacked, swinging his bayonets with fluid skill, slaughtering them. One of the Jawlegs attacked from behind, sinking its teeth into Rider's shoulder. I felt the same pain as well in my own shoulder and gritted my teeth. So, we felt the same pain, huh? Rider stabbed the Jawleg biting him and tossed it away.

"GO!" I commanded and Rider obeyed as he unleashed his power, he was swift as his bayonets whistled through the air, as he sliced through the Jawlegs. It only took a few seconds and that was the end of it. Rider then hovered before me as I stared up at him. "This is my power..." Rider then glowed and turned back into a card that slowly hovered down to be caught in my hand. Rider's image now replaced the chariot riding man on the card's face.

"SUGOI, ONII-SAN! YOU HAVE A PERSONA!" Navigator-kun-kun shouted.

**End Song**

* * *

Chikane wasn't sure where she was. It looked like a grand ballroom of some kind. She didn't know how she got here but she didn't want to stay any longer. The entire place felt sinister. Unsettling music played all around her but there was nothing that could be playing it. Also, there was someone coming towards her and her eyes widened in shock as she saw who it was.

She was looking at herself.

"Who are you?" Chikane asked.

The other Chikane, dressed in her school uniform, answered, **"Who am I? I'm you." **They looked almost identical, but the other Chikane had inhuman yellow eyes.

"But...I'm me!" Chikane retorted.

"**Hime-kun is cute, isn't he? It's why I love him so much. He's so small and cute. If I could, I want to keep him as a pet,"** the other Chikane said as she began to approach Chikane.

"No...stay away from me...stay away!" shouted Chikane as she backed away from her doppelganger.

"**It's lonely, isn't it, to be at the top?"** the other Chikane asked. **"I am the Princess of St. Joseph so I have people who admire me, but no close friends. Hime-kun is my only friend in the whole world but I know one day he'll leave me and leave me alone. It's why I take care of him so he has no reason to leave me. I can't let anyone else get too close to me or they'll take him away from me. It'll be so easy to keep him locked up in a cage and have him all to myself."**

"That's not true!" Chikane shouted. "That's not true!"

"**It is true! I want everyone to just leave me and Hime-kun alone so that I can always be with him and not let anybody have him! I'm such a selfish little princess who needs to keep her pet on a leash!"** the other Chikane laughed.

"Shut up! Just shut up! That's not true! There's no way you can possibly be me!" Chikane denied and then she said the words that would condemn her, "You're not me!"

The other Chikane smiled maliciously as she said, **"You're right! I'm not you!"** A dark aura erupted from her body as she began to change right before Chikane's eyes and the girl screamed in horror. "**I am a Shadow, your true inner self!"**

* * *

I heard a loud scream, one that I was familiar with. "That's Chikane-chan!" Where was it coming from, though.

"Take my hand!" Navigator-kun-kun said. I did and all of a sudden we vanished.

* * *

Me and Navigator-kun-kun reappeared in another place and I looked at Navigator-kun-kun in surprise. "You can teleport?"

"Yes, but only during emergencies," said Navigator-kun-kun.

"We were almost eaten by mouths on legs!" I argued. "How was that not an emergency!?" I heard Chikane-chan's scream again and saw her down on her knees facing what appeared to be a hideous Harpie-like creature with armor on its upper body. The face it had was like Chikane-chan's, but distorted with a sharp hooked nose and it had long and sharp ears. The Harpy had sharp talons and it was about to use them on Chikane-chan. "Chikane-chan!" I shouted and I pulled out my Rider card. It shone and I clenched my fist to shatter it, "Persona!"

Rider appeared as it emerged from my body and flew towards the Harpie as it brought its talons down. He deflected the talons with his twin bayonets, sending the Harpie staggering. Chikane gasped as she saw Rider but then she had heard me and looked at me. "Hime-kun!" I ran towards her and helped her to her feet.

"Chikane-chan, are you hurt?" I asked.

"I'm alright, I think," she said. "What is that thing?"

"If you're talking about the bird-thing, that's a Shadow, Onee-san," said Navigator-kun-kun. Chikane looked at Navigator-kun-kun and would've appreciated his cuteness if the situation wasn't so dire. "That is this Onee-san's Shadow."

"My Shadow?" Chikane asked.

Navigator-kun-kun explained, "Shadows are the physical embodiment of the negative emotions humans keep within themselves. In this world, these emotions take form and manifest as Shadows. They only become this powerful if the host denies their Shadow."

"Deny my Shadow...?" Chikane realized what she'd done. The only reason her Shadow had become like this was because she had denied it as a part of herself.

Chikane's Shadow slashed Rider across the chest and I felt the pain as I grunted. "Hime-kun, what's wrong?"

"If his Persona takes damage, he also shares the pain," Navigator-kun-kun explained. Rider slashed at Chikane's Shadow but it flapped its wings and flew up. Rider followed but then Chikane's Shadow flapped its wings and summoned up gale-force winds to push him back down. Then, the Shadow formed vacuum blades that hit Rider and I screamed in pain as my Persona plummeted to the ground.

"Onii-san, the Shadow's too strong," Navigator-kun-kun said, "We need to run!"

"He's right, Hime-kun," said Chikane, "We should get out of here!"

"No, Chikane-chan," I said. "If this is your Shadow, then it's something you need to face." She blanched at me. "And I'm going to help you!" I mentally commanded Rider to attack again, slashing at Chikane's Shadow. Chikane looked at me in amazement. I doubt she had ever seen me do something like this before. As children, she'd always been the one to protect me. But this time...this time..."I'm going to protect you now!"

Navigator-kun-kun started digging around in his cloak and he pulled out a box-shaped device. "Then you're going to need _this_, Onii-san." I stared at the device and took it from his hand. I examined it. It was boxlike with a slit in the centre. "Call back your Persona," Navigator-kun-kun instructed. I looked at Rider and decided to just follow Navigator-kun-kun's instruction.

"Rider, return!" I commanded and Rider faded before returning to card form, said card returning to my hand.

"Put the card in then put it on your waist," instructed Navigator-kun-kun. I didn't argue as I put the card through a slot on the side of the device. Then I put the device on the front of my waist. A leather belt strap shot out from one side, looped around my waist, and connected to the other side to fasten it on. "It's ready."

"It's coming!" Chikane shouted as her Shadow was diving at us for the kill.

"Now, Henshin!" Navigator-kun-kun shouted.

"Henshin!" I repeated as I split the device open, revealing a symbol that resembled a six-pointed star within a circle, a hexagram.

"**PERSONA: SYNCHRO!"**

**Insert Song: "Reach out to the Truth"**

Blue glass-like shards surrounded my body and bonded to me as the transformation began and I could feel the power flowing through me. I could also feel myself growing taller. Chikane-chan and Navigator-kun watched me in wonder as the transformation finished. I took a chance to glance at a nearby wall which was polished and allowed me to see my own reflection. I was now dressed almost like Rider but there were differences. Such as my height. I wasn't short anymore, also my armor was completely awesome. I was wearing a black bodysuit with silver hands around my wrists and ankles as greaves were strapped to my shins and forearms. My upper torso was protected by armor which was black and the chestplate had a line going down the centre resembling a zipper. A high collar rose up to protect my neck as a scarf hung from my neck. Instead of coattails, I had hip plates hanging from my belt. Finally, my head was encased in a skull-like helmet which looked fearsome and there was a red visor set between the 'jaws' of the skull. Sheathed and hanging from my belt were Rider's twin bayonets.

"Hime-kun?" Chikane-chan asked me and I looked at her, giving her a nod. I then turned to face her Shadow and leapt an impossible height to engage the Harpie. I dodged in midair, I could fly! I drew the bayonets and slashed at the Harpie Shadow and it shrieked in pain as I struck it. I didn't know how I could do that. I was never much of a fighter, but now it was just coming so naturally to me.

"**HIME-KUN, WHY!? WHY ARE YOU HURTING ME!" **Chikane-chan's Shadow screeched. **"I ONLY WANT YOU TO BE MINE FOREVER!" ** The thing swiped at me with a wing and sent me crashing against the wall.

"Hime-kun!" cried Chikane-chan but Navigator-kun-kun held her back. "Please, he's hurt!"

"He's fine!" insisted Navigator-kun-kun. "The Persona System will protect him!"

I groaned but got back to my feet. I glared at the Harpie Shadow as it came at me with its talons. The Harpie Shadow caught me with its talons and started to squeeze me tightly, causing me to grunt with pain.

"**COME, STAY WITH ME! STAY WITH ME FOREVER!"**

"_You're_ not the one I want to be with!" I denied as I stabbed its leg and the Harpie Shadow released me. I landed on one knee and watched as the Harpie Shadow was coming at me. I put my bayonets together, their blades facing away from each other. I then twirled my combined weapons in one hand and waited. "Wait for it...wait for it..." I murmured and then it was time. "NOW!" I threw my blades and they spun so fast they almost looked like a single disk. The Shadow Harpie was unable to dodge and was struck, the spinning bayonets cutting through her flesh. The Harpie Shadow began to plummet before crashing to the floor with a large explosion.

**End Song**

"Sugoi..." Chikane-chan uttered with awe and amazement.

"Now, you should go and face your Shadow," instructed Navigator-kun-kun. "It only went berserk because you would not acknowledge it."

"I must...acknowledge it?" Chikane-chan asked. She watched as the flames died down to reveal her injured other self. She steeled herself and went to approach the other Chikane. I watched on, a little wary, but Navigator-kun told me this was something Chikane-chan needed to do. She knelt down and helped her Shadow up to her feet.

"The things you've said are things I've been keeping a secret to myself. It's true. I want him to always stay by my side but I don't want to hold him back. I just can't help but want him to always need me because I need him too," said Chikane-chan. "You're me, and I'm you. Isn't that right?" Chikane-chan smiled and her Shadow smiled as well before her body was enveloped in light.

"What's happening?" I asked Navigator-kun.

"Oh, her Shadow's turning into a Persona," Navigator-kun answered. I watched as her Shadow changed, assuming a new form, a beautiful form resembling a female knight in silver armor and chainmail. She wore a helmet with a beak on it and had a pair of beautiful silver wings. The new Persona then faded, changing into a card that fell into Chikane-chan's hand.

"What's this?" she asked and turned to look at me.

"That's your Persona," I answered. Chikane looked up at me in awe, which was a new experience. In my current form I was a half a foot taller than she was now.

"Persona," she repeated, examining the card. I closed my buckle and ejected my Persona card, which caused my suit to shatter like glass, reverting me back to my normal form and height. "This is my power." She then remembered the things her Shadow had said to her and now that she'd accepted them as the truth, she turned to face me, her childhood friend. I was always there for her and all she did was to make I never left her. When she'd been in danger I'd rushed in to save her without thinking of the consequences.

"Hime-kun, close your eyes," she said.

"What for?" I asked.

"Just do it," she urged and I did. I then felt something soft press against my lips. I liked the feeling but then my eyes snapped open as I realized what was happening.

Chikane-chan was _kissing _me!

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: A few years back, I had discussion with another fanfic author named Kaiserdude regarding a possibility for a Persona Series/Kamen Rider crossover story. This is the end result of that discussion. The 1st Person Omniscient POV was on purpose as it helps me to really get into my character's thoughts and motivations. Some of his insecurities are based on mine, to be honest. I'm not short, but I have felt some insecurities so I know the feeling and I can sympathize with my OC Himegami Rū.**

**KAMEN RIDER BUSHIDO: Daisuke is my guy, just to clarify. Thought I should change up OCs, and this looked like a good chance to try it out. I'm pretty pleased with it, given this is only the first chapter. Just gotta keep going and develop.**

24


	156. KAMEN RIDER CHAOS

**CHAPTER 1**

"Somebody help me!" Kokoro Katsura screamed as she ran. This was not what she expected as she was walking back home from school one evening. It just wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be safe for her to walk back home on her own but now she was running for her life.

The sky itself also looked weird. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the sky was blood red and there was also the full moon which was glowing with a bright red light. Maybe that was why everything looked red in her eyes, with the exception of what was chasing her.

As a child, Kokoro was told monsters weren't real. However, she was smart enough to reevaluate that fact when actual monsters appeared around the time before she started going to middle school. Fortunately, her Onii-chan was around to take care of the monsters. Unfortunately, her Onii-chan and Onee-chan weren't around to protect her.

The creature coming after her was black from head to toe and sported large, leathery, bat-like wings on its back. It had only two, hook-like toes on each foot and sharp talons on its hands. Hanging from its rear was a long, segmented tail. Finally, what was horrifying about it was that it lacked a face. It had horns on its head to make it look like a devil but it had _no face_!

In her mind, she took to calling the creature 'No Face' but that wasn't as important as the fact that it was coming for her and coming closer. She ran straight into an alley and realized too late that it was a dead end. She turned, eyes wide with terror as No Face landed in front of her, crouched like a predator as it looked at her without actual eyes. Then, its face split down the middle and opened to reveal a vertical jaw filled with razor sharp teeth as saliva dripped from its maw to the floor.

"No…no…" she begged. She was going to die. "Somebody…somebody…help me…"

The creature was coming closer. Why wasn't it getting it over with fast? Did it get off on the fact that it was terrifying her? As it came closer, its tongue stretched out to touch her. She turned her head away and screwed her eyes shut. As the tongue came within an inch of touching her, all of a sudden the creature was jerked backwards. It let out a combination of a grunt and shriek and Kokoro dared to open her eyes. She blinked as she saw that it was struggling to remove something from its throat which was choking it. Then, she heard something else.

She heard someone else.

She heard someone talk.  
"You do realize that you shouldn't kiss with tongue on the first date, right, _monsieur_?" No Face was then tossed up into the air as the speaker finished his statement. Kokoro saw that what had choked No Face was an umbrella hook.

She looked to see who'd rescued her but couldn't make him out very clearly. She could tell that he was male and a bit taller than her but she couldn't make out any of the details clearly.

No Face landed on its feet and lunged at the dark figure who'd just saved her. The dark figure dodged, actually dancing about, as No Face tried to slash his face off. "Miss me! Miss me! Now you gotta kiss me!" He jumped back and performed a backflip before landing on his feet with his arms spread to the side. "Too bad! So slow!" he taunted no face before chuckling. "As much as I would _love _to continue this little dance of ours, but the _mademoiselle _really looks like she needs to go home. So..." His tone changed from cheeky and playful to cold and serious. "Let's end this."

No Face attacked and the figure thrust forward with his umbrella, the sharp tip pointed at the creature. The last thing Kokoro saw before she lost consciousness was a splash of red blood.

* * *

When Kokoro came to she was back in her home's living room, lying on her couch. "What...happened...?" Had everything earlier just been a dream? She slowly sat up and yawned. She looked around the living room and sighed. This place may be her house but it just didn't feel like home when she was all alone. Her parents were on a business trip and both her brother and sister were off to college. The big empty house was just not very comforting without her family around.

It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself. She was already in her first year of high school. Like her sister and brother she had enrolled in Sakakino Academy and ended up in Class 4, Year 1. She had also grown up to be a beautiful young lady and resembled her sister. She had curves and a big bust, but nowhere near as big as her mother's. She kept her hair short, chin-length, with a bobby pins to keep the bangs out of her eyes.

She then noticed something else. She smelled food being cooked. Somebody was cooking. Suspicious, she got off her sofa to check who was in the kitchen. She carefully peeked inside and saw someone standing at the stove with his back turned to face her. Whoever he was, he was a stranger, but whatever it was he was cooking smelled delicious. What she could see was that he had dark hair that was slightly tinted green and tied into a short ponytail at the base of his skull. He was dressed in a black vest over a white and black checkered dress shirt with black, white pinstriped, slacks. He was also singing a song, a foreign one, which sounded French as he was cooking.

Kokoro's eyes narrowed. She had learnt how to deal with strange intruders who came into her home from her Onii-chan. He was currently distracted so it would be a good time to take him out and call the police.

"You know, if you're awake, you could help me," he said without turning to look at her. She gasped. "Dinner will be ready soon. Make yourself comfortable."

"Uh...hai..." she uttered. So much for taking him by surprise.

* * *

As they sat at the dining table, face to face, she could now properly see what he looked like. His hair was parted down the middle with his bangs hanging over his eyebrows. As for his eyes, they were very distinctive. His left eye was blue and his right eye was red; he was heterochromatic.

"You have a very nice home, and a very nice kitchen. Fully stocked. Your mother's spice rack has a few gaps in it but I was able to work with what she had," the man sitting before her spoke. Kokoro was silent and she looked at her food. There was a bowl of race and on a plate was a cut up hamburger steak with a sunny side up egg on it. There was also a bowl of vegetable salad which some light dressing on it. For drinks, they had juice. "Come on, eat up. Bon appetit," he said.

"Excuse me..." she began.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Who are you? What happened?" she questioned.

"Oh, right," said the young man. "How rude of me." He put his chopstick downs and introduced himself, "My name is Kamikaze. Kamikaze Liquer."

"That's an interesting name," she remarked.

"I come from a very interesting family, Mademoiselle Kokoro Katsura."

She asked suspiciously, "How did you know my name?"

"Student ID," he answered. "I looked at it. Also, it was how I knew where you lived so I could bring you here."

"So, you just invited yourself in," she remarked.

"Nobody was around to answer the door," said Kamikaze. "So, why is a girl like you doing living all on her lonesome? I mean, a house this big means you're rich. You should have at least one servant waiting for you."

"My parents don't believe in hiring servants," Kokoro answered. "They prefer to have me take care of the house and myself on my own."

"Just you? All on your own?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "They must really trust you."

"Well, since my Onii-chan and Onee-chan have gone off to college, what else can I do?" she asked.

"Take a bite," he offered and pointed to her untouched food.

"OK," she said. "But I want answers. What happened? What was that thing?"

"You were being hunted by a Night Gaunt," he answered.

"Night Gaunt? That's what that thing was?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he shrugged. "But don't worry. I took care of it."  
"How?"

"I killed it."

Kokoro blinked and asked, "Who are you, Liquer-san?"

"Please, call me 'Kamikaze'," he told her.

"I find it hard to believe your parents named you 'Kamikaze'," she retorted.

"It's an interesting name for a very interesting person," he smiled at her.

"And did you really kill it?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course," he admitted. "The blood stains on my umbrella and coat should be proof enough."

Kokoro was silent for a few moments before she said, in gratitude, "Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome, but there's no need to thank me," said Kamikaze. "I would've done it for any little cutie-pie."

Kokoro blushed and lowered her gaze from him. Sure, she had gotten confessed to before but there was something different. The way he said and then there was that French accent of his. Meanwhile, Kamikaze was looking around.

"It's a big place for just one girl," he said. "Do you need a housemate?"

Kokoro blinked and her head snapped up to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"Do you need a housemate?" he repeated. "Because I need a place to stay."

"You want to stay here?" she asked. He nodded. "But..."

"I just saved your life," he reminded. "You owe me. I think a place to stay is a fair price to pay for your life."

She frowned and accused him, "You saved my life so you could find a place to stay rent free?"

"I saved your life because you were in trouble," he corrected. "I only considered staying here after I brought you home."

"I can't make that kind of decision!" she shot back. "I barely even know you!"

"Then get to know me," he grinned. "And I get to know you. I mean, I think we've got the right setting and atmosphere. Here we are having dinner, like a dinner date."

"It's...not a date!" she shouted, blushing and he laughed. "Stop it!"

"Sorry, but you look so cute when you're frustrated!" he said as he continued to laugh. Kokoro frowned. He was making fun of her. "And it'll be much easier for me to look after you."

"Look after me?"

"Protect you from the Night Gaunts."

"But you already killed it."

He smirked, "The thing about Night Gaunts is that when there's one, there's more. There must be a nest around here and since I did interrupt its hunt by killing it, its brothers are gonna pick up where it left off." He paused to take another bite of his meal before asking, "So, would you rather not have me as a housemate now?"

Kokoro's brows furrowed. Even though he'd saved her life, there was no reason for her to trust him or his words. However, what if he was telling the truth? What if those things were really out to get her? Wait a minute. Why didn't she just call her Onii-chan and Onee-chan? Maybe they could help her make a decision. After all, they had experience with this kind of thing.

'_I need to make a phone call_,' thought Kokoro. He may have saved her life but she couldn't trust him because of that. Her Onii-chan had taught her that people always wanted something when they did something and that nobody performed a good deed for selfless reasons. They were always after something. Always. And they always expected something in return.

* * *

"You can stay here for tonight," said Kokoro as she showed Kamikaze one of the spare guest rooms.

"This will do nicely," smiled Kamikaze. The room was bare, save for a closet, bed and desk. "You're a wonderful hostess, Mademouiselle Katsura."

"Please, call me 'Kokoro'," she told him. He had saved her life and that meant he was allowed to call her by her given name. He'd also given her permission to call him by his. Although, she still didn't think his real name was Kamikaze. "Just make yourself at home. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make a phone call."

"It's your home," Kamikaze shrugged and Kokoro left as the door closed.

* * *

Kokoro was at the house phone and dialing a number. She held the receiver to her ear and waited. However, she received no answer despite the phone ringing multiple times. The ringing soon stopped as an automated voice informed her that the number she was calling was currently unreachable. She put the receiver down and took out her cell phone, hoping that it would work. She called her sister first but she received no answer. She also tried her big brother and she received the same message.

She couldn't reach either of them. She then decided to send a text message, hoping that would reach them. Unfortunately, her text message was also blocked.

What was going on?

"Having trouble, Mademoiselle?" Kamikaze asked and she gasped before jumping back from him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Kokoro shouted at me.

"_Je suis désolé_, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I couldn't help but notice that you were having problems."

"It's nothing," she said. "Must be some kind of interference."

"I know," Kamikaze agreed. "_They_ won't let you call for help."

"_They_? Who's they?" Kokoro asked nervously.

"The ones who control the Night Gaunts," said Kamikaze. "They want you and they will do anything to get you, even cut you off from those who can help you." His tone was grim. In a split second he smiled, "But that's OK! You got me! I'll protect you!"

"What's in it for you?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, blinking his mismatched eyes.

"You just come in, protect me from a monster, and you expect me to believe you're doing it for no reason except that it's a good deed," she told him. "I don't believe you. My Onii-chan taught me that people always expect something in return for their deeds."

"Your big brother sounds like he doesn't trust people," observed Kamikaze.

"He doesn't trust people easily. He taught me that trust is earned, not given," said Kokoro. "You saved me, that's true, but that doesn't mean I can completely trust you."

"Then allow me to earn your trust," he said as he gave her a bow. "Until you are completely safe from harm, I will stay by your side and protect you."

Kokoro could feel a bit of a headache coming. "OK, fine," she said. He stood straight up and smiled.

"You won't regret this Mademoiselle Kokoro!" He then went off, skipping as he returned to his assigned room.

"I better not," Kokoro frowned. She looked down at her cell phone. "Onii-chan...Onee-chan..."

* * *

Kokoro was in her pajamas and lying on her bed. Kamikaze had told her that she could trust him to protect her. Could she really put her life in the hands of a complete stranger? All she knew about him was his name, which she doubt was true, and that he'd saved her. She knew nothing about him beyond that. So, why should she trust him?

Why shouldn't she trust him? So far he hadn't shown that he had malicious intent towards her. So far he was sincere about wanting to protect her. B ut she was letting a boy stay with her. A boy she knew little about. Her parents would be so mad at her, and her Onee-chan and Onii-chan would be upset too because she put herself in danger by letting a stranger inside her house. But what was she supposed to do? She hadn't let him in. He'd just saved her and found her address so he could take her home. She did owe him her life for saving her earlier.

As Kokoro stared up at her ceiling, she wondered what tomorrow would bring. Part of her wanted to get back to her normal routine but that would be impossible. Kamikaze warned her that the Night Gaunts were going to be after her and would not stop until they got her. Why was she so special anyway? She was just a regular girl. The only thing special about her were her connections.

Meanwhile, dark figures were watching the house from the distance.

* * *

The next morning, Kokoro woke up for school. She went to check on Kamikaze but he wasn't in the room and he hadn't left anything behind. She went downstairs and spotted a plate of food on the dining table, covered in plastic, that had a note on it. She went and checked the note, reading its contents.

_I made you breakfast. Night Gaunts only come out at night, hence the name, so you should be safe in the day. However, I'm going to do some looking around anyway. I will see you later._

_Signed: Kamikaze_

Kokoro smiled. It was sweet of him to cook breakfast for her. She wondered where he'd gone. He hadn't left any contact information so she couldn't call him. Was he going to come back? She wasn't sure. Why did he just disappear like that without even saying good morning or goodbye?

She shook her head to banish the odd train of thought and sat down in front of the breakfast he'd made, tearing off the plastic covering it. It was Western style and looked so delicious. "Itadakimasu," she said before she began to eat.

* * *

Since it was still several days since the end of Summer Break, the weather was still hot so the students were still wearing their summer uniforms. The boys wore the white, short-sleeved shirts with black slacks while the girls wore white short-sleeved blouses with a black vest, red bowtie and short pleated skirt. Kokoro was entering the school grounds when she met up with her classmates and friends: Yuuka and Uzuki.

"Ohayo, Kokoro-chan!" Yuuka beamed.

"Ohayo," added Uzuki.

"Ohayo, girls," Kokoro smiled.

The usual pleasantries were exchanged as they walked to the show lockers to exchange their outdoor footwear to the standard indoor footwear. They then headed up to their class for homeroom.

* * *

Classrooms in Sakakino Academy were built to resemble a university lecture room.

"Good morning, class," said Kokoro's homeroom teacher, Mariko Asahina. She was a woman with reddish, brown hair that was curled. "As you all know it is still very hot." She was waving a fan in front of her face. "I know it's uncomfortable but you still need to come to school for class, regularly. Now, I've also got a surprise for you. Today we have a new student joining us." She turned to the door and said, "You can come in!"

The door opened and Kokoro's eyes went wide as she saw who'd come into her classroom. "No...way..." she whispered. He was dressed in the boys' uniform but with a fedora on his head.

"_Bonjour_, my fellow classmates," he greeted them before he turned towards the blackboard to write down his name.

"Kamikaze Liquer-kun is a transfer student who's just moved from France. So, I would like all of you to be friendly and please help him out," Asahina-sensei asked. "Now, Liquer-kun, would you like to pick a seat?"

Kamikaze looked around and smiled. He took up the empty seat behind Kokoro. Kokoro looked over her shoulder at him and he waved at her.

"Now, let us begin our roll call," said Asahina-sensei.

* * *

During the first break between classes, the other students in the class surrounded Kamikaze to get to know him. Like a gentleman, he politely answered their questions as Kokoro watched from where she sat. Yuuka and Uzuki were interested in the new kid in their class as well. Uzuki even remarked that his mismatched eyes made him look exotic.

"What do you think of him, Kokoro-chan?" asked Yuuka.

"What?" Kokoro blinked.

"What do you think of Liquer-san?"

"Well..." What could Kokoro say. "He doesn't seem too bad."

"He's also from France," said Uzuki. "I wonder what that's like."

'_I wonder if it's even true,'_ thought Kokoro. Well, so far, Kamikaze was a nice. He had saved her life and made her breakfast. But other than that she knew almost nothing about him. She continued to watch him though. Right now he was the centre of attention of the class. He was the new kid and the others wanted to get to know him and maybe become his new best friend.

* * *

Classes went on and Kamikaze was definitely making an impression. He correctly read a passage from their English textbook, correctly answered a complex math equation, and during PE class he beat all the boys during the 100 metre dash. He was slowly collecting a following of fans and there were girls who were starting to have crushes on him. He didn't show any indication of being aware of this but he still acted like a gentleman that made girls swoon and boys envious.

By lunchtime, Kamikaze finally spoke to Kokoro, "I'm new here so would you mind giving me a tour, _Mademoiselle_?"

"Sure," answered Kokoro as she tried to make herself sound polite. "Come with me." The two of them left the classroom together as they exited out in the hallway. Once they were out of earshot, Kokoro spun around to glare at him. "What are you doing here!?"

"I came to learn," he answered casually. "The same as you, I believe."

"Don't give me that! You followed me!" she accused.

"Oh, yes indeed," he admitted, "You caught me. But only so I could protect you."

"So, you only followed me to school, enrolled in my class, so you could protect me?" she asked.

"Yes, pretty much," said Kamikaze. "So, are we going to have lunch first, or..." She grabbed his necktie.

"Come with me!" she ordered as she dragged him along with her.

"My, how forceful!" he grinned. "I love a girl who takes charge."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Kokoro led Kamikaze up to the school rooftop so they could talk in private. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask from last night but never got around to asking them, until now.

"Alright, I want answers!" she demanded, hands to her hips. "Why are the Night Gaunts after me?"

"It's just in their nature to hunt down humans," said Kamikaze. "And when they've found prey, they don't let it escape for long."  
"And why do you kill them?" she asked.

"I'm a Demon Hunter," he told her. "I hunt and kill demons."

She remembered how he'd told her that Night Gaunts always hunt in groups and that they would not let a prey escape. "So, I'm just bait," she concluded.

"Well, I've been after the Night Gaunt's master and you're the only one who hasn't been taken," said Kamikaze. "So, I get to kill the Night Gaunts and maybe find out who's been sending them."

"I'm...bait..." she trembled as she clenched her fists. "You...!" Suddenly, the sky turned blood red. "What!?"

"And the curtain has risen for Act 2," said Kamikaze as he and Kokoro were suddenly surrounded by Night Gaunts.

"I thought you said they only come out at night!" shouted Kokoro.

"I guess these are the ones who decided to break the rule!" Kamikaze shot back. He counted the Night Gaunts, "OK, from what I can see, we're dealing with a dozen and a half of very dangerous demons." Kokoro was desperately trying to call for help on her cell phone but she wasn't receiving any answer. "That won't work. The Night Gaunts are scrambling your phone signals."

"Then what are we supposed to do!?" she demanded.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," promised Kamikaze as he held his umbrella like a sword. "OK, Jimmy! It's showtime!"

The Night Gaunts pounced on the two teenagers when a black blur flew out of nowhere and knocked them to the ground. The black blur then slowed down and hovered next to Kamikaze. As soon as Kokoro saw it, she let out a gasp. She didn't shriek and was struck speechless. Hovering next to Kamikaze was the biggest worm she had ever seen. It had a segmented body covered in a black exoskeleton and had a flat head with a pair of pincer-like mandibles that looked sharp enough to slice through bone. On the top of the head was a single, green eye. The worm then looked at Kamikaze who smiled at him.

"You know the drill, Jimmy!" said Kamikaze as he commanded with a snap of his fingers, "Driver On!" Jimmy the Worm obeyed and wrapped its long body around Kamikaze's waist like a belt with its head positioned in the centre. Jimmy then bit into the tip of its own tail, like a belt that was being fastened.

"_Bonjour_, Night Gaunts!" Kamikaze began, "My name is Kamikaze Liquer! But I think you know me by another name!" He called out, raising his umbrella into the air, "Henshin!"

Kokoro blinked, hearing that familiar word, and parroted, "Henshin?"

Red hellfire burst out of Jimmy and wrapped around Kamikaze, burning away his clothes but revealing his silhouette. With a downward swing of his umbrella, he dispersed the flames which blew the Night Gaunts back and almost blew Kokoro away. She opened her eyes and they went wide as she saw that Kamikaze had changed.

He was clad in a suit of gunmetal grey armor that was worn over a black bodysuit. The armor covered his torso and mounted on his shoulders were thick and broad pauldrons. In the centre of his chest was a green, rhombus-shaped gem. Hip plates hung from his belt and he had armored boots that went all the way up to his thighs with kneepads. Matching gauntlets with sharp points at the elbows covered his forearms. The suit had glowing red accents. Hanging from his neck was a tattered red scarf. Finally, his head was covered in a helmer which had bat-wing like adornments framing the face which was concealed by an opaque black visor. Mounted on the brow was a green gem with a pair of small bat wings extending from it to form antennae. Also, gripped in his hand wasn't an umbrella anymore. It had turned into a double-edged broadsword with a red gem in the centre of the guard. The blade was black with a silver edge and had ancient runes inscribed in blood red along the length of the blade.

Seeing the armor, Kokoro could only identify what Kamikaze had turned into with two words, "Kamen...Rider..."

"**Chaos** has descended," Kamikaze said as he pointed his sword threateningly at the Night Gaunts and challenged, "_En garde!_" The Night Gaunts, identifying the armored youth as a threat, attacked. The first wave of assailant jumped him but were rendered to pieces as Kamikaze swung in a circle, slicing their midsections and cutting them in half. Blood splattered the floor as their split bodies dropped. "Allons-y!" he cheered as he rushed at the Night Gaunts, swinging with his sword wildly. He performed a backflip to dodge an attacking Night Gaunt then planted his foot into face of a Night Gaunt behind him. He bounded off and performed a spin with his sword slicing through the Night Gaunts, killing them. He landed on one knee and saw the Night Gaunts swinging at him. He dodged as he back-stepped before he found an opening and kicked off the ground. He used a tornado kick to send them reeling then brought his blade down for the killing blow.

Meanwhile, Kokoro was using her camera to record the entire thing. However, she should've been paying attention to the Night Gaunt behind her. Fortunately for her, Kamikaze noticed.

"Watch out!" he shouted and his scarf tails shot out and stretched several times their original length. Kokoro shrieked and ducked as the scarf tails smashed into the Night Gaunt. They then wrapped around it and tugged it through the air for Kamikaze to run it through. He then released the Night Gaunt and continued to go on his killing spree.

Kokoro's heart thundered in her chest. Was this what it felt like for her sister? She looked down and saw that her hand was in a pool of Night Gaunt blood and she recoiled in panic and disgust. She then looked back at the battle and saw Kamikaze tossing himself into the air to perform an acrobatic flip which stunned the Night Gaunts before he dealt the killing blow upon them. He was fluid, and looked like he'd done this hundreds of times, like he was trained especially to fight these things. Then again, he was a Kamen Rider.

"Jimmy, let's finish this!" said Kamikaze as he held his sword down so that Jimmy's eye was aligned with the gem in the sword's guard. The sword began to glow and ignite with crimson flames. "Say au revoir!" he shouted as he swung his sword in a horizontal and vertical arch before shooting a cross-shaped energy blast that smashed into the remaining Night Gaunts, turning them to dust. He swung his sword to the side and flicked off the excess flames before turning to face Kokoro. "Kokoro!" His visor slid up into his helmet to reveal his face as he dashed towards her. He knelt down to check on her. "Are you OK?"

"Stay away from me!" she shouted as she pushed him away before running off. Kamikaze sighed as he watched her go before he let his armor vanish, leaving him in his clothes again.

"Fantastic, just bloody fantastic," he grumbled sarcastically. Unnoticed by him, a black butterfly was flying away.

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME:** And so begins the saga of Kamen Rider Chaos. Now, if you want to understand this universe, read the _Kamen Rider Days_ series and its pilot _School Days of the ChronoLiner Riders. _This is basically a spin-off/sequel of the same series but focusing on a different set of characters. Although, you may recognize them from my previous works. Now, this fic was inspired from _Haiyore! Nyarko-san _because the anime had a lot of references to the Kamen Rider series. I mean, even Nyarko's armor was based on Kamen Rider, and said armor is what I used as a basis for Kamikaze's suit. The sword itself also has significance to Lovecraftian Lore.


End file.
